Describe your perfect set up for me. I will be fishing on the east coast, mostly in NY. Last year I took a 9ft 8wt with a pretty light reel. I felt very under matched. I’m thinking if I stay with an 8wt, at the least, I had better get something with a decent drag. Being a trout fisherman, I rarely worry about that type of thing. I normally get to see my backing only when changing lines. Just curious to hear everyone?s 2cs.
GBurgFisher, you’re fishing in my neck of the woods. I’m a steelhead junkie, but I do fish the kings, usually up on the SR. I use to fish a lot of the other Lake O tribs for them, but the crowds got to be too much.
I have a few “perfect” set ups, depending on the size stream/river. When fishing the SR, I like a stout 12’6"-13’ 8wt. spey rod, with a well balanced, smooth, fast reel. For the single handers an 8-9 wt rod, preferably in the 10’ range. I like the longer sticks for mending/drifting purposes.
It won’t be long now!
Yes sir, definitly in your neck of the woods. Would you agree with the following statement. “lighter rods need better reels with better drags”.
This has kind of been a conversation between a buddy and I, and I want to know if he is spot on.
I can’t wait to try again this year. It was great to get up there last year, but this year I’m catching something because I’m not going alone and I’m not going net-less.
In this context, I would agree with that. If you’re using a lighter line rod then you don’t have as much muscle for those bigger fish, so you would be using the reel and it’s drag to compensate for it. A smooth drag is a must for those fish and preferably one that brings in line quick, too.
I think you still need a stronger rod when fishing rivers like that one, due to the strong flows. A twenty to thirty pound fish gets out in those rapids and suddenly it’s a fifty-sixty pound fish. lol.
I know your pain! I’ve lost more than my share up there. How often do you make it up here?
GBF-
we should caravan or car pool up sometime. I am attempting to sour my marriage by just such outings!!! LOL
Marty
Tonight I had the pleasure of meeting Dec Hogan author of “Passion For Steelhead” and a master of Spey. He is also helping the new rod company by Raejeff (Cool rods by the way) come out with a SPEY line. He had several proto Echo’s there, so I got to play around with a 13’+ 4wt and a 13+’ 7wt. Got the Roll down and the Basic “D” cast and had a blast.
These things require very little energy to cast once you get both hands in the right place and the fly in the ANCHOR ZONE.
I was picking 70+’ of line off the water and recasting with unbelievable accuracy.
Based on how easy these are to cast, and how pin point accuracy can be achieved, I am sitting on pins and needles waiting for them to be introduced to the public.
pspaint. I’ve only been up once; last year. It was kind of a suicide run. Up on Thursday night, fish all day Friday, then a five hour drive home. I was very much out of my league…didn’t really know what I was getting myself into gear wise. It was funny. At about noon, I realized that I would have a heck of time landing one alone and net-less. It was kind of funny in that “what exactly was I expecting” kind of way. I’ve got at least one trip up on the books with buddy of mine that goes up there every year…should be a much different experience with someone who actually knows what they are doing.
MFT. I would definitely be up for some carpooling. I remember all of those winter posts showing you and paint with some monster steelhead…I think anyone would be crazy not to come along. You still in Baltimore? Have you been up to beaver in a while…I haven’t been all season and was thinking about giving it a look since a lot of the water around me seems pretty tepid.
FG- I am also interested in taking a look at those echo rods…particularly their two tip models for freshwater. That type of things makes more sense to me for something like a two hander…but for a 3wt? Needless to say I want to take a look.
so about the reel…specifically…what would you guys suggest. I’ve never been that concerned with drag (for my trout streams), so any suggestions would be helpful.
[b]GBurgFisher, I like all the Echo’s. I fished a portion of the Snake once. I forgot my waders so was fishing from shore with a fair clearance behind me. Even casting 60’ I was coming up short of a honey hole. With this 13’6" rod I would have been able to not only cast (SPEY) better with the fair clearing, but I know I could have got the extra 15’ to 20’ of line out, plus a better drift.
The Snake is the river I am concerned with and I do fish it often, that is why I am thinking a 6wt.
As far as reels, I would personally look at a ROSS or GALVIN. Have heard horror stories about LAmson, but I sure like them.[/b]
Definitely take Marty up on the offer! We’ll give ya the great lakes tour! You’re welcome, any time. I’m also helping Marty destroy his marriage by being the little devil on his shoulder that says FISH! FISH! lol. As far as reels, what size rod will you be running? Flygoddess’s selection is an excellent one (I love my Lami’s too!), also, if price is an obstacle, the Tioga’s are excellent reels and pretty much bomb proof.
Flygodddess, did you say a 13+ 4wt.? Tell me more!
