toolman

Thanks Rob, have you considered another ACR such as the EX 12'6" 6wt.? Seems to have a larger grain window or are you looking for a faster action as well? http://www.andersoncustomrods.com/index.htm

I also really love the Loop Goran 6120 for my trout fishing.... Rob, have you casted any of the newer Loop models such as the Gorans, Opti's or Multi's? Some very nice rods in these series, but some have tight grain windows and the correct line is imperative to the high performance they are capable of. This season, I have casted dozens and dozens of new rods and the Loop two handers have definetly been amongst the best I have tried. Of course, there are many good brands on the market today and it does come down to personal preference, budget, availablility and what works best for our own fishing and casting style.

Or... a Scott LS2 7130...ahem...wtforward.

Rob, There are many excellent line options in this grain window and rod length. Some of these lines can be easily custom cut too your length/weight preference, allowing you to personally fine tune your rod/line match, to what works best for you... Hopefully Winston Rods will reply to your enquiry and give you their line recommendations. Vision Ace 7/8... (26grams @ 10.1m), will probably be pretty sweet right out of the box, but can be trimmed. - http://www.visionflyfishing.com/page.php?p...=32&pid=128 Loop Opti Custom 7/8... (25grams @ 10 m), can be custom cut longer/shorter, too your length/weight preference. - http://www.looptackle.com/website1/1.0.1.0/393/1/index.php AirFlo Scandinavian 7/8... (25grams @ 10m), can be custom cut longer/shorter, to your length/weight preference. (I've cut several of these lines too various lengths/weights.) - http://www.flylines.com/Flylines_AirfloFly...fm#Scandinavian Scierra MWF V2 8/9...(26grams @10.2m) and also the PWF custom cut heads. - http://www.scierra.com/?product=21 - http://www.scierra.com/?product=22 Rio AFS 6/7...(26 grams @ 11m). - http://www.rioproducts.com/photos/file/Spe...hart%202008.pdf

We'll be hitting the Bow again this Sunday afternoon, Nov/09th, to play with the Spey rods/lines and work on the casting skillz. Everyone is welcome to join us. We'll be on river left (east side), across from the Fish Creek Boat Launch, starting around 1:00pm. These informal Spey gatherings are a lot of fun and a great opportunity to try lots of rod/line combo's and meet some of the nice folks in our Spey community...The weather forecast looks good with sunny skies and light winds... Hope to see you there. Greg

Hey, I'm getting better...I used to Spey cast 7 days a week (up untill the end of October)...Now, I hardly ever get out more than 6 days a week...See... I'm in control of my addiction...I like working at nights, anyways...Unless I'm going night fishing...And, I've got the Spey collection down to no more than 12 rods on the rack at any one time...perfectly normal. Geez Gord, 27 rods...you sick man...get some help.

Rob, I've not casted that rod before, but it has a very tight grain window at 401-432 grains, (26-28grams), suggesting it is a fast rod, which is ideal for Underhand casting, IMO. Looks like a decent stick at $425 US. http://www.winstonrods.com/spey.html

Lots of good info. Max, thanks for posting... With the mid bellys and some of the longer belly lines, I have found that it is possible to easily shoot two or three rod lengths of running line if the rod and line are dialed in properly... EDIT:(This does not apply to any of Speyghillies experimental long lines...The +100'ers he plays with on his 11150 Bruce & Walker Norway... I'm lucky if I can shoot the head out of the tip with those long lines...lol...crazy Highlanders...)

The choices for reels have never been better and it is subject to line size/type, budget, personal style, rod/reel balance, application and how much running line/backing is needed. I use and like the Loop Classic 11/13 and Loop Opti Megaloop reels, which can easily handle all Spey line types/sizes, from 6wt. too 11wt and pretty much all Spey fishing applications/environments/conditions. I also use and like the economical 10wt. Pfleuger Trion's for Spey lines 6wt. too 8wt. and 12wt. Pfleuger President reels, for spey lines up too 11wt. These low cost reels see a lot of abuse and are used for my winter rods/fishing and for guests. There are many good reels available in all budgets and hopefully others will share what has been working for them.

Thought I would add that this Spey Casters Lounge has been helping new Spey casters getting started, for quite some time now...The collective experiences of all, has been very helpfull and has contributed greatly to the developement of our Spey Community. I encourage all Spey casters to share their experiences, knowledge and insights, whether they are certified instructors or they are just starting out... Your comments can create good dialogue and increase everyones understanding of Two hand rods and Spey fishing. Many thanks to everyone for their contributions and a warm welcome is extended to the newest members of our Spey community. We look forward to hearing about your Spey fishing adventures and will try and help you with your questions.

Spey rods are terrific for lakes, Rivers, tight shorelines, from boats or anywhere else one would go fishing with a rod and line... As for Spey casting on Stillwaters, Spey casts only require water to anchor the line to help load the rod, but the water does not need to be moving to achieve this. World Speycasting distance championships are routinely held on casting ponds without moving water... RDevonshire, the line weight recommendations for the current Loop Adventure G3 9132, is 31-36 grams, but I'm not sure for the older versions of the Adventure series, but are likely in the typical 9wt. grain window. http://www.castawayflyfishingshop.com/page...dventure-g3.php As for line systems to fish stillwaters at depths of 10'-15', full sink lines/shooting heads are one option to get deep and keep the fly in the zone when stripping etc. Rio AFS, Vision Ace, Loop Adapted, are a few of the popular name brands...You could also look at using Airflo Skagit Compact heads with custom cut sink tips or Rio's 24' DC Big boy sink tips. Airflo... http://www.rajeffsports.com/spey.php Rio... http://www.rioproducts.com/product.php?fmCategory=12

Sure ya did...sure....Here kittykittykittykitty....heeeerreeekittykittykitty...meow...

Cape Breton'ers were the toughtest too fight with...They could really run away very quickly and it was tough to find them...Most used to hide in the girls bathroom after the game, when we played hockey against them...

Birchy, is it really TRUE...Your dad is the MUFFIN MAN? I used to beat up dough-burry boys like you every Friday night, just for fun, over a few beers, back when I was a flyweight...

Too you Jimmy... aka Fishead...YES. And I think the cat has PGK's balls too...Here kittykittykittykitty...

PGK...aka...Tako.

Congrats...Decent stick...I'm sure it will rock with the correct line.

So, you don't have a clue, do you? Just making *hit up as you go? Personally, I know squat about Steelhead or their biology so I won't pretend that I do.

Since you claim expertise in their fish biology, tell us what the Steelhead are feeding on when this warm snap comes at Christmastime?

Happy Birthday Rob, looking forward to fishing with you in 2010...

So, you are only a legend when the Steelhead go Nuts and are easy to catch...I see...so you are saying... "Steelhead are dumb and easy too catch"...Thought I already mentioned that a couple pages back... You Skagiteers are all the same...clueless...

I never catch normal 20" trout with my Spey on the Bow...I only target the smart ones... Occasionally, I like to play with the dumb ones too...welcome.

So, you guys bought a couple of cheap spey rods and now you are legends???... And you're tossing 15' of T-14 a hundred feet...500 times a day? When do you find the time to fish? 15' of T-14 eh... Are you trying to raise the Titantic off the bottom or are you only legends when you fish for Steelhead in +3C water temps., when their brains are numb and inactive (dumb)...kind of like you punks...

Very cool...thanks.