Mike McKeown
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Well Done Will, it is so cool to see guys acheive stuff they are working so hard for…
Phil, I dont get your publication down here.
Thanks Zach, your research and understanding of the topic is exceptional. You must have debated this subject on many other occasions. I discussed this with a very good mate of mine today, while we fished a tiny stream for Yellowfish.
One question I would love answered is to do with the theory that Sage made the TCR in conjunction with Scientific Angler, who developed their expert distance tapper for that rod.
I agree that today’s rods are too fast and lining-up slows them down, makes them easier to cast and more efficient at transferring energy, but if Sage and SciAngler developed them in conjunction, should they nor be fished as a unit?? 5w TCR and a 5w Expert Distance tapper??
I will give that a bash tonight… I will try shoot something that has got depth and see what happens in different modes.
But I went and did it again last night…
Auto Focus – thought the view finder, looks crisp and clear, take the shot, and the focus is moved back, this is from a stable base with no movement.
Manual, focus the subject and bring the focal point slightly in front of if, and the photo is sharp.Weirdest thing…
Question, and I think I know the answer, does 17 points refer to the points on the antlers??
To me they are horns and only have one point on each.
We also measure them in length, Kudu trophy is 52 inches in length or more… or in really bushy areas, 4 turns… Gemsbok, 56 inches… etc
Then Buffalo and likes we measure the distance between the tips, A big bull, like you see at the beginning of “Battle at Kruger” (YouTube it) might be 48 inches, a 50 incher is almost a goliath, then horn length 40 inches…if you want to get together and do some shooting….or some shooting…Or some shooting of some shooting. ;D
Made me laugh…
Ok, just to update you guys on where I am in this process.
Although I seem to have some issues with the auto focus when I shoot in RAW, I posted these pics.
1.There must be something wrong with my cameras auto focus when I shoot RAW…
It did it again today, I was shooting some flies in a Step by Step and true as daylight, they are all out of focus. I thought they were all good, I then snapped a few extras at the end in Supper High quality JPEG, without doing anything to the camera, and they were sharp. Different lense……………………
But it can’t be???? focus is in the lens right???? so what is freaking wrong??????
Hi Jarrod
Rod might feel better when they are lined-up, loaded with a heaver line weight than recommended; however, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the rod performs better.
Before we get into it, let’s assume a few things.
– We use a fast action rod, Sage 5w XP is a good bench mark. Most new graphite rods are relatively fast in action.
– We use a Scientific Angler GPX taper as our test line, I will come back to this in a moment.
– We use the same amount of fly line out of the tip of the rod, let’s say 40 feet. Only the first 30 feet is used to rate the lines line weight.
– We use a similar casing stroke on all casts, you will see why in a second.When the rod is loaded with its designated line weight, the rod will perform as the manufacturer intended, within reason.
When the rod is loaded with one line weight heavier than recommended, the rod action is slowed, due to the additional weight in the line. It slows the recovery rate of the blank and makes the rod flex further into its butt, to generate enough energy to cast the line forward. This is called lining -up and is generally used to teach beginners how to cast more effectively, by simply slowing the action of the rod, allowing the caster to time the change in direction better, time the haul better and have an easier presentation. However, for small stream fishing, it is sometimes recommended that a rod is lined-up to load it better when short casts are required, I don’t agree with this.
When the rod is loaded with one line weight lighter than recommended, the rod weight is quickened. Basically reversing everything I said in the previous paragraph. Apart from the theory that when you need more distance, line down, this does not hold true, as the additional line weight is required to load the blank correctly to get the maximum amount of energy transfer into the rod.
To go back to the lines for a second. Scientific Angler lines are slightly different in their line weights to achieve different goals., so are many other lines.
GPX tapper (General Presentation) is regarded as an all round tapper; it is half a line weight heavier than the AFTM rating, allowing a more comfortable casting stroke and concentrating on efficient casting with general presentation.
XPS tapper (Expert Presentation Series) is regarded as a presentation tapper; it is half a line weight lighter than the AFTM rating, allowing more subtle presentation by reducing the amount of energy transferred to the line.
