Calculating line wt for a rod...wow!

STONEMAN

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New Cumberland PA
Found this on a link in the rob building topic. Learn something every day...

Accuratly measure the distance from the rod tip to the grip ( not the entire length of the rod ), and divide that number by ten. Write that number down, you'll be needing it. Example 86"/10=8.6"

Next, clamp the rod grip to a table so the rod is held in a horizontal fashion rigidly. Be sure no portion of the rod touches the table. Measure the distance from the rod tip to the floor. Hang a paper clip to the tip and start adding washers or nuts to the clip until the tip flex's down exactly 1/10 of the free rod length or as in the example 8.6 inches. You can do this easily by subtracting 8.6" from the floor measurement and use weights to reach that target measurement. Double check all of your measurements!

Remove the paperclip, and all washers or nuts, and weigh them on an accurate gram scale. Example: Clip, nuts and washers total = 43 grams. Then divide 43 by 8.6=5 and see the chart below to evaluate the line size. Our example indicates the stiffness ratio of this rod to require an 11 weight fly line to optimally load it!

Stiffness Ratio: (grams/inch) .............Recommended Line Weight

1.4 - 1.6............................................... ..................3

1.6 - 1.9............................................... ................. 4

1.9 - 2.2 .................................................. ..............5

2.2 - 2.6............................................... ..................6

2.6 - 3.0............................................... ..................7

3.0 - 3.5............................................... ..................8

3.5 - 4.15.............................................. .................9

4.15 - 5.0............................................... ...............10

5.0 - 5.9............................................... .................11


Incidently, it doesn't matter what your flex charactoristics are, noodle soft or poker stiff, this prevails!
 
read up on the common cents system.
then, become stupefied and read the simplified version.
 
jeez, I just take it out in the yard and try it with a bunch till I find one I like. guess I've been doing it wrong!
 
X2 on what gfen said, no need to make it more complicated
 
I don't even have the paper clips. Crap.
 
bikerfish wrote:

"jeez, I just take it out in the yard and try it with a bunch till I find one I like. guess I've been doing it wrong!"

Great answer! Me too, if I can throw it 20, 30, 40 feet with a specifc line and it turns over nice and falls gently then that is the line I want to use.

But thanks for the technical method of line deternimation.
 
krayfish wrote:
I don't even have the paper clips. Crap.

It appears that I have exactly 1 (thanks Fishidiot! :-D)

Either way, I am a geek for stuff like this. I don't see myself bothering to try it, but I am glad someone figured it out.
 
read up on the common cents system.
then, become stupefied and read the simplified version.


Can you enlighten me on this?
I actually have 2 rods that are not marked at all and am curious if I'm correct with my line weights. I only have 2 lines.
 
KeithS wrote:
read up on the common cents system.
then, become stupefied and read the simplified version.


Can you enlighten me on this?
I actually have 2 rods that are not marked at all and am curious if I'm correct with my line weights. I only have 2 lines.

The CCS system is a measurement system thats been around in the rod building community for several years. It uses pennies as incremental weights to measure various attributes of a rod. The measurements can be then used to figure out which line weight to use.

Kev
 
That method requires having a bunch of different weight lines laying around....

not much of a problem, I try to keep line wts 3-8 in both wf and dt on reels, because ya just never know when you might need them! I get em cheap, 20 bucks for a line is pricey for me, although I will splurge for a new hook and hackle hi-floater once in a while, 33 bucks, eek!
 
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