Joined: Feb 22, 2005 Posts: 134 Location: Adirondacks
Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 11:23 am Post subject: Ramblings of a Great Lakes Spey Addict---Lines
Lines: For this purpose we are going to be operating under the assumptions that there are no bad spey rods on the market today, there are just the wrong lines for each rod. I have compiled a list of the major lines on the market and will list the specs and advantages as I have seen them. The lines that are not listed, I did not cast…
Between my spey fishing partners and I we have tested 6 different lines and they all have their place. All these lines are weight forward configured fly lines. This means, as it does with regular fly lines, that most of the casting grain weight is in the front half of the line and the back half consists of running line, which allows some shooting of the head of the line. Weight forward spey lines have a back taper from the running line, a level body, a front taper and a tip taper which helps turn over the leader and fly. These are all floating lines and the sinking tips are added after the fact. For our purposes, we will combine the body and front taper and refer to that as the “Belly” of the line and this is the “Fishable distance” in which you can effectively cast the line. Any further distance needed will have to be shot out of the rod mid-cast.
So, we will ask the same “Fishing conditions” questions were asking in the part one of my ramblings. These are questions I did not ask when looking at long rods, and I have been burned because of it.
Rio Skagit Line: This line is a heavy short belly of fly line with little or no front taper designed to handle heavy sink tips and flies and throw them a long distance with little or no back-cast. It has a 27 foot belly and a 24 foot body so no real front taper and only works effectively with a tip adding grain weights, anchoring the line and adding 15 feet of length to the fishable line. The good thing about this line is that with no back-cast, the think heavy line will shoot the 95 feet of running line out like a cannon. The drawback is that in lower flows, and a small tip, the heavy floating line will affect the swing of the fly, and also drops to the water hard possibly spooking fish. This is a great line to have in the arsenal though if high flows and deep water are a possibility. A great line if 15 feet of T-14 or fast sink rates are needed. Runs $90
Rio Windcutter: Probably the most recommended line on the market today. It’s very easy for a beginner to cast. It comes in two versions, a change-a-tip line with loop connecters and a full floating line. The belly is 46 feet, allowing for more traditional spey casting and has a 22 foot belly. It still is on the shorter side of the bellies so minimizes the back-cast and does offer a smooth casting stroke. The change-a-tip version allows you to take the front taper off, and add a tip. You also are able to take the body out and create a Skagit line. Here is the rub…this line is billed as the only line you will ever need and is priced accordingly. It is not. When the belly is taken out to make a Skagit, the castable body is too short to do a spey cast and the full line is too heavy to effectively shoot line. This wouldn’t be a problem except that the fishable distance of 46 feet is way too short to effectively fish a swung fly. Also, the loop connecters are cumbersome going through the guides and the potential for a lost fish is a real danger. So this line, recommended to me as my first line, while easy to cast for the beginner it is outgrown as you become more proficient and this line sits in my closet in the box. Runs $150 with the change-a-tips (Comes with 4 different sink tips) and $85 for the floater
Airflo Delta Spey: This is the line I currently use on my 14 foot 9/10. It’s a relatively new design and has a 63 foot belly section with a 22 foot body. The line seems to distribute the casting weight more evenly than the windcutter and casts very smoothly. It has a nice front taper that lays down the leader and fly nicely however does have a tendency to fold a bit when casting heavier tips. Cutting the front taper off can combat this, something we will discuss some other time. I like this line because the fishable distance is about 75 feet with a tip, allows you to perform the different casts without running out of line and can be shot nicely when extra distance is needed. Also it is relatively inexpensive at $70. Also comes in a “Long-belly” version with a 32 foot body but I have not cast that line.
Rio Mid-spey: Probably the best line Rio makes. Very comparable to the Delta with a 65 foot belly and a 28.5 foot body. The only difference is that this line FEELS a bit heavy to cast but is not really noticeable.
Cortland Tricolor Spey. This is a no-nonsense line which has a 46 foot belly and a 28.5 foot body. No real front taper and casts heavy tips pretty well with no real back-cast. I like this line and it’s inexpensive at around $65. Consider it a long Skagit….it is too long to cast overhead though, not a beach line.
Side Note for the beaches: A shooting head system, 24 foot heads on some sort of shooting line is the way to go…Maybe somebody else could elaborate on that some time.
Side Note for Level and double taper lines: For strictly casting flylines and not tips, these are nice, pretty casting lines however don’t hold the cast at longer distances. They tend to dip, mid-cast and lose power. The weight forward line for day in, day out fishing are the way to go.