One other consideration should be the Pflueger Trion. You could run it over with a tank and it would break the treads. They’re made to last! Also very inexpensive and I hear the drag is pretty darn good.
I wish I could tell you more, but like I said, they are not out on the market yet. I don’t think it will be long however.
I ascked DEC about an extra tip like the ECHO 2 realizing that the extra tip on a SPEY would be exactly that…an extra tip (not two different actions like on the 2).
He thought that was a great idea, specially packing around a rod that long. It would definitely make the people happy.
Don’t quote me but I think I heard a $400. price being mentioned.
A 4wt. spey rod would be awesome!!! I’ve been using an 11’ 5wt. TFO spey, for the smallies, and it’s a blast! The four would be sweet. Did he mention what type of action they would be? He designed FlyLogic’s spey rods and i’ve heard they’re more traditional. I like the med. fast Skagit or fast Scandy rods, personally. I can’t wait to see what they come up with. Have you tried any of the new TFO, Meiser designed, spey’s yet?
I forgot about that one, Marty. They are real smooth. Kurt has one of the smaller sizes and I was really suprised by how nice it was.
A 4wt two hander would be pretty intense. I just want to try out the two tip models. They have one tip for presentation, and one for (i guess) high line speed. I suppose the latter would be a bit stiffer?? I’m not sure, but I want to cast one to see if there really is a noticeable difference.
While we are on the subject of gear…What about line? Do you guys usually use something with a sinking tip, full sink, floating??
[b]I am trying to remember everything DEC said on line so hopefully some spey casters will jump in. The line is VERY important. Dec said he had a client go out and buy a 6/7 Spey rod and bought matching line. They both tried to cast it and found it most difficult. Dec said he should have gone with the 7/8 line in that Spey is all about the GRAIN. The new Dec Signature series by ECHO has the Grain listed on the rod rather than a weight like a normal one handed rod. He also said he use to splice several lines together, but they are now being Factory Manufactured. For the most part he uses a floating line with different lengths of leader but does use sink tips with a VI being the most used.
A little note, which I found useful, was he said to take a nine foot piece of heavy stiff mono, cut into about 1 foot sections and connected with a BLOOD/Barrel Knot , leave the tags a little long forming what is going to look like Barb Wire. This will make a leader for practicing casting on the LAWN. A little resistance…COOL![/b]
The line weight, in terms of grain, has always been a big problem for matching up to the spey rods. It’s only been in the last couple of years that some sort of “standard” has come about. RIO, has a listing of most of the spey rods out there and the lines that work best. They give 2 ways of running it. The first, is for experienced casters or for higher line speeds, the other for less experienced casters and a little slower tempo. Before the major manufacturer’s came out with line designations, most people used either heavy DT lines or, like Flygoddess said, built their own. My first spey, was a 12’6" Orvis and it took a while to find a line that worked on it. Fortunately, the tackle industry has been making it much easier.
GBurg, I usually use floating lines for most of my salmon/steelie fishing. Our streams and rivers aren’t all that deep, so the floaters work well. For versatility, you can run mini-sink tips or sinking leaders, in place of an actual sink tip line. The fly lines I like best for SS fishing are, Rio’s, Clouser and Salmon Steelhead lines. They handle weight very well and mend easily.
I fish almost exclusively for steelhead and salmon out West. I use a 9’ 8 wt and a 10’ 8 wt. Salmon can overtax these without a really good reel. A salmon can easily take 100 yards of line out. I generally use a Martin Mod 72 which is a 3:1 multiplier with about 2’ per wind. I find you need that to keep up with an incoming salmon. The reel is quite inexpensive at about $35.
I would use my steelhead rig for salmon fishing, Sage VT2 8wt 9’6", as it is the biggest rod I have.
The SR is a zoo during the salmon run, I haven’t fished the fly only section but in Pulaski, it is shoulder to shoulder during the tournament.
believe me-i live there it is worst in the so called fly only zones-and absoulutely no-one really fly fishing??
I fish mostly for Atlantic Salmon and the occasional smallmouth bass and speckled trout. I only have one rod, a St. Croix Avid 908, 9 foot, 8 weight with a Teton Tioga reel. It has 175 yards of backing on it with the fly line. I do change up the leaders for the different fish, but I find it works well, a little heavy for the trout, good for the big bass poppers and salmon flies. You can fish all day and not get tired with it and the reel has a beautiful drag.
Dwight
Whatever rod you get, I feel the reel is the most important item. I am strongly in favor of a multiplier with a return of two feet per wind with a great drag like the Martin star drag. It is only about $35 and only draw back is open gears you must keep away from sand. If you get a non-multiplier, get as large a diameter as you can which increases the return distance per wind.