I just got a Royal Stage 320 6:4, put some Nissin 2.5LL and about 2’ of 5X tippet and a kebari on there… It feels like i’m casting a rope! Up until now, 2.5 has been plenty light enough for any rod I’ve used, including several very soft seiryu. This thing really shocked me with how different it feels!
I need to try my Fujino White 3M tapered nylon line, it will prob be nice on here i’m guessing.
For anybody else that has a similar (or same?) rods, is this a situation that calls for nylon level line? should i try some 2.0?
would jumping down to 6X tippet help?
Don’t have that rod nor could I guess if any rod I have is very similar.
However, I do have, I think, a couple of different brands of #2 LL.
I could send you some of it to try if that interest you.
Chris, I have the same rod but did not notice any problems. I used a 10 ft. section of 3.0 LL and about 16 inches of 5x tippet. It seemed fine with casting on a pond near my home. I will try this again today or tomorrow. I will experiment with 2.0 - 3.5 level line from several brands and see if there is a difference. I will let you know how the results turn out. The line I used in the past was Nissin PALS 3.0 LL orange. I have never tried mono. LL line on this rod so I’m not sure how the rod will respond.
I no longer have this rod, but I have another very similar one coming.
I fished 2.5 and 3.0 quite a bit on the Royal Stage. 2.5 was just about perfect. I have had a very hard time with lines lighter than that, I don’t have soft enough touch and wind just kills me haha.
3.0 felt like a rope on this rod IMO, but if the wind picks up you just need to use heavier line.
I have a light rod that really requires light line, and I think I know what you are getting at. As with my own experience and hearing other more experienced casters note similar things about lighter loading full flex rods. Especially in wind their utility is diminished…as they overload with heavier lines and do not have the punch to drive through the wind as effectively as a more rigid blank. Its all about energy transfer and modifying the casting stroke, but there is a limit to what we can to do when fighting wind with a tool best used when there is low or no wind.
That is the problem with gear junkies and folk professing what the best rod is. We have to ask the question…The best rod for what purpose or conditions?
It is wonderful to have a casting rod that can deliver us delicate presentations with light lines, but if we live in an area with notorious wind, then that may not be the best rod. If the rod can only cast one weight line effectively then its utility is narrow and you need a different rod for other purposes. Or if it can only cast unweighed flies or only heavy lines…whatever the specialty of the rod.
The best rod is the rod that can handle the majority of the conditions you personally fish.
Anyone who says…that rod sucks or is crappy is never gonna be someone who you want to take advise from. As with any tool they should give information on application or info on their fishing style. Its like saying a sledge hammer sucks because its heavy and awkward…but leaving out that they are trying to use it to sink brads into a delicate pine box. No a sledgehammer doesnt suck, the understanding of its utility might.
For me, it takes me a few seasons to understand a rod…and even then a bit longer to uncover all its utility.
@Chris_Lynch I am curious what rod you are moving to.
I have been curious about the Royal Stage and the like as they are very popular, but I have not pulled the trigger on anything. Part of me wants to try before I buy any new rods mostly because of what I note in my last post. The rods I own do their jobs, so buying other rods require more motivation than just recommendations. At the same time hearing what people do like about specific rods helps us finding rods that might be closer aligned to our liking.
I don’t have a Royal Stage but have a fine mode nigere that is either a 5/5 or a very limp 6/4 and I really like the Fujino soft taper nylon. The 330 length works well with that rod under the right conditions.
I sold it in a pinch when an opportunity came up to get an Oni III for a good price. And honestly, for my streams and my fishing I preferred/missed the Royal Stage. The Oni is an unapologetically full-flex rod. It’s also a tad longer than the RS320. My casting “style” worked better with the RS320.
I moved from the Oni back to a Nissin, wound up breaking it (TWICE!), sold it and came to Korea.
Now that I’ve fished some trout streams here, and I have an upcoming trip through Japan where I’ll get some fishing in, I ordered the new Nissin Level Line 320.
From what I assumed and what I was also told, it should be a repackaged RS320 6:4, with different cosmetics.
It will probably be the ultimate Chris Lynch small stream tenkara rod. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the feel of the RS320, but didn’t ever care for all the gold trim, i didn’t like the all-caps TENKARA logo on it, and I would rather have EVA than cork.
Basically I’m super stoked for this rod.
The RS320 allowed me to cast almost any size fly I wanted, just had to adjust my timing. I never tried a tapered line on it, @Sparrow, but I think I will grab one of the Fujino lines for this new rod. Right now I have spools of Valcan stealth 2.5, and Nissin Oni 3.0, those have been my go-to sizes. I’ll prob grab another color/type of 2.5 when I land in Nagoya.