is a 12 wt spey rod too much?

[turkish4211]

i am very new to the art of spey casting and fishing and was wondering the plus and minuses of using 12 wt rod and line vs. 8 or 10 wt. any insight would be greatly appreciated. i am looking to get into spey fishing and dont want to make my first step a wrong one. oh yeah, i will primarily be using this on the snake and clearwater in ID and occasionally on the Skagit and Sauk on the westside. thanks.

[Steve Buckner]

Most fish (steelhead) are going to weigh between 6-8 lbs, and a 12 weight rod two-handed rod would be overkill. I would suggest something more on the order of a #7 to #9. You want to match the size of the rod to the fish that you're more likely to catch. You'll also want to consider the length. Long rods are great on big rivers, not so great on some of the smaller ones. Based upon the rivers you listed, a 14-15 ft. rod sounds like a good option.

[SpokaneFisherman]

I agree w/ Steve. I fish a 14' 8wt on the Clearwater and an 11' 7wt on the Ronde.

Call me a sissy, but I wouldn't want to fish a 12wt all day long :p

[gt]

well if you are going to fish for atlantic salmon on the other side of the atlantic, you might well have need for a real stick to make the impossibly long casts that would seem appropriate. if you are targetting steelhead anywhere in the PNW, an 8wt might be more appropriate.

[fredaevans]

First, whose 12WT? My first guess is it must be of European manufacture. The rod/line numbering on US based rods and those of the UK (as an example) can be VERY different (like you need one more thing to think about:beer1: )

A 'true' 12 weight would be usefull for only three things (that come to mind): Use/lifting power for full sunk fly lines such as the Ian Gordons tipped with a 6" Intruder," fishing off of Point No Point for cruising Orka's, or you're a lumber jack on a phy. rehab program.

Fellows above have covered 'better choices.' I'll only add one comment (not an orig. thought) a 15' 9wt is the "30.06 of spey rods" if you're only going to get one for winter water conditions.

[Double-D]

I also agree with Steve, an #8 or 9 weight is more than enough for NW rivers. If you plan to use it for winter steelhead a 9 weight is and would be my choice, I personnally use a 14' 9 weight sage for all my winter fishing and I fish the Skagit and Sauk regularly as well as the OP.

[Nooksack Mac]

A 12-weight, which is about the biggest spey rod made, is too big for anything except king salmon, or the few rivers that carry exceptional Atlantic salmon. I have a Thomas & Thomas 1511, which needed a 12-weight line, and it's just too big for even the Skagit on a regular basis. I use 10 and 11-weight rods and lines, mostly for big winter/spring rivers. That's the upper limit of what almost any large stream should require. I'm taking a 15 foot, 9/10 rod to the Clearwater next week, and a 13' 4" 7/8 for the Grand Ronde.

[Matt Burke]

A 13 to 14 foot in the 7/8/9 wt range will make learning much more enjoyable and pretty versatile for what ever you may run into.

[bigtj]

Yes.

[Hal Eckert]

Ditto, for winter steelheading with sink tips and big flys a 14 foot 9 wgt is a good choice.

:beer1:

BG

[Sloan Craven]

For the Snake and clearwater you need a big rod. I wouldn't go below 10 for that. 12 is better. While the fish aren't big, you really do want to cast a long distance. You'll also become more attractive and witty with a longer rod.

[Coach Duff]

Yeah, those A runs are great sport on a 10 weight. Come on Craver! Maybe the dancing bears are having their way with ya. "Driving my train, don't want no 12 weight, Casey Jones liked Meiser and Burkheimer." Not to shut off the lights on your 1995 party, but with Skagit heads and 13 foot or so rods built for them (Meiser MKS is my favorite) you can crush 90 -110 foot casts with ease with 18-22 feet of T-14 on a 7/8. That's with a big assed intruder or whatever else you like to put on a weighted tube or articulated beast. Then when you hook the average fish in the Snake and it goes 27 inches, you don't drag it in with its tail skimming the water. An 8/9 might be a little better on the Clearwater for the big fellas, but the 7/8 rods nowadays can get it done. Burke had it about right 7-8-9 on a 13 or so footer and some Skagit head magic. You can throw a long belly on those rods also with a little practice. A 12 weight definately has a place in Norhwest steelheading. You can use it as a flagpole for your fishing camp. Old Glory would look great on the end of a 12 weight.
Coach

[Ron Crawford]

Whoaa Nelly - a 12 wt is too much for fishing around here (IMO).

I have a 12 foot 8 wt and I have yet to find any situation where that rod didn't work just fine.

[floatinghat]

Depends

Do you want to make long casts with a long belly line?

Are the fish larger than normal?

Are you fishing large flies?

How long is the rod? A 8lb steelhead on a 17' 11wt will feel about the same as on a 12' 8wt

[Coach Duff]

You are out of your mind. Coach

[jhorton]

Who makes a 12-weight spey rod?

[fredaevans]

Who makes a 12-weight spey rod?

Actually, I'm not sure anyone actually does. 10's and 11's are quite common, but even via (Diawa, Hardy, etc.,+spey rod) Google I didn't see anything over that save for a 12'-12 wt Temple Fork Rod.

[turkish4211]

i saw a TFO 12 weight on ebay for cheap and was wondering if it was a good deal for me. I guess my pass was a good choice.

[jhorton]

Turkish, the TFO 12' 12-weight was designed for overhead casting in the surf with WF12 lines according to the regular AFTMA standard, rather than the AFTMA spey standard.

For spey casting, it takes an 8/9 spey line.

Jay Horton
Advisory Staff
TFO Fly Rods

[fredaevans]

Damned good point Jay!! :thumb: :ray1:

If you're going to 'over hand' cast a 2-hander you DO NEED to 'down line' or you're just as likely to bust the rod as not.:mad:

[DRBfish]

I LOVE my 12 wt diawa (so an 10/11 by US standards). It is cooler than shit to hit some truely long casts, but I wouldn't want to fish it all weekend! It is more for fun than anything else (and it is fun!).

[fredaevans]

Depending upon the length of the rod, it may be 'just the ticket' for full sunk lines like the Ian Gordons. These lines need a rod with 'omph' to lift, flick back out, then cast same.

Takes a bit of getting used to (cast timing), but actually 'fish' far better than a sink tip system as the 'whole thing' is under water.