matching rod and reel in same wt, is it really necessary?

[AZURE]

so I want to scale down to a lighter rod, but I found a reel that I really liked. now I know you should match the same wt rod and reel if you can due to balance and making your casts an extension of you and singing. so to make it balance, it comes down to weight right?

If I want to use a 5wt rod for lighter fun, but because I fish saltwater, I'm concerned about having enough backing if I hook something big like a bat ray, I would probably want a 7/8 wt LA reel with 150+ yards capacity. if an average 5wt reel is about 4.x oz, and I found a very light 7/8 reel in around the same 4.x oz weight, I really shouldn't have any problems with balance right? in effect, if would function and feel relatively the same as the smaller 5 wt matching reel right?

now how about if I stuck with the smaller 5wt reel with only 100 yard 20# dacron capacity. I can use braid/gel spun for the increased capacity due to smaller diameter. but what # braid/gs would I need to use to have 150+ yard backing?

Thanks.

[1mocast]

Its all about balance. You can have a 10 ft. 4 wt rod and have it tip heavy with a 4wt reel. I tend to like my rods balance a little heavier towards the reel seat. Hold the rod where you would cast it and see how it balances on your index finger. Does it tip forward or back? With that said, I use a larger 8wt. reel with my 6wt rod for the surf. I can then just switch spools for my 8wt rod and line.

It all depends on personal preferences....

Now if you hooked a bat ray with a 5wt. rod, You might not have a rod or line left...

[WanderingBlues]

As long as the reel balances...... Certainly your LA reels will have more ability to hold more backing. I don't know how spectra line diameter matches to dacron, but #20 is usually at about a #5 mono equivalent. The question is how will the reel handle spectra sawing on it? Or how will the rod guides handle it? That stuff can do some wearing and tearing on gear.

[lucfish]

How does it feel to you? This often boils down to personal preference IMHO. If I were you I would try the outfit you want and see how it works. The rod should be doing the work not your arms. If you doesn't feel quite right then it's not what you should purchase. Everybody is different, that's one of the reasons why there are so many kinds of rods and reels in the same weight class even from the same manufacture. As far as dacron or gelspun, put on what you want chances are if you can get 100 yards on dacron on your reel it will suffice for better than 90% of the time, just don't undersize your tippet if you don't have to.

[Jimbo Roberts]

I think the important thing is to get your rod and reel to balance where you want to place your hand and grip the rod. If your rod and reel is tip heavy you will wear yourself out more quickly casting it than if the rod and reel is balanced in your hand. If your rod and reel is heavy in the butt section you will still fatigue but not as fast as a tip heavy rod and reel. A balanced outfit will also enhance the sensitivity of the oufit while fishing. This is important when nymph fishing especially. I remember back in the early 80's a friend of mine bought a Sage RP 6wt. that was 9 3/4'. At first he tried to use a normal sized reel and it wore him out. I told him he needed more weight in the reel. We found a reasonably priced Scientific Anglers reel that balanced the outfit that was intended for saltwater use. But even though the reel weighed more the balanced outfit felt lighter in hand throughout the casting stroke. And remember that adding the backing and flyline will add several ounces to the weigh of the reel. Ask any Bamboo fisherman about the reels they use. Many of my Boo friends perfer the older reels because they are heavier but balance the outfit and enhance their enjoyment while fishing it.
Spectra can really wear your guides if you are into the backing often. It is tougher on the wire snake guides than the SIC guides. Harry Lane used to guide on the San Juan in New Mexico. He sent his winston rods to my Friend Dennis at Rodmakers to have the tip top and all the snake guides replaced because the specta sawed through them on two of his rods. Now that is a testament to the numbers of Big Trout he hooked and their powerful runs. I stick to dacron for just that reason.

Jimbo

[briansII]

now how about if I stuck with the smaller 5wt reel with only 100 yard 20# dacron capacity. I can use braid/gel spun for the increased capacity due to smaller diameter. but what # braid/gs would I need to use to have 150+ yard backing?

Thanks.

I could easily write 2 long paragraphs on rod and reel "balance', but I better not go there.

I think 20lb braid would be fine on a 5wt reel. The diameter equivalent is approx 6lb mono, so that should give you plenty of capacity. You could go even smaller on the braid, but I think if a fish is going to spool you with 150 yards, it's going to spool you with 200 yards. Time to think about what leader # you have on, and if you are going to get everything except the fly back.

briansII

[AZURE]

some great replies, thanks guys. I've only been FF for a month, and learning for about a month and a half, so I'm still learning and wrapping my head around everything.

so in short, yes, it does seem to pretty much come down to weight and how it feels regardless of matching sizes. then capacity is secondary. I also prefer to have it balance a little more towards the reel end.

wow, I didn't know dacron was that thin. not much advantage in trying to use spectra because the diameter is relatively the same. I guess I'll just try to get a very light 7/8 reel.

I fought a bat ray on my 7 wt rod/reel with around 175-200 yards backing and it took me down to where I could see the spool, so I'm guessing 25 yards remaining?

I went out this morning, and brought my 8 wt rod, 1st shovelnose sand shark that was tail hooked took me into the backing but not much. the 2nd larger one took me about half in the backing. that one was tail hooked also, so he's pretty much free to go wherever he wants. luckily it was extremely low tide so I was able to run out further to take up line in the surf when I needed to.

so although I don't expect to always hook into (foul hook ) larger species, it will happen, so that was my big concern about having at least 150 yards of backing. I really enjoy the fight more than the fish in hand, so that's why I wanted to go with a much lighter setup but with enough backing.

[briansII]

wow, I didn't know dacron was that thin. not much advantage in trying to use spectra because the diameter is relatively the same. I guess I'll just try to get a very light 7/8 reel.

Dacron backing diameters vary, but overall, "braid"....or better known as GSP, or Spectra, is thinner than dacron. You should get a substantial amount more backing capacity with 20 lb Spectra, than you would with 20 lb dacron. Because spectra is so thin, and slick, you may need to learn a couple knots. Knots that hold using dacron, may slip and come undone with spectra. PM me if you need knot info.

briansII

[uplandguide]

I am a big fan of Rio's Gel Spun backing in 20# for my 4 and 5 wts.