[clyde olson]

I add to the data bank of lines for the 5120 understanding differing opinions of casters using the same rod and line and opinions differing relative to the expertise of the caster. I have tried:
WC 5/6--rod not loaded
WC 11/12/(13) head(26'/470gr-- essentially a Skagit "7/8")---with 10' WC 5/6 tip---at 36'/525gr rod over-loaded
WC 9/10/(11) head(22.5'/320gr) with AF I S.T.(10'/35gr) at 32.5'/355gr Skagit casted nicely, single speyed beautifully, and was a lazer overhead casting
WC 10/11/(12) head(23.5'/380gr) with AF I S.T.(10'/35gr) at 33.5'/415gr similar to the WC 9/10/ head above with the rod loading a bit better
But the clear winner---as I found with my Scott ARC 6120(I added 3" to the butt)---was the Air Flo(AF) "40+" line. At 32.5'/370gr and with an AF I (10'/35gr) giving a line 42.5'/405gr did everything well--single speyed(traditional spey cast) and Skagit casted beautifully and with Rio's SlickShooter 35# running line boomed overhead casts toward the next county. In addition, I felt I hadn't used all the potential of the rod, and if need be, an added a punch here and there would not collapse the rod. I used a leader/tippit anywhere from 4-10' long and had a 25gr cone head streamer on as the fly. All of the above was done on a lagoon, no real fishing experience with this new rod for me.

 

[clyde olson]

AFTA and the AF "40+"

Woburn---AFTA designates 140 grains for the first 30' of a 5 weight line, 330gr for an 11wt, and 380gr for a 12 wt. line. The Air Flo "40+" has 370 grains in its 32.5 head. So as has been mentioned so many times on this board, when it comes to the double-hander, AFTA numbers don't matter. What works for you works. As we have seen in this post, some felt the 5120 worked well with the WC 5/6 (47'/345gr), others did not like it. The shorter AF 40+ with more grains packed into a 15' shorter head allowed for a very compact and efficient stroke compared to the WC 5/6. Perhaps if I were a better caster I might feel differently. But with the 5120 and the Scott 6120 the 40+ is a real beauty. My 0.02.
P.S. Didn't answer your question, Woburn! The line is the AF 40+ 9 wt("WF9F").

 

[clyde olson]

Mending and indicator use

Great stuff on indy fishing, Grandpa. But help me out. You said: "You cast the indicator out like a dry fly and mend it DOWN(my emphasis) stream like a fly". I was taught to mend the line UPstream of the indicator allowing the line to follow, the indicator to lead, the system down stream. If that's not what you meant, straighten me out.