[Jamey McLeod]

The thread below raised an interesting question in my head. I was out casting today, 300grain teeny, 9ft6in8wt RPL+ into a head on wind of about 20mph+. I was managing 50-60ft casts, not what I would call easily, but managable, using your typical lead eyed clouser. Would have been the same story with my Sage 8124 with an SA 11wt Striper Coldwater taper on it. Would I be getting a noticable amount more distance if I were to move up to say the TFO 12X12, the Big Atlantis, or the T&T 12X12?

I have tweeked my stroke up, down, north, south, east and west, always the same story, line gets out 45-50ft and just dies when conditions are like this. Same wind coming from the west (my left, right handed caster), and I'm pushing 100ft with a 1 hander, 150 with a 2 hander.

 

[Philster]

The thread below raised an interesting question in my head. I was out casting today, 300grain teeny, 9ft6in8wt RPL+ into a head on wind of about 20mph+.

Lose the teeny. Great line, don't get me wrong, but it is not the line for those conditions. Do you really need to get down deep, or just get down? Any number of saltwater WF full sinks would do a better job, due to the casting, not lobbing effect. Weight Forwards let you control your loop, and go much more sidearm and low to the water than you can with a head style line like the teeny or a depthcharge.

That RPL+ is a meatstick (god I used to love those for winter steelheading before two handers!), but if you are good at loading it, a 7wt intermediate bonefish, or other slightly long belly saltwater line will give you more distance, once again assuming you don't need to get down really deep. If the 7 won't cast for you go up to the 8. If the intermediate won't give you the depth you need look for faster sinking. I used to have saltwater triangle taper type 4 that would cut the wind like nobody's business but cast like a dream! I'm not saying you'll get your 100 feet, but it will cut the wind and cast a whole lot better than the teeny.

 

[juro]

Upgrading to a 30-something ft 600 grain line on a matched two-handed overhead rod definitely helps combat headwind over a 26ft 300 grain line with one arm, casting skill being equal.

Where tailwinds deflate the backcast, the sail effect flying forward makes up for it. A cross wind can be dealt with using reverse casts and left hand casts, and a caster's wind can actually help if you can get the right angle. But, headwinds are tough and one needs more "line speed" and momentum, a fierce turnover rotation at the point of the loop, and a smaller loop profile to better cast directly into the wind.

I am no physicist but I am certain that given the same acceleration the line with more mass is going to generate more force. Mass resists acceleration so we need a stronger wand to do it, like the big Atlantis, and two hands makes moving more mass much easier in fact accelerating 600 grains is quite easy. That all works out.

To keep Newton's laws working free of appreciable air resistance, we need tight loops so the casters skill is a factor. A thinner sinking line really helps as well in this respect.

Apples to apples, you are currently casting a line with a 26ft head. I am no kinematics expert either but I know that the dynamics of such a short head are not going to help distance casting although it does make for a consistent shorter cast and a good fishing length. Going to the new 35-38ft integrated (or looped) shooting head systems optimized for two-handers packing 600 grains is going to help not only because of the grains but because of the energy it holds longer in flight. But it must be tracking true to do it.

In simple terms if you can accelerate more grains and keep things flying tight then you will conquer more headwind. I've found this to be completely true in practice not just theory but it's always fun to think about the theory once in a while.