Overlining a 2 wt.

[dmpplantz]

Just bought a 2 wt. Cabelas CGT (fiberglass, advertised medium action, probably leaning a little toward medium-fast in reality), 6 foot. Its a beautiful thing to lay #22's down as a gentle as a breeze with it; but throwing #6 beadheads under a strike indicator is tough (as I did kind of expect); impossible with a roll cast. I've read some about overlining, that it can help significantly with roll-casting in general, and I'm also thinking that heavier line could carry the heavier flies better. My main concern is whether the rod will be able to move the heavier line. I wouldn't be too worried about 3 wt. line, but i'm not sure that's enough of a difference from 2 wt to make a difference. Is going with 4wt going to be too much for a medium/medium-fast action, mere 6' 2wt to handle? Any advice would be much appreciated.

[jgockel]

That's a fun size rod. I've got a Hardy 6' 3 weight glass rod that I've got overloaded with a 4 wt. It's probably my favorite rod to play with, and it casts 40 feet of line as nice as it does 10 inches of line. If you want to roll cast, a double taper line works better than a WF. Overloading will help you throw heavier flies, but a size 6 bead head with a 6' rod is a lot to ask of a it. You can go up to a 3wt, but I wouldn't go much heavier than that.

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

I have a sneaking suspicion that many rods are incorrectly rated, and that overlining reflects this. Just a hunch.

[dmpplantz]

That's a fun size rod. I've got a Hardy 6' 3 weight glass rod that I've got overloaded with a 4 wt. It's probably my favorite rod to play with, and it casts 40 feet of line as nice as it does 10 inches of line. If you want to roll cast, a double taper line works better than a WF. Overloading will help you throw heavier flies, but a size 6 bead head with a 6' rod is a lot to ask of a it. You can go up to a 3wt, but I wouldn't go much heavier than that.

yeah, i definitely don't expect it to cast em far. I can get about 15 feet overhand casting with the 2 wt DT line it came with. if i could get that much roll casting i'd be dang happy. the holes/trenches i'm driftin below strike indicator tend to be steep-walled and turbid around, so you aren't worrying about spooking fish by getting close. It's just that many of them run right along the steep canyon bank, leaving no opportunity to back cast.
Thanks for the advice. Oh, and you're definitely preachin to the choir in terms of it being fun: 20 inch egg-filled redband last weekend; first fish I caught on the thing; that was intense.

[Bklyn Bill]

I own several 2 wts( 5' , 6' ,6'6" ,9' & 11' ,) & I overline all of them. some are made from fiberglass some are graphite and one is made from cane. Normally I use 4 WF . The heavier line allows me to use a lot of spey casting and roll casting.

[Davyfly]

My view about overlining the rod is this.
Granted some rods may work better for the user with line wts rated over what is suggested.
The deal is this, a 2 wt line is very different than a 4, its not so much the weight its the diameter of the line and that relates to how that line determines both drift action and its surface movement.
If anything l choose to go the other way, line wts less for the above reasons, its not a casting issue with me, l will use a 2wt on a 3 or 4wt rod at times, distance is not the objective its how l can present the flies.

DW

[dmpplantz]

Just an update to answer my own question, in case it might help somebody in the future. I went with 4 wt dt, scientific anglers supra. Definitely loads the rod A LOT easier, and feels absolutely perfect when casting those big beadheads with a strike indicator. Certainly if the rod was slower action, it would probably be too much weight, but with this particular rod being on the slightly fast side of moderate, it was ideal. though for dries, i still can't get enough of how light that 2 wt line lays down; the 4 wt spool will definitely only go on when fishing wet.