Request For Local Store / Gear Recommendations

[sraak]

Hey

I received a 5/6 wt 12'6" spey rod for Christmas from my wonderful fiance which I plan on using on the Bow with big flies (mainly wet) but I still need to get line(s) and a reel. I've read many articles, posts and watched plenty of videos but I'm still a little confused/overwhelmed.

 

Can someone recommend me a store to go to that stocks what I need with staff that can educate me/sell me stuff? I've seen Fish Tales mentioned a few times while searching this site, are they my best bet?

 

Bonus Question: I've been told to go with a Skagit line. Good idea? Bad idea? Rio? Airflo?

 

Thanks!

[jdangler]

Fish Tales, talk to Kurtis.

[pokerfish]

I also started on a 5/6 - 12 1/2 foot spey a few years ago ( mine is a Deer Creek) . fishtales were my go to guys. Got the line demo kit from them, and found what weight would working for me. However, I found that as I got better, I was throwing lighter lines - started with a 480 grn airflow skagit. then went to a 420. still a little heavy, but I now use the rod mostly for bigger streamers on the bow.

 

Also found that skagit lines were much easier for me to learn on. Agree with the overwhelm thing. Lessons made all the difference. Lots of good spey guys on the board.

[Rich]

Kurtis at fish tale x2. Super helpful

[sraak]

Thanks for the replies, hopefully I can go to fish tales this weekend.

[bcubed]

I would recommend NOT using the line kit as a beginner. You do not have the skill or feel for the rod to understand what you're looking for with different line weights. All it will do will confuse you further with the mass amount of options.

 

Your best bet is to find your rod in Rio's spey recommendations: http://www.rioproducts.com/spey-central/spey-line-recommendations/ and get a closely matched skagit line. That way you can worry about your casting rather then if the line is right for your rod.

 

Most will recommend skagit as it is the easiest way to learn to cast, however for trout fishing (and the Bow in particular), you'll rarely be throwing enough heavy junk that a skagit will be absolutely necessary. I'd advise learning on a skagit to get the basics, but be willing to expand into the scandi world in the future.

[sraak]

Gotcha, that seems like sound advice. At least then I'll have a base line for comparison.

 

Is starting with Scandi vs. Skagit really that much harder? Should I consider just going straight to a Scandi or a shorter scandi line? I think I have a pretty good grasp of the basic concept of spey style casting, as in I understand the mechanics of it.

 

nk

[bcubed]

skagits are super easy to learn on as they're far more forgiving, and are the most popular line to use as you can turn around and start fishing them quicker. I'd recommend getting the skagit down, and when you start wanting more to look at Scandis.

[Vagabond]

Against the popular consensus,personally speaking,I found Scandi the easier of the two styles when I made the 2-hander leap.

I bought a pre-owned Beulah 6/7 outfit 2yrs ago complete with both Scandi and Skagit lines.The Scandi was the first that I tried and found it an easy transition from 25yrs SH casting.By the end of the first 8hr self taught day on Bow,I was matching and/or exceeding the distance I've ever achieved with an 8wt SH rod,and while I'm far from being the greatest distance caster on the river,on a good mojo day I can cast a SH 8wt pretty much to the backing.(90-100'?)I was having so much fun driving long bombs with the Scandi that it was probly a few months before I even spooled on the Skagit and had to learn completely different mechanics.

[bcubed]

For average joe caster (and let's be honest, average is pretty low), they're going to have issues with scandi's as they're more dependent on timing. If you're a good caster (and if you're throwing a full fly line, you likely are), you'll find ALL of the casting far easier to get a grip on.

 

I doubt there is a harder way to learn then being someone who isn't quite 'there' yet with their single hand casting, and moving onto a double hander, as while they are quite similar, most guys are going to automatically overpower everything just due to the weight difference of a 13' rod, and not have the instinctual understanding that they are overpowering (or simple casting mechanics like stopping the rod high, effectively forming d-loops, etc)

[sleeper]

Times 3, for Kurtis at Fishtales

[Chrissw]

Kurtis is the guy!