Rod Loading

[Wildfisher]

I'm quite convinced that even the top casters don't know what they are really doing half the time

Perhaps more time on water and less on grass would help with the understanding?

I stopped practising on grass, 1.  because it is mind numbingly  boring to do and 2.  because I thought I was doing OK until I tried to translate what I had "learned"  in the fitbaw pitch environment to water which showed up just how little good it had done me in a blinding flash of light. Now I fully accept this might not be the case for everyone and that I probably got it all wrong to start with, however had I cut out the grass step I would  have been no worse off.

[Traditionalist]

I stopped discussing stuff like this publicly, it just gets some people far too excited and then they behave like arseholes.

TL
MC

[Wildfisher]

it just gets some people far too excited and then they behave like arseholes.

Yes, you are right.   Both publicly and by PM!  It's weird how precious some folk can be and how fragile egos can shatter.  :lol:

[Inchlaggan]

The worst cast I have ever seen (line coiled like a Slinky, 20ft from the boat, top section of rod detached and floating just out of reach, reel fallen off the rod) did not catch a fish- that in itself surprised me!
We got the reel properly fixed, tried to stretch the line (to little effect) and bound the busted ferrule with nylon.
He continued to cast the top section quite respectable distances, and had three or four fish in the afternoon.
A clear indication of a well-loaded rod, IMHO.

[Traditionalist]

Stretching PVC coated line is one of the worst things you can do. It will very seriously reduce the life of the line. If you want to remove memory ( which is a property of ALL thermoplasctics) just dip the the line in very warm water then lay it out to cool. It will then be straight and stay like that for a while.  If you are stuck on the river, then putting it in hot coffee and then having a cast with it will also work. It also works for nylon.  If you straighten out nylon casts by using very warm water and then laying them out straight to cool. Then store them in the fridge afterwards, even when coiled after straightening they will not have any kinks as memory retention is also caused by increased temperatures when the plastic concerned is stored.  The absolute worst thing you can do is leave line on a reel in a car window in the sun.  It will be like a coiled spring when you come to use it.  However, the methods described above will also work to straighten it out again.

All that stretching will achieve is severe damage to the line coating. Loads of people continue to recommend it though and get quite incensed when you tell them how silly it is.

TL
MC

[scotty9]

  The absolute worst thing you can do is leave line on a reel in a car window in the sun.  It will be like a coiled spring when you come to use it. 

Is that only if you let it cool again Mike? My experience with normal lines in hot temperatures is they go so limp they are unusable hence the tropical coatings.

Interesting post, I've never tried heat to straighten out fly lines, then again most of mine don't have any noticable memory! Used the trick on leaders though, works a treat.

[Wildfisher]

i thought that was the whole point of forums :lol:

What? To discuss stuff or to behave like arseholes?  :lol:

depends on the forum, and of course whether you find graphs useful as a casting aid :lol:

line memory is a strange one, it appears to be common but like scott i don't see it, i'd guess those that get it have small arbour reels or use the dreaded mono core line.

[Wildfisher]

then again most of mine don't have any noticable memory! Used the trick on leaders though, works a treat.

Same here I have not had memory probs with fly lines for years. The Uk lines made by northern sports and 22m are fine for memory (Barrio  mine and Pirates) . No probs at all. I also find that the Leeda Profile leaders  do not coil at all and use them pretty much exclusively now.

[Traditionalist]

Is that only if you let it cool again Mike? My experience with normal lines in hot temperatures is they go so limp they are unusable hence the tropical coatings.

Interesting post, I've never tried heat to straighten out fly lines, then again most of mine don't have any noticable memory! Used the trick on leaders though, works a treat.

Yes partly, it also depends on how you let it cool. It has to be straight when it is cooled if you want it to stay straight.  This applies to any thermoplastic, it is an intrinsic property of thermoplastics.

Lines going limp in hot conditions is related, this is because the plasticity range also depends on the temperature of the plastic. Referred to as glass transition temperature "Tg", specific for each plastic or mixture. This is also a little more complex with PVC coated lines as the PVC is treated with "softeners" to make it flexible under specific temperature ranges in the first place. In some cases the plasticity range is quite small. In very cold weather the line will be like wire, and in hot weather like a noodle. Special plastic / softener mixes are required for different temperature ranges.

For more information on that;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoplastic

All plastic lines have memory, it is a property of the plastic. But a tendency to coil etc is exacerbated considerably by adverse conditions. You can remove the memory completely by placing a line in hot water for a minute or two, and then allowing it to cool while straight. As long as it stays cool ( fridge) it will not coil again even if you roll it up tightly. This also works for nylon and any other thermoplastic materials. Same applies to nylon and copolymer leaders.

The memory is "programmed" by position and temperature. You can also deprogram or "format" it the same way in reverse.

"stretching" or otherwise deforming such lines merely damages them, and usually quite severely. The usual result is a mass of fine cracks in the coating which then leads to other problems.

TL
MC

[Traditionalist]

i thought that was the whole point of forums :lol:

Depends on the forum and the people involved.

TL
MC