by RichardCullip » October 9th, 2008, 8:36 am
Got to love opinions - everyone has them, even if some of them conflict with others. The effect of the leader (furled/braided vs tapered) should be easy to check out. Just replace that furled/braided leader with a nice 7.5 to 9 ft tapered mono leader and see if it changes the results of the cast.
The other thing that might be happening is that the two fly lines (old e-bay line and new Orvis Superfine) might be significantly different weights (mass) in the first 15 to 20 feet. If so, this could affect your casting stroke and the ability to develop a nice bend (load) in the rod. The rod needs a certain amount of line weight in the air to develop a nice load which then supplies the energy to unroll the line in the direction and distance you want it to go. Without that bend in the rod during your forward cast and the unbend at the end as you stop the rod, there won't be enough energy delivered to the fly line to complete a decent cast. With either a poor casting stroke or not enough line weight in the air, it's pretty darn hard to get a good cast. You are doomed from the start if you are cursed with both problems.
In contrast to the good Dr Creek, I love casting my light weight rods (both my 00wt and my 7.5ft 3wt). I find them easy to load and they unload nicely with a good crisp stop (accelerate to a stop) resulting in a nice tight loop that will deliver the fly on target out to about 40ft (assuming you have some room for the backcast). I actually find them easier and more enjoyable to cast than my heavier rods.
Life is good. Eternal life is better!
Richard