I’m not sure that “Old Skool” really fits the description, but it sure is still a great 5WT! This is a build that went out last week with a Full Wells handle.
Originally, when we initially brought out the HT6, we made a competition 5 version using the same blank. The 5WT distance competition involves carrying around 90′ of 5WT Mastery Expert Distance line and then trying to knock 7 bells out of it. It’s great fun! And of course a stiffer rod helps for this.
This particular configuration HT6 blank and MED5 saw me into two 5WT distance finals in the World Championships in Norway. But then something changed and we figured out that even stiffer rods threw the line further (despite, perhaps, being less fun to cast – and much less fun to fish!). Consequently, nowadays, as you’ll probably know, the HT10 blank is our Competition 5 (V2).
Be that as it may, I still use the HT6 (or Comp5 V1) with the MED5 in the accuracy contest. I personally enjoy casting this combination, although for fishing I line the rod with a (true-to-AFFTA) 6WT line.
This “Freestyle” casting video above – which is an advanced bat-fishing technique – was cast using the HT6 blank with MED5 and Thunderbolt5 fly lines. ie underlined by 1 AFTTA rating. You will need an HT rod and a beard to be able to do this.
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Cheers, Paul