[flyfisha1]

Two questions:

1. I have heard that a windcutter line has a tip diameter that's two sizes smaller than the actual line weight designation (i.e. an 8-weight WC spey line has a tip diameter of a 6-weight line); is this correct?

2. To use shooting heads with a two-handed rod, one uses shooting heads for a single-handed rod that are on average two line sizes heavier than the line weight designation for the two-hander (i.e. an 8-weight two-handed rod would use 10-weight shooting heads meant for a single-handed rod). Is this correct?

If these two points are true, this would seem to indicate that, intrinsically, using the spey line would provide a much more delicate presentation, though you wouldn't necessarily be using the two lines in the same situations.

 

[jfbasser]

Regarding #2. I have a two hander with a manufacturer's "7 wt" label. I use 9 and 10 wt. standard floating lines on this rod.

 

[Bob Pauli]

Chris

Chris,
1. Go to www.rioproducts.com and look at the section re WindCutter lines for single hand rods. That will give you the design philosophy of WCs. Since there is no standard for spey rods, similar statements cannot be made for spey WCs.

2. You are mixing/comparing single hand line weights to spey line weights. The two systems are not alike, with spey line heads much heavier than single line heads of the same weight. By heads I mean 30-feet for single and the body length of, for your example, a WC which is approximately 54 feet.

Look up data for Rio's WC line sections and compare those sections to the AFTMA specs for single hand lines. Note that Rio recommends that tip 2 be removed from a WC for overhead casting.

From the chart take the weight of a WC head consisting of body plus tip 1 [no tip 2], and look up the similar weight in the AFTMA tables. You will find, for example, a WC8.9.10 body plus tip 1 weighs 295 grains + 129 grains = 424 grains. Going to the AFTMA chart, you will find that a 13-weight head spec is 440 grains.

So if you want to try OH casting your 9-wt spey rod with a single hand line, try a #13 head.

All data for these comparisons are on the Rio Spey Line Section Weight and Length spread sheet in PDF or XL. PM me your email address and I'll email it to you.