Get a hold of the Red Shed Fly shop and talk with Mike about your needs. I'm confident he will set you up with and ideal outfit for your application and casting preferences.

 

Well My Bad
:beathead:
I ask one of my Spey Guru’s about getting a new Speyrod something for larger rivers such as the Sky, Sauk and the Kenai.

Mainly just want to put another rod in the Quiver and do away with a couple older rods all together.

The answer from the Spey Guru was take it to the boards.
So now I am asking to see what your rod would be for those rivers.

As for flies and lines I use the local favorites.
I the Northwest it would be the humming birds for hell or Intruders.
In Alaska I stay with big marabou like the Meth Lab.
The Clearwater and Thompson what everyone else is using.
Line like long bellies but do and can use Skagits and Scandos head for most of my fishing.
I hope this give you a little more to go on.

No Speyfishing in Bangkok
DiamondJim

 

Have you run it by Aaron at the speyshop?

 

I like long-belly lines and long, stiffer tipped, progressive, fast recovering, fairly stiff rods, so keep this in mind when reading the following because there aren't all that many who like fishing this typ of rod. This also figures into why I use 16' or an 18' rod instead of the 15'er many consider to be big river, big fly rods.

I fish the Skagit quite a bit during winter/spring. In fact, I prefer it over the Sauk. I have been using a T&T 1611 since January 1997 on the Skagit, Sauk, Sky, Hoh, Queets, Sol Duc, and Bogey for winter steelhead. I also like it on the Thompson. I got the big 16' T&T stick because I like fishing with long-belly lines and the 16' 10/11 rods are very good at tossing big flies a long way when needed.

I also have an 18' 12 wt rod that I take out in winter when I am going to fish nothing but the Skagit. I use either the 10/11 GrandSpey or 10 wt XLT on it with sink tips. This rod gives great command of the water and makes casting big stuff child's play. It also allows you to fish those few lies that are 120' or so out in the river.

Meiser's 16' 9-11 Highlander Series has even more power than my T&T 1611 and if Meiser had it on the market 10 years ago when I got the 161 T&T, I would have bought the Meiser. Plus Meiser will build a rod for you with the action modified to best suit you.

G. Loomis has its very nice 17' 10/11 in their Greaseline Series and it is another rod I really like. Likewise, although it is not quite as stiff as I prefer, the 16'7" 10/11 CND Thompson Specialist is another rod I could easily live with. Carron also has some very nice 16'-18' heavy line rods (I especially like the 18'er) but they are pricey around $1600.00 or more US.

The new Sage Z-Axis 16' 10/11 is another good option for a powerful, big river rod. Scott also has a nice 16' 10/11 if you like a rod with a bit more bending under load.

If you don't want to go with a 16' rod, there are a bunch of very nice 15' 10 or 11 wt rods on the market. Meiser has them in his Highlander Series, T&T has the 1510 Poppy mentioned and its big brother the 1511 (a shorter version of the 1611), Sage has several covering different rod action preferences, St. Croix has a few, G. Loomis has a few, Burkheimer has some, CND has the Salar Specialist, Snowbee has a terrific faster actioned one, and I'm sure I've missed a few

 

James,

I think what species you intend to fish for matters as much as river in this consideration. The Sky and the Sauk aren't really in the big water league when it comes to steelhead rods. Whatever 8 weight captures your fancy will cover the water, handle the fish, and with a Skagit head, handle weighted Intruders. You might want a 9 or 10 weight rod and more length for longer casts on the Clearwater and Thompson.

You didn't say what rod action you prefer or rod lengths you're partial to, so recommending specific brands and models would be pointless.

Sg

 

Some of the longer CNDs might satisfy you. I have the 13'4" Solstice which is a sweet and versatile rod. If the 16'1" is anything like it, it is a money rod. I've also heard the Mieser Clearwater rods are pretty sweet and at a good price point.

 

anything over an 8wt double hander is overkill for steelhead -

 

Jumbo, most double handers over 8wts are mostly that large because of the demands of the casting. Plus a big hot steelhead is not too shabby on a 9wt spey.

 

Well the biggest question is how often do you fish... If you're fishing once a month, a cutting edge rod, and god forbid a longline is going to be frustrating and ensure you don't catch a damn thing except by accident.

For the average fisherman, a middle of the road, even last, or 2 generation ago 14 foot rod, and a 50 foot line will allow you to throw the majority of your casts in the general area you're actually aiming for. If you are better than avearage, and aren't we all , you can cast as far as you want to. For the real hacks (unite my brothers!) a skagit will let you throw fishable casts all day long without wearing a shoulder brace for 2 weeks after your trip.

There are some amazing rods and lines out there, and if you are good you can take advantage of them. Most of us don't have the time to be even adequate with long lines on our weakside. I got there, and lost it when I had to drop out of the scene due to health issues. If you offered me a trip to any of those rivers you listed, and said I could have any 2 rods I wanted, I'd bring something like a 14 foot Dec Hogan or steelhead specialist, and some skagit rod like one of the Kinneys or a skagit specialist and delta/windcutter lines and skagit lines. Because I know that even if I haven't picked up a rod in a year, I could be booming out 80% of my casts into the 90 to 100 foot range and most importantly exactly where I wanted them to land, with managed reach mending in about 20 minutes...

There... I said it... Now where's that pot stirring and shit hitting the fan emoticon :rofl:

 

Philster, you're spot on with your recommendations. :thumb:

 

Jumbo,

To eloborate a bit on what Will posted, the heavy line weight 15' and longer 2-handers are used when casting mid-to long-long belly lines (65' to 100' belly lines) with large or heavy flies.

If you are using a Skagit set-up an 8 wt will suffice for virtually any steelhead fishing situation or fly size you will ever encounter because it will easily cast large or heavy flies. This has to do with the way Skagit lines utilize line stick and water loading to load the rod. It also is related to the fairly heavy and compact lines used in Skagit casting.

However, if you are casting large or heavy flies on mid- or long-belly lines, you need the extra mass and diameter of the line to efficiently cast large or heavy flies. This is also why 10 and 11 wts rods of 15' or more are used by those of use who like using mid- or long-belly lines with big flies. Plus the longer 15'-18' rods with long-belly line combo allow one to very easily cast to and cover those few lies that sit 100'-120' out in a large river.

 

Depending on your budget Scott has some very nice rods in their new
T2H spey series.