Quote:

The TiCRX is pretty damn stiff.

Kinda begs the question, "Are fly rods supposed to bend?"

Seems like when someone new asks for rod suggestions, those who name specifics often list the stiffest sticks out there. (Are casters well-served by that?) Might be part of how we wind up with "five" weights that need seven weight lines to load.

Disclaimer: I'm no expert; just askin'.

An excellent reference is the Common Cents article http://www.common-cents.info/

I �Up-LINE� my 5 wt TFO TiCrx with a 6 wt fly line..

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4516458/Re_Over_lining_misnomer

Gee, this thread has taken several turns. (No surprise at that happening around here. )

I�ll add a couple of comments. One thing to remember is that every rod model is different and what works well with one rod, may not work as well with another model rod. The best way to decide for sure is to go out and test cast the rod and the line.

The TiCr and the TiCrX are both very fast rods, but they are very different rods and have different tapers. The TiCr is a tip action rod, which means under tension the tip will bend first and as line tension increases the rod will start bending further down. I can�t remember the correct technical term, but the X is designed to bend deeper down the rod quicker when tension is applied. The TiCr is technically a faster action rod than the TiCrX, but the X �feels� faster than the TiCr to me when I have cast them side by side.

For my casting style, the softer tip on the TiCr means that I can load that rod at shorter distances without needing to upline. I do not like the way the TiCr casts when it is uplined, but that is my opinion, and I�ve met other casters who love the TiCr when it is uplined.

I think the X casts very well when uplined and it seems to handle uplining one or even two sizes just fine. I would expect the 6 wt TiCrX and the 7 wt Sharkskin line should be a good combination.

The Axiom is my personal favorite of the three. The casting action feels slower than the TiCr or the X, but it seems to have the widest range of line sizes that it casts well. That rod casts its rated line wt well and it can be uplined several sizes without noticeable impact to how it casts. My daughter has a 6 wt with a 7 wt SA MED line that I would like to steal from her.

Someone mentioned the GPX lines and they made a good point, the GPX lines are a half size heavy. So, the 5 wt line is actually a 5.5 wt line. As mentioned, if you put a 6 wt GPX line on a 5 wt rod, you have actually uplined 1.5 sizes. The GPX style lines are popular since they provide an option to split the difference and just upline half a size.

Have fun,
Rex

I've never recommended a rod in the TiCRX stiffness range to a beginner unless they're a gorilla looking to throw shooting heads. I'm much quicker to recommend a TFO Pro/Finesse, formerly an ECHO Classic, or a Scott A_. I'm about to try out a Redington CT (Classic Trout) that might be the best thing that's ever happened to beginners and the worst to TFO. ($130, 4pc and comes with a tube)