graphite fly rod,

[rs29wt]

Hello.
I have a 9wt redington RS2 rod medium action rod it was my first saltwater fly rod.
It dosnt seem to be performing correctly..(user) or (manufacturing) error im not sure.
Yesterday I went to my local fly shop and picked up a cortland GRF (graphite)
for about half the price as the redington after casting the cortland in the parking lot @ the shop I thought id found the perfect rod..it was stiffer and is a 9/10 wt.It out cast my redington hands down..
I have 2 questions first.. I would like to know if my reel /spool setup's with 9 wt lines will work with the 9/10 or should I just re-outfit w/ 10 wt lines?
and second, if the cortland rod is half the price dose it make it a better rod?or am I able to out cast my redington,because its a 10wt not a 9wt?
thank you.

[riptide]

Hey rs29wt,

It's a tough couple of questions to answer, but I'll try to help. First the rod not working. Without knowing your casting ability, I'll go out on a limb and say it's generally not the rod in most cases. Differnet people have differnet casting strokes and find that rods that are faster or slower work better for them.

Many new casters have a tough time waiting for a rod to load properly, so a slower rod can prove to be a poor fit since they don't let it load enough and without a load it won't cast. It's not the rods fault, it just has to be handled differently than a faster rod.

Likewise a faster rod while better suited to those with a quick casting stroke are generally much less forgiving of error. Since they load fast and release fast, if your timings off they won't cast well for you either.

The best way to choose a rod is to go to a good fly shop with several "demo" rods. Or one that has demo reels and lines that will let you try out various rods before you buy. If your Redington isn't casting well for you, it's likely you didn't cast it much prior to buying or you would have made another choice.

Find a rod that suits your ability, casting stroke and budget then make your purchase. Again a good fly shop can be invaluable in this area.

Now on to your next questions. The fact that the Cortland casts better for you doesn't make it a better rod than the Redington or any other for that matter. It just means it's better suited to your casting style. This falls back to the answer above.

For the line issue, you need to match your line to your rod and take your casting stroke into account once again. While the Cortland may cast great in the parking lot with the shops brand X 10wt line, it may not perform with your 9 wt line. The only way is to try it. Some rods are able to handle several different line wt's easily. Some have very tight windows on what they will handle comfortably. Likewise some casters can compensate for a mismatched line while others are less able to adjust.

Just an example, I have a Redington NiTq 10wt that is Extremely fast. I tried a 10wt Orvis wonderline on it and try as I might could not get the rod to load well and found my casting distance was poor at best. After playing with several lines I found that a 400gr RIO worked well and a 450 gr RIO made the rod a rocket launcher!!! I also found a 12wt Cortland Striper line was a near perfect match for the rod with me casting it.

Now I am generally NOT a fan of over/under lining rods. I try to use the correct line weight for the spec of the rod. This was the only time I found a need to make such a drastic adjustment. With the above mentioned lines, the rod has become my everyday go to rod.

Best advice I can give you is go to your local fly shop, preferably on a slow day when the shop keeper can spend some extra time with you and cast as many rods as you can. Ask their advice on line choice and you should be on the right track. If you want to keep either the Cortland or the Redington, bring the rod and reel with you. Explain your problem and show them the line your using. Different head lengths and tapers can drasticly change how a line casts even when they are the same weight.

Sorry for the long answer, I hope this helps.

[mansfieldsign]

Riptide, I have read and been told that it is helpful for a new caster to over
line the rod by 1 weight. Do you have any thoughts on that theory? ;)

[riptide]

While overlining canmake the rod load easier for a new caster, IMHO it's better to learn to cast a rod with the appropriate line weight first. Like I said, I generally am not a fan of overlining period. My NiTq is the only rod that I overline. I wouldn't start out by overlining, it will not help the caster out down the road. Learn with the correct line then when you;ve become proficent if you choose to tailor the line slightly then go for it. But learn the basics first with the matched line wt.

[mansfieldsign]

Thank you for the advice. I realize that the ticr is more rod for me
than my ability warrants, but after reading Massalts post yesterday, which
made sense about the ticr for a beginner, I was wondering if I should over line the rod. My gut instinct says not to -- at least not yet.