Newbie Question

[Charlie S]

I have a 14' 1" Burkheimer blank I'm going to be building this summer in anticipation to moving to Washington next year (Spokane area). I have been fly fishing forever and my only exposure to Spey casting was a week's trip on the North Umpqua two years ago. I was great as long as the water was flowing from my left to right...but that just means I have to take some lessons and get in a lot of practice.

My question is: What line, for a beginner, would be best to start on this rod for my initial education. I know I can go to more complex and fancier lines later but I want to get a line that will let me transit into this fascinating phase of fly fishing with the least amount of frustration.

Yes, I am planning on getting professional lessons.

[Trevor Hart]

I would first try and make a decision as to what style of spey casting I was interested in learning. This will naturally dictate which line you choose for the aforementioned rod. Most people opt for the long-belly approach. I would characterize this style as being top hand dominant, with a strong push-pull emphasis. The Scandi approach, as I understand it, emphasizes the use of the lower hand with very fast actioned rods. The Skagit system, which is what I use, relies on short shooting heads and the development of significant tension between the anchor and the tip of the rod. The tension, of course, translates to line speed. I guess I regard the development of that tension as being slightly more circular in motion than in the Scandi or Long-Belly approach. The Skagit approach comes at the expense of having to strip line. For the most part this is incorporated into my presentation and doesn't really bother me. Some people think it sucks...

I would educate myself as to the pros & cons of the various systems, then pick a style and choose a line.

Don't get hung-up on the fact that most Long-Belly guys like to kiss other dudes. To each his own...


Trevor

[Sloan Craven]

Shorter heads are generally easier to cast, but getting a line that matches the rod is probably the easiest way to learn to cast the thing. Trevor makes a good point, but I think that you want to learn to cast traditionally before you turn to scandi casting. I would recoommend then a mid-spey line. Shorter than a long belly but longer than a scandi or skagit rod. Another thing is, Im not sure about the action of that particular rod, but to my understanding scandi rods are usually pretty stiff and casting scandi with just any rod is not ideal.

For Rio lines I would get a windcutter 7/8/9 with interchangeable tips or Midspey 7/8
http://www.rioproducts.com/photos/file/2007%20Spey%20line%20recs.pdf

For Airflo a delta spey 7/8

I also like the Gravity Point lines from CND and the 7/8 might be a great match for you.

[fredaevans]

I'd also recommend calling Carry or Rob Allen and ask what they'd suggest. (Ditto guide spacing if you don't already have the numbers.) If 'money is no object' you'll find the 9/10 Carron (75' head) the 'cat's meow' on this rod.

All be it's a bit of a drive, I'm in Ashland, Oregon (but our winter steelhead season is just kicking into high gear .... 1,000'ish fish per week going over Gold Ray dam per week now:beer2:Over 6,000 fish in the past 30 days ) I've got tons of lines you could 'try before you buy.' If interested, e-mail/PM me.

Fred

[KerryS]

Don't get hung-up on the fact that most Long-Belly guys like to kiss other dudes. To each his own...


Trevor


You have been listening to o'Donnel to much.:p

[Salmon Chaser]

Get a good old double taper,, like a SA 10 DT Salmon,, probably a line size heavier than your rod calls for,, then hit the water and learn a single, double and snake roll of each shoulder. Get good, have fun and along the way try some funky casts:thumb:
Then you will be ready to tackle the "NEW" spey world which reads like am MIT exam:ray1:
Keep it simple and progress as fast as you can,, you don't have to learn or buy everything at once.
Salmon Chaser
If you really want a great starter line then a Rio Windcutter will be a fine choice.

[Charlie S]

I think I'm going to go with a Rio Windcutter. Looked on the Burkheimer site and that's the line he recommends for it, so..... Thanks a lot for the information and a little insight. I only know that I have a LOT to learn but it isn't daunting to me, at least not yet.

[Nooksack Mac]

If you ask a speynewbie what kind of line he prefers, the answer is likely to be "Huh?" How is he to know?

The length and power of the rod is one of the major parameters, which is why I'd recommend a medium belly line for his 14-footer: Rio MidSpey, Airflo Delta Long, Scientific Anglers Mastery Spey, etc. But since his rod will be able to handle shorter and longer belly lines with some effectiveness, let me suggest something based on his previous experience with other kinds of tackle:

If you enjoy picking up and redirecting a fly line, controlling it during false casting, and watching it unroll before you on a forward cast, you probably have the soul of a long belly spey caster (like, ahem!, me). If you enjoy lobbing a lure or bait/lead weight/bobber with a spinning or casting rod, you should love to use Skagit and/or Scandinavian shooting heads. A grad student of neuropsychology could probably write his doctoral dissertation on why some of us spey casters are wired one way, some the other.:confused:

And Salmon Chaser's suggestion to start with a double taper has merit. It's a cheap way to find out which style you'll prefer.

[Panhandle]

We'll have to hook up when you get over here. You're going to need that thing on the Clearwater. There are a lot of good resources in the area, but the one you need to tap into is Poppy at Red Shed in Peck. Let us know when you get over here.:beer2:

[fredaevans]

A grad student of neuropsychology could probably write his doctoral dissertation on why some of us spey casters are wired one way, some the other.:confused:



I resemble that remark!:eek: