I'm considering getting a spey rod(s?). Any of you guys have any thoughts, preferences for brands, tips etc. for me? I'd appreciate it.

John

John
I bought a spey blank and made my own rod from Cabelas 15' 10/11 wt. spey rod. This thing is a tank!!! I would recommend going with a lighter setup unless you want a heavy weight setup. Lots of great reviews for the sage 9140 rod(if memory serves me right).

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Marty
www.steelheader.net
marty@steelheader.net

I agree with smilesforu that a #10/11 is too big for our area, try a #8/9 they are a lot more fun. A 15' #11 feels like you could horse a 12lb steelhead in with it. As far as reels go, the "tioga #12 Large arbor looks like it is the best deal. I bought one at the tackle shop in Ballard for about $140, it is machined aluminum with a disk drag. Most of the reels that will fit a spey line are much more expensive. I highly recommend the Rio versitip system as your spey line.

John,

The Sage 9140 is a good rod and is well loved by many people. I currently fish one and find it adequate for most applications. The one knock would be that it is an "in between" rod. By this I mean it is too much for much summer run fishing where a 7 or 8 would be preferable. It is also a little light for throwing heavy tips to winter fish. Depending on how you plan to use it, it may be the best single option though. If you are thinking primary use for summer I would suggest you look at the Sage 8150. For winter fish, the Sage 10150 or 10151 are good choices. I have also heard that both the Scott 15' 9 weight and 15' 10 weight are great rods but have yet to fish either.

As for reels, the Tioga is a good bye. I would recommend taking a look at the new Redington reels. They are a super bye ($195 for the spey sized model), have a lifetime warranty, and are quite smooth and attractive.

If you are serious about getting into double handed fishing I would suggest you check out Dana Sturn's site dedicated to this addiction. http://communities.msn.ca/internationalspeycasting/

Good luck!

Duggan

Hey guys, I don't know [Bleeeeep!] about the technical side of spey casting and gear , but I did take a lesson from a friend of mine George cook, who is an excellent caster and Teacher. Any ways I was throwing a sage 9140 with the Rio loop system on it and a large tibor saltwater reel and he had me throwing very well in a short amount of time. The rod I don't think can beat as far as spey rods go, pro enough for the best caster but forgiving enough for the rookie like myself. Good Luck Superfly

A relative question. Sage makes two versons of the 9140. As a general consensus, how many of you prefer the traditional slower action as opposed to a faster acton rod? It is my understanding that Loomis spey rods are mostly fast actions, St. Croix offers spey rods that are of moderate actions at a reasonable cost. Any one have any experience with the latter?

Good point, a.d. I was looking for the slower action rods. From what I have learned so far, it appears that I want a 10 wt. for winter and 7 or 8 wt. for summer run. I fish large rivers, (Clackamas, Sandy and Deschutes).

Also I learned that Waters West Fly Fishing in Port Angeles, WA semi-specializes in spey tackle. Can anyone verify this?

John Rowley

[This message has been edited by JohnRowley (edited 05-14-2000).]

John
I live in Port Angeles and found them to be very helpful and knowledgable on spey fishing gear since they are spey fishermen. I bought my fly line and guides for my spey blank from them. They specialize in the local fishery on the Peninsula (salt & Freshwater), with one of those being spey fishing technique. I highly recommend the shop.

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Marty
www.steelheader.net
marty@steelheader.net

First I would say the 9140-4 is a good all arounder, however I prefer the 8150. The 7136 is a great rod however you mention the Deschutes the wind can cause havok with this little rod. I've heard the Winston 13'6 for an 8wt is a fine Deschutes rod. Getting started you might look at the St Croix 9/10 or something less expensive than the Sages to start. I fish 15'10wt thru 7136 and all have their place.

enjoy

John,

I don't think you can go wrong with the Sage 9140-4 as an all round double handed rod. I find it heavy enough for any application, up to 10 and 11 weight sink tips. It is on the heavy side for summer runs, however.

If you roll your own rods, you might check Angler's Workshop blanks. Their house brand 14' 9 wt. is much less expensive than the Sage, and it's a similar action, with just a bit more umph! in the butt section. They also have some lighter 12' and 13' blanks that make for fun summer run weight rods.