Hopefully this is info you can use when talking to the shop owners while picking out the spey lines for your new rods. Good luck
Joined: Nov 09, 2006 Posts: 24 Location: New Jersey
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 9:30 am Post subject: Re: Ramblings of a Great Lakes Spey Addict---Lines
Shaq wrote:
Lines: For this purpose we are going to be operating under the assumptions that there are no bad spey rods on the market today, there are just the wrong lines for each rod. I have compiled a list of the major lines on the market and will list the specs and advantages as I have seen them. The lines that are not listed, I did not cast…
Between my spey fishing partners and I we have tested 6 different lines and they all have their place. All these lines are weight forward configured fly lines. This means, as it does with regular fly lines, that most of the casting grain weight is in the front half of the line and the back half consists of running line, which allows some shooting of the head of the line. Weight forward spey lines have a back taper from the running line, a level body, a front taper and a tip taper which helps turn over the leader and fly. These are all floating lines and the sinking tips are added after the fact. For our purposes, we will combine the body and front taper and refer to that as the “Belly” of the line and this is the “Fishable distance” in which you can effectively cast the line. Any further distance needed will have to be shot out of the rod mid-cast.
So, we will ask the same “Fishing conditions” questions were asking in the part one of my ramblings. These are questions I did not ask when looking at long rods, and I have been burned because of it.
Rio Skagit Line: This line is a heavy short belly of fly line with little or no front taper designed to handle heavy sink tips and flies and throw them a long distance with little or no back-cast. It has a 27 foot belly and a 24 foot body so no real front taper and only works effectively with a tip adding grain weights, anchoring the line and adding 15 feet of length to the fishable line. The good thing about this line is that with no back-cast, the think heavy line will shoot the 95 feet of running line out like a cannon. The drawback is that in lower flows, and a small tip, the heavy floating line will affect the swing of the fly, and also drops to the water hard possibly spooking fish. This is a great line to have in the arsenal though if high flows and deep water are a possibility. A great line if 15 feet of T-14 or fast sink rates are needed. Runs $90
Rio Windcutter: Probably the most recommended line on the market today. It’s very easy for a beginner to cast. It comes in two versions, a change-a-tip line with loop connecters and a full floating line. The belly is 46 feet, allowing for more traditional spey casting and has a 22 foot belly. It still is on the shorter side of the bellies so minimizes the back-cast and does offer a smooth casting stroke. The change-a-tip version allows you to take the front taper off, and add a tip. You also are able to take the body out and create a Skagit line. Here is the rub…this line is billed as the only line you will ever need and is priced accordingly. It is not. When the belly is taken out to make a Skagit, the castable body is too short to do a spey cast and the full line is too heavy to effectively shoot line. This wouldn’t be a problem except that the fishable distance of 46 feet is way too short to effectively fish a swung fly. Also, the loop connecters are cumbersome going through the guides and the potential for a lost fish is a real danger. So this line, recommended to me as my first line, while easy to cast for the beginner it is outgrown as you become more proficient and this line sits in my closet in the box. Runs $150 with the change-a-tips (Comes with 4 different sink tips) and $85 for the floater
Airflo Delta Spey: This is the line I currently use on my 14 foot 9/10. It’s a relatively new design and has a 63 foot belly section with a 22 foot body. The line seems to distribute the casting weight more evenly than the windcutter and casts very smoothly. It has a nice front taper that lays down the leader and fly nicely however does have a tendency to fold a bit when casting heavier tips. Cutting the front taper off can combat this, something we will discuss some other time. I like this line because the fishable distance is about 75 feet with a tip, allows you to perform the different casts without running out of line and can be shot nicely when extra distance is needed. Also it is relatively inexpensive at $70. Also comes in a “Long-belly” version with a 32 foot body but I have not cast that line.
Rio Mid-spey: Probably the best line Rio makes. Very comparable to the Delta with a 65 foot belly and a 28.5 foot body. The only difference is that this line FEELS a bit heavy to cast but is not really noticeable.
Cortland Tricolor Spey. This is a no-nonsense line which has a 46 foot belly and a 28.5 foot body. No real front taper and casts heavy tips pretty well with no real back-cast. I like this line and it’s inexpensive at around $65. Consider it a long Skagit….it is too long to cast overhead though, not a beach line.
Side Note for the beaches: A shooting head system, 24 foot heads on some sort of shooting line is the way to go…Maybe somebody else could elaborate on that some time.
Side Note for Level and double taper lines: For strictly casting flylines and not tips, these are nice, pretty casting lines however don’t hold the cast at longer distances. They tend to dip, mid-cast and lose power. The weight forward line for day in, day out fishing are the way to go.
Hopefully this is info you can use when talking to the shop owners while picking out the spey lines for your new rods. Good luck
Shaq
Shaq
Thanks for all the 411 on Spey lines! I am currently using the Skagit line in the GL region and although I am a beginner at Spey casting I like the line and have had lots of success using the 8wt line with 10 to 15 foot T-15 heads.
This weekend I may decide to try the shooting head system you mention above in the rips. None of my local dealers seem to carry many heads but I have a 30 foot 400 grain head could I cut this down and use it? The Spey rod I have is a 12 1/2 8wt and as mentioned above I have the Skagit 8wt line.
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