# how much does line diameter impact distance



## Thumb-Burner (Dec 3, 2002)

Just curious... For example, how many yards would be gained going from .35 to .31 line with the same cast.. say a person was hitting 600' with .35...

just looking for guesses..


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## Catfish713 (Nov 9, 2006)

Well if you can hit 600' with any size line your a beast but to drop down to .31 from .35 you could probly hit 630'-650'


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## cygnus-x1 (Oct 12, 2005)

Catfish713 said:


> Well if you can hit 600' with any size line your a beast but to drop down to .31 from .35 you could probly hit 630'-650'


Actually I think the question and answer is this:

Q) How do you get from casting 400 ft to 600ft ?
A) Hand your rod over to thumb burner and let him cast 

  

Man 600' thats pretty awesome!


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

*my guess*

is that the reel plays a role here. It is possible that you may not cast as far on lighter line if the spool size is incorrect for that line. all other things being equal it makes sense that you would get more distance with thinner line- as the thinner line puts less "drag" on the sinker.

Tommy can probably give you a whole lot better answer, that is just my general thought.


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## sandcruiser (Jan 15, 2007)

*not an expert*

but I can tell you this....it don't make a hoot what diameter line you put on your reel if you can't spool it back on correctly! (Currently my number one cause for blowups)

I'm counting turns and reeling slower but for some reason I get the little loops that form that send your leader, line and rigs flying on autopilot. 
Me thinks brute force vs. smooth may also be rearing its ugly head again.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

Line diameter effects the cast due to wind drag,just like in the water,thinner line requires less lead. On my tourny reels I run .28 10lb test on a 6500 abu. Now, I run the same on the 5500 size reels do to the fact that is the min. allowed in regulation for 125g leads. I believe that .31 is required for 150g
In fishing situations I will run between 12 and 15 lb depending on my target species. for bigger game like reds and black drum,I will go to 17 on the 525 mag but I still like 15 better.
to answer your question John, Yes you will gain distance by going thinner,how much? who knows,but it will help.


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## Connman (Apr 14, 2001)

Difference between .35mm and .31mm is very little . Now if you said .28mm verses .45mm yes it makes a difference but there isn't enough difference betweeen .31 and .35 to worry about (for conventional reels) ., In fact some very good tournament casters do not even use the lower limit .28mm line for casting the 125g , they like .31mm for the control effect it gives them . and control is what it's all about when trying to maximize distance .


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## Black Beard (Jan 25, 2001)

Line diameter does make a difference when casting, but maybe not how you would think.

Without doubt the move from 0.40mm to 0.35mm diameter for UKSF events in 1981 did bring about a noticeable increase in distance, remembering that a 6500 loaded with a tournament shot of 0.40mm was a very, very full spool.

While the current format of 0.31mm for the 150g reduced from 0.35mm did not make a huge difference in distances in the main.

However, where you will notice a difference is when you switch from a reel full of 0.35mm to the same reel filled with 0.31mm.

Essentially the thicker line produces more natural spool braking as the spool empties faster with the larger diameter. Hence a reel tuned for a full spool of 0.35mm will be a real handful loaded to the same level of 0.31mm.

It is often advised that newbies to conventionals would do well to start with 20lb line because the increased diameter means the spool has considerable natural braking.

BUT, never forget that when you gain confidence and are considering a reduction in line diameter remember to increase the mechanical braking, be it larger blocks or turning the magnets up a few notches to compensate.

BB


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## Thumb-Burner (Dec 3, 2002)

*thanks a ton everyone...*

:fishing: :fishing: appreciate the help....


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