Here is little bit of reading on AFTM ratings. http://www.letsflyfish.com/aftmprobs.htm
To touch on rod actions.
Sage TCR/TCX – regarded as one of the fastest recovering rods on the market, it is also quite stiff, thus imparting vast amounts energy into the line, allowing the caster to punch the line into strong winds, cast huge distances and create tight loops for good presentation at long distances.
Scott G Series – Generally regarded as the quintessential dry fly rod, it has a slower recovery rate and is also quite soft, imparting far less energy and allowing the caster good loop control at medium distances.Sage Z-Axis – my personal preference to replace my XP, this rod bring in the latest in graphite advancement, allowing a fast recovery rate with a relatively soft rod. Creating a fast action, but delivering less energy.
Let’s touch on flex points.
Stiff, fast action rods generally flex close to the tip.
Medium action rods generally flex to the middle of the rod.
Slow action rods will generally flex all the way to the butt.Orvis had the best way of describing the actions of rods, by calling them Tip Flex, Medium Flex and Full Flex.
I have probably made too many generalizations, used too many premium rods (unfortunately these are the rods I know) and not made any sense at all… but to get back to your original question.
Premium rods should be loaded with the recommended line weight, thus fishing and casting the rod as the way the manufactured intended. Less expensive or cheapies, often need a heavier line weight to hide a poor design or flaws in the construction.
Just my thoughts…
🙂 🙂 🙂
Clark – I’ll vouch for Daryl, he can fish, has the people skills and can tie the ocasional fly… LOL.
Daryl, this is a great idea, you’re close enough, let Clark fine tune it…
On the band width, I am finding that your PC’s are taking longer than normal to dowload and the site is loading a little slower. Could just be my international traffic is throttled???
On the economy, I think it hurting everywhere, our fuel prices are out of control, which just spins on to everything else, we have a slightly higher interest rate than I would like, but what is really hurting is our exchange rate… to best explain…
I could buy a Sage Z-Axis for just on $600(R6300 x 8.5 to the $), but now it is closer to $850(R7400 x 10.5 to the $), that’s from the last shipment to this one. 6 weeks. If that make sense. now convert that to everything we import, TV’s, DVD players, Cameras and then the Fridges and other stuff, also manufacturing needs equipment which they import, and then material for other stuff, rubber, cottons, nylons and others.End result, we are feeling it quite hard.
Lastly, you can hear my “freakish accent” by listening to a pod cast or two… I know you’re a busy man, but I would love your feedback… or just Skype me…
Brett’s is the best…
http://www.theflyfisher.co.za/content/view/102/81/You would love Arno Matthee, the milk man… in fact is any one wants to hear about Milk Fish, this is the guy who decoded them…
http://www.theflyfisher.co.za/content/view/104/81/On the band width, I am finding that your PC’s are taking longer than normal to dowload and the site is loading a little slower. Could just be my international traffic is throttled???
On the economy, I think it hurting everywhere, our fuel prices are out of control, which just spins on to everything else, we have a slightly higher interest rate than I would like, but what is really hurting is our exchange rate… to best explain…
I could buy a Sage Z-Axis for just on $600(R6300 x 8.5 to the $), but now it is closer to $850(R7400 x 10.5 to the $), that’s from the last shipment to this one. 6 weeks. If that make sense. now convert that to everything we import, TV’s, DVD players, Cameras and then the Fridges and other stuff, also manufacturing needs equipment which they import, and then material for other stuff, rubber, cottons, nylons and others.End result, we are feeling it quite hard.
Lastly, you can hear my “freakish accent” by listening to a pod cast or two… I know you’re a busy man, but I would love your feedback… or just Skype me…
Brett’s is the best…
http://www.theflyfisher.co.za/content/view/102/81/You would love Arno Matthee, the milk man… in fact is any one wants to hear about Milk Fish, this is the guy who decoded them…
http://www.theflyfisher.co.za/content/view/104/81/We getting tight too… I have to cut down on hunting lions, the bullets are costing too much…
LOL
Yip, it is getting tight…
