Max lure / line size

[Bream_Noob]

Hi all, I have a Heartland - Z Midge Direction (682LFS) and as some may know it indicates a max lure wt of 3/16 Oz and 2-4lb line /weight.

Can anyone advise what happens if I go outside that?

By my calculations 3/16 Oz is a bit over 5g which is ok if I'm casting Baby Vibes and some small SPs. But if I want to cast something a bit bigger in the HB range...what does that mean?

Also on the other figure 2-4lb...does that mean line size or maximum fish weight or something else altogether?

Sorry about the stupid questions. All the thing I probably should have looked into before buying a rod, but then it was almost given to me some time back and I'm only just getting around to using it now and want to get into some big Bream on the Swan and Moore rivers (shore based for now).

If anyone can give me some info on these questions I would be very appreciative.

Cheers,

[Brad Y]

Mitch Yellin has the midge mate and he fishes it a fair bit and as far as i know he uses sx40's etc.

If you want to stay with the heartland Z range and get a hardbody rod, try the jerking special, its 6 foot and very stiff and sentitive with a slow taper. Its great for accurate snag casting/jetties yacht clubs etc. Ive had mine for a while and it has tamed quite a few big fish. Its matched with a capricorn 1500 and 6lb sufix performance braid.

As forthe rating on the rod, its the line weight. The only thing that will cause the rod to break is if your snagged and you high stick it. If you hook a fish thats where the drag plays its part, it should be set so if the fish pulls, it can. Its kind of hard as you want the fish to keep away from the structure. Longer rods can help with that out of a boat, but if you want to extract big bream under structure while shore bashing around your structure I would have to say tighten your drag and hope for the best Alot of guys fish with 4lb fireline or braid. Ive found the 4lb to be a bit average in terms of wind knots etc. Its not the best of answers i know but i would fish it with 6lb. My preferred line is available in 6lb and not 4lb so that adds to the equation as well.

[Bream_Noob]

Has anyone got more advice or experience on this topic?

Are people casting lures outside their designated weight recommendation?

Are people using heavier line than recommended?

I guess with heavier line the risk of rod breakage would be increased, but surely casting a slightly heavier lure can't be that be a deal right?

Any advice on this would be awesome...

Cheers,

[Ducks]

Incorrect line class (ie. heavier) cannot 'damage' your rod exactly.

However, if your rod is 2-4lb, that means the rod is built for a load expected on 4lb line. So if you fished 10lb line and set your reels drag above 4lb, you put undue stress on the gear which it wasn't designed for. Most quality rods wont snap immediately under this stress but it is simply not what it was meant for.

It is not the actual line doing any damage. It is poor setup of the whole outfit.

Casting heavier lures than the rod is designed for has plenty of potential to cause problems. How much heavier before the problems begin... It's not something you'd want to test in practice with quality gear is it?

[Bream_Noob]

Hi Ducks,

Thanks for the reply.

I wasn't worried that the line itself would damage the rod or the guides and worked out that using heavier line would throw the whole system out of whack, thereby putting undue stress on various parts (the most likely to fail being the rod).

You mention that there is plenty of potential to cause problems when casting heavier lures than the rod was designed for...What problems are they?

Like I said in my first post, the rod indicates 3/16oz lure weight, which comes to just over 5 grams. If I'm throwing something that's say 10g, is that a level that's likely to cause problems? I'm not likely to ever cast anything more than 15g on the rod, but then that's nearly three times the recommended weight.

Thoughts/comments/feedback...

[Fisherman#1]

Yeah. As for line weight at 4lb, that just means that it shouldn't take mor than 4lb of pressure.

As for lure weight, going over by a couple of grams is fine, but three times is to many.

That means that there is so much weight that the tip bends too much and makes your casting innafective.

My advice, just use some 4lb line on a max. 4lb rod, and try your best not to go too far over reccomended cast weight.

At only max. 4lb pressure for the rod, I don't think you'll be going for many things bigger than bream

[Bream_Noob]

Fair call Fisherman#1.

I guess I'll need to get a heavier rod at some stage if I'm going to be casting bigger lures and putting that 10lb Fireline into action.

I had a Heartland IM6 for this purpose until someone snapped the tip in a car door on my last trip to Exmouth...still dark about it, as a replacement top half is not far off buying a whole new rod...but I digress.

I've been doing some reading on various websites now and it seems that most HB lures recommended on this site are between 3 & 6 grams, which puts them in the perfect weight range for the rod.

[luke_H]

i agree with what the others have said however a point i would like to add is when casting weights over whats recommended i find you can tell what too heavy simply by having it tied on.
basicly if your rod tip is bending just from the weight of the lure you are using and feels to be "softer" than usual then your lure is too heavy.
its a hard one to explain but put some heavier lures on the rod and im sure you will understand.
hope this helps
cheers
luke