I have been fly fished since the late 80's. Began saltwater fly fishing in the mid 90's. My first good saltwater rod was a SAGE RPLX 890-3. (I later had 10 & 12 RPLX's). Then, I transitioned to the RPL+ 790-4 (very fast for back then, used as an 8 weight) and the SP+ 690-3, which were "go to" lighter rods. Around 2004, I got a quiver of Cross Current GLX 4 pieces -- 9, 10 & 12 (the 8 CrossCurrent had just too much tip flex). Later I fished various 8 weights, but settled on the SAGE TCX 890-4, which is still my favorite bonefish rod, and the last SAGE I really like. My favorite redfish rod is the Pro-1 Cross Current 7 weight. I like super fast rods (TCX) for bonefishing. Prefer slightly softer rods for reds & baby tarpon.
In the past 4 years I've tried various of the new, super light rods. I fall in love in the parking lot and lawn casting and even sometime fishing, but only keep the rods a limited amount of time. (Sage Method and Scott Meridian are examples of such divorces-- thank god for fly rod liquidity on EBay!).
In the last 2 years I went on an EBay binge to buy all the rods I either could not afford or somehow lost in my early days--- Sage RPL+ 790 and 890, Sage SP+ 890, TCR 890, GLoomis Classic gray 8 weight GLX (sweetie), Scott Heliply 7, 8, 9, 10 & 12, and ALL the Scott STS's: 6 through 12 (wish these STSs were 4 piece! I LOVE ALL of the STS's except maybe the 9). This exercise actually was great fun taking me back in time through fly rods...
In the last 2 months I picked up a few Hardy Zephrus rods: 990-4 (Love It), 1090-4, and 8 wt 1 piece. I find pairing these light Hardys with heavier reels helps me. A week ago, I fished baby tarpon and snook with the Hardy Zephrus 9 weight and compared it to the GLX CC 9 weight-- the Zephrus allowed me to make long casts effortlessly; the GLX felt clunky. This week I fished for reds with the Zephrus 8 weight 1 piece... man, my cast got out of synch! I fished the Loomis 7 Pro1 CC and the STS 7 weight, and was back in the groove.
I am a fairly good caster. I was fortunate to be taught in the late 90's by a top guide in the Bahamas--Charlie Neymour. Under Charlie's guidance, I have tried to emulate Steve Rajeff's compact casting style and avoid the rod drifting instead of the open casting style of Lefty Kreh and Tim Rajeff. But, these new, light weight rods seem to cause me to lose my cadence or casting rhythm. Maybe I'm not tracking correctly?
Besides confessing that I'm a fly fishing fanatic and gear-head on this forum, the purpose of this thread is to ask the MS fly fishing brain trust: what's the deal with these new light weight rods? Why do I find having a bit of mass in the tip preferable to super fast swing weight? Any other suggestions?
In the past 4 years I've tried various of the new, super light rods. I fall in love in the parking lot and lawn casting and even sometime fishing, but only keep the rods a limited amount of time. (Sage Method and Scott Meridian are examples of such divorces-- thank god for fly rod liquidity on EBay!).
In the last 2 years I went on an EBay binge to buy all the rods I either could not afford or somehow lost in my early days--- Sage RPL+ 790 and 890, Sage SP+ 890, TCR 890, GLoomis Classic gray 8 weight GLX (sweetie), Scott Heliply 7, 8, 9, 10 & 12, and ALL the Scott STS's: 6 through 12 (wish these STSs were 4 piece! I LOVE ALL of the STS's except maybe the 9). This exercise actually was great fun taking me back in time through fly rods...
In the last 2 months I picked up a few Hardy Zephrus rods: 990-4 (Love It), 1090-4, and 8 wt 1 piece. I find pairing these light Hardys with heavier reels helps me. A week ago, I fished baby tarpon and snook with the Hardy Zephrus 9 weight and compared it to the GLX CC 9 weight-- the Zephrus allowed me to make long casts effortlessly; the GLX felt clunky. This week I fished for reds with the Zephrus 8 weight 1 piece... man, my cast got out of synch! I fished the Loomis 7 Pro1 CC and the STS 7 weight, and was back in the groove.
I am a fairly good caster. I was fortunate to be taught in the late 90's by a top guide in the Bahamas--Charlie Neymour. Under Charlie's guidance, I have tried to emulate Steve Rajeff's compact casting style and avoid the rod drifting instead of the open casting style of Lefty Kreh and Tim Rajeff. But, these new, light weight rods seem to cause me to lose my cadence or casting rhythm. Maybe I'm not tracking correctly?
Besides confessing that I'm a fly fishing fanatic and gear-head on this forum, the purpose of this thread is to ask the MS fly fishing brain trust: what's the deal with these new light weight rods? Why do I find having a bit of mass in the tip preferable to super fast swing weight? Any other suggestions?