Have fun!

Salmo g.

What kind of tips are you going to be throwing w/ this rod? The sage is fine for a floating line but doesn't do really good for heavy winter tips. I have friends that have the Sage you guys are talking about and I have a Gloomis 14' #9/10, and we both agree that the Loomis is a better winter run rod. The Sage just doesn't have enough power to lift a 16' 400 grain tip out of the water. If you are just going to be fishing summer fish w/ a floating line, then the slow action rods are great. Hope this helps.

Tim

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"Walk softly, but carry a big steelhead"

Good info guys keep it up. I have a Cabela's 14ft., and still have not learned to Spey cast yet. When do you need a 400 grain tip? Are you fishing the deep holes on the Skagit? I seem to be using 225 and 325 grain tips most of the time. Does anybody have the costs for those less expensive rods? Also has anyone used the Airflo multi tip lines? How is the casting in those tight spots, with brush and trees right behind you?

I normally don't fish a 400 grain tip either. But on the occasion that I do, it is nice to be able to and not have a hernia. I normally fish a 16' 325 gr. tip also. I don't feel confident unless I AM hanging up quite regularly. Don't have much confidence in the 10' 150 gr. tips as they only sink about 2 or 3 feet before they swing up and out of the zone. If you are fishing winter fish it has to be right in there face and with a light tip it is usually speeding right over the top of the fish. I get a kick out of the guys that have the 14' Sage, 10' 150 gr tip and they are casting about 125 feet across the river thinking they are actually getting down to the fish. FAT CHANCE!!! Never seen too many surface rising winter steelhead in Washington. Loomis rods are not as popular because the yuppies don't think they are "cool" enough, and they are not a typical "spey" action, but they perform a lot better than a slow action Sage. And as an added bonus, the Loomis is a lot lighter weight rod and casts with less effort therefor reducing stress on the caster. Think in terms of single handed rods. Which is harder to cast, a mushy old fiberglass noodle, or a Sage RPL+? Spey rods are the same way. It has just been preached over the years that a slower rod is better. Talk to any of the people from Rio line company. I know Jim Vincent, and Simon Gadsworth (rep for Rio) fairly well, and they all agree that "tip action" rods as they call them, are better performance rods anyway. Be careful though, It is really easy to over cast the ability of your sink tip if fishing winter fish. Even with a spey rod, 75 feet is still about the fartest out that you can EFFECTIVELY fish. Any farther and you really aren't fishing effectively. The 2 big advantages I found in a spey rod are: mending abilities, and the amount of time my fly is in the water. As for the Rio and Airflow lines, there sinktips cast great, but they don't sink worth crap. Better to go with a Scientific Anglers, Teeny, or Cortland head as they actually sink fast enough to be effective. Sorry for rambling.

Tim

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"Walk softly, but carry a big steelhead"

I made some mini lead tips for getting the line down. Check them out since they should be legal in fly fishing only waters, split shot......not legal zones. And they are dirt cheap to make!!! http://www.steelheader.net/flyfishing/making__fly_lines.htm

Tight lines



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Marty
www.steelheader.net
marty@steelheader.net

Just for reference sake, if you are interested in those less expensive rods, according to the 1999 St. Croix catalog the 14'- 9/10 retails for $240 and the 15'- 10/11 retails for $260. You might want to view a couple of Spey casting videos. One is Spey Master Class by Derek Brown and the other a Rio vehicle, International Spey Casting with Jim Vincent. Both are interesting and offer tips and techniques that may help you. They are available at Kauffman's.

Has anyone tried the new Loomis 7wt spey? Just curious about your thoughts.

Another good speycasting video is the new one from Mel Krieger. I would rate it and Derek Brown's Spey Masterclass as the best available. By the way Cabela's now offers an eleven-foot three-inch, 6-weight rod with a four-inch after butt. It's light enough to cast overhead single handed but speycasts a DT5 line like a charm. I'm looking forward to fishing sea-run cutthroat with it this fall.

[This message has been edited by Preston Singletary (edited 05-19-2000).]