I am new to trad. archery. I have a damon howatt that is 45 lb. at 28 in draw. I have Gold Tip 55/75 that i have had around for awhile, I've been shooting these. Should I be shooting the 35/55 instead of the stiffer 55/75?

hunter83, I doubt that even a 35/55 will work for you unless you really put a lot of weight up front.  A shaft that I know will work well, is a carbonwood in the 2000 size.  This is what I use out of my 46lb. bow.

Thanks for the help. The carbonwood are more expensive than i want to spend starting out. Anything else you would recommend.

try this  http://www.arrowsbykelly.com/Spine_Charts.html

The 55/75 is probably a bit too stiff for your set-up unless you draw 29" +.  Bare-shaft testing is a good way to determine what will work for your situation.

My 46# Widow shoots 30" 35/55's well with 125 grain heads (my draw is just about 28").  That said, for good flight you may want to try 1916 aluminums (w/125 gr. points, 28.5"-29" arrow).  And a wood arrow in the 50-55# or even 55-60# spine range is also a very good option.  Beer cans and wood will likely be easier to tune than most carbons, an advantage if new to arrow tuning.