[Richardgw]

The Avon is a deep and powerful river, and to gain the necessary depth early season most will be using 10ft or more of T14, which your current set up will not cope with. The tapered tip of your line will just be too skinny.

At the very least you are going to need a new line, probably a skagit for casting T10/T14 tips and heavy flies. This is, of course, assuming your rod is able to cope with with this.

 

[Richardgw]

The original set up hopefully does the job for occasional summer trips to shallower summer height rivers north of the border .

Yes it will

 

[Richardgw]

Nothing to report from Bisterne today.....river still murky.
As well as the fifteen footer, I have a 12'8" and a 12'9" that get equal, if not more use during the season. Both are #10 weights and can handle fast sinking heads and heavy tubes.
Could do with some rain, but I don't think there is much on the horizon....
Temperature was 16.6 this morning, which doesn't help either.
Good luck to those venturing out!

Why use shorter rods when they handle the same lines? Surely the 15ft gives easier line control, assuming you have no overhanging trees and the like that bu**er things up.

Like you I have both 13ft and 15ft 10 weights that handle the heavy sunk lines/ heavy sink tips. But for both short, and particularly long distance and for manoeuvring the floating portion of a sink tip, the 15ft’er has the edge.