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How many of you put a different wt.fly line on your fly rod?

I heard from some people that a fly rod is specifically made only for the weight of line that is marked on the rod and other weights simply won't work. I also have seen on other websites that say that you can use one wt above what is marked and one weight below what is marked on the rod. I have a 6 wt tip heavy rod that I think would prefer a 7 wt. Any of you use different weights than what is marked? If so, have you had much success with the change in weights?

Public Comments

1. it does effect it greatly as it wont cast as well i always prefer to use size 7
2. I tend to go up a weight in fly line for lighter weight rods ie Use a 4 wt line on a 3wt rod. BUT that all depends on the weight rod you use. Also how well does the correct weight line load the rod to cast. I simply found that a 3wt line didn't have enough grains of weight to it to be able to load the rod well enough. It is a personal preference though.
3. Yes i've heared of alot of people doing this and seems to work great. I just stick with my 5 wt. weight line on my 5 wt. line thought.
4. Try different line weights on your rod. I have a 7 wt that is really a 6wt in practice. Some rods are designed to be tip heavy. It all boils down to personal preference. Try different lines until you get one that feels right casting the rod. Also, you might want to change to a Double Taper Line. Weight forwards tend to seem lighter when casting. Hope that helps.
5. some rods do seem to cast better either up or down a line weight. I have an orvis 4wt that fishes a 5 much better but also have a Sage that is too soft for my casting style so I underline that rod. If you are not sure about what line weight you feel would be better suited for your rod, go to your local fly shop. They should have a demo reel for you to try in the parking lot or such so you can see what line you like better. But also remember each line has different taper types. A Weight forward 6 trout line would have a much longer and then "softer" taper then a bonefish line or Saltwater taper that designed to punch larger flies into windy conditions.
6. This is opening a can of worms here............... I build rods and I'm going to say there is no such thing as a true line rated rod - OK now, before you guys jump on me please read the article from the link I'm enclosing. Even though a rod says it's a 5wt - it may cast better with a 4 or 6 wt line, read on for the explanation, and please chack out the links - they are very informative Rod company's rate their rods so you don't break them: meaning if you purchase a 5 wt rod and put 5wt flyline on it it won't break under load when casting. The AFTMA system of flyline weights is not perfect. There are specifics of what a flyline must weigh in at to be rated at a specific line wt. When you look at the chart you'll see what I mean. ( do a websearch for AFTMA chart) You'll see that some 5 wt lines and some 6 wt lines may weigh about the same. I guarantee you that if you purchased brand "x" fly line in 6 wt and brand "y" flyline in 6 wt they would weigh in slightly different - but still within the AFTMA guidelines. Check this link out: www.common-cents.info/aftma.pdf then do a google search for "Dr. Bill's Flyline Analyzer" and view it as a HTML file