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·Didn't want to infringe on SS's thread so thought I'd start this one...Speyspaz hooked me up with my addiction and suggested I give Micheal/Poppy a shout at red shed to try some lines...(nextcast has been costing me a lot of coin)
Poppy sent me two vectors and a fall favorite to try this weekend...I wanted to see how the FF at 500gr 5/6 was compared to the Vector at 500gr. but 7/8 on packaging...(lesson for all of us on looking at the grains and not the numbers)....
The rod I'm working on is a Meiser 14' 6/7 MKS...I love my MKS's and don't hate the highlanders either..but the MKS fits me better then any other...the 6/7 will literally throw bombs with either a 480 or 510 compac skagit depending on how heavy the tips you want to use...but am looking for a floating line for it as well....I have the FF 6/7 which I believe is 560gr or such and it's a good line but I just think it needs some tweaking...i.e. one color sucks as you have to mark the rear taper/head and then go from there on overhang to find your spot...I also think 110 is too short and the running line would be nice if it was thinner or better yet tapered down..
Casting wise, throwing the whole line isn't a big deal...fishing wise I just don't dig it on large flows...So...
Got the Vector out that poppy sent...52' head @ 120' not as fat of a head that I could feel as the nextcast..which when you've cast the nextcast in the wind kind of worried me a touch..but not an issue as in some pretty good blows threw really tight loops...
Ok, so here's the gist of the story and is strictly my own experience without formal funding from either company..:ray1: This line is going to be used on larger rivers and will be skating bugs and possibly some wet fly action..not intruders...The Vector 7/8 @ 500 gr. was pretty amazing as far as distance, fishability and fun factor...
Sat. evening I took out the Vector on the shore of a lake up in B.C. that we were camping on and just tossed some single speys out with a big hairy bug on the end that would skate across a wave...(it was what I found hanging off my ceiling in the back of my truck)...
Wind wasn't a big deal but there was some....The thing I really like about this line is how tight the loop can get and i.e. bore through the wind...I was just screwing around and stripping line...roll it down the lake and single spey it out....looked down and had two wraps left on the spool...wow..distance certainly is not an issue....
Next day took it out on the T. in some pretty crappy weather to go up against the nextcast...wasn't the best spot to try it as was wet wading on a rocky shore line so couldn't do any snake rolls or double speys...could do a decent cackhanded cast so that was what I was using as well as left hand high which I'm trying to relearn...badly at present but it is what it is...
The vector with a big bomber style dry on was easy to cast out, skated the thing nicely and before I knew it was over the 110' mark no problem...again only a couple wraps on the spool...I wasn't trying to see how far it would go but how far it would go in a fishing situation that was less then ideal...It did amazing...put on a classic wet fly, threw that and mended it down river...oddly enough it got smashed by something..as I don't think soc's bite..but wasn't taken by surprise so no idea what....tied on an eggsucking leech as it's my comfort fly..threw that without issue and mended beautifully...
Next came the nextcast 5/6 also at 500gr. the smaller head on the FF while not by a huge margin was noticeable..and with a lack of casting room impressed me quickly...stripping out line with the bomber on and casting it, no problem before the backing knot was hanging below the reel...OK casts distance...but that running line really bugs me...wasn't snapping out like the Vector and took more work to mend and get into the required dry fly skating position...Ok, not as nice, not horrible..but hmmm lets try the wet fly..cast it fine but just doesn't fish um to my liking..again that running line..had put small marks on it to find the head and tried different overhang...not bad but just not that great either...took it off and put the vector on again...and started smiling again..
I originally thought about keeping both lines but as I already have the 6/7 in the FF and it does what it does just fine..the vector was mentioned to me by B.M. and I can see why..amazing line for a skagit hore like myself...
Apologies for the long ramble but wanted to give you some details on how it was tested...If your testing the market for a floater then these two should be in your consideration...If it wasn't for the Vectors tight loops and manageability/fishability I would be all over the nextcast..though I would do some fine tuning like I mentioned before...
Huge shout out to Poppy for hooking me up with the lines to try..nothing will kill your line search faster then the prices on some of these lines..getting a chance to try a few against each other is an amazing thing...
Poppy sent me two vectors and a fall favorite to try this weekend...I wanted to see how the FF at 500gr 5/6 was compared to the Vector at 500gr. but 7/8 on packaging...(lesson for all of us on looking at the grains and not the numbers)....
The rod I'm working on is a Meiser 14' 6/7 MKS...I love my MKS's and don't hate the highlanders either..but the MKS fits me better then any other...the 6/7 will literally throw bombs with either a 480 or 510 compac skagit depending on how heavy the tips you want to use...but am looking for a floating line for it as well....I have the FF 6/7 which I believe is 560gr or such and it's a good line but I just think it needs some tweaking...i.e. one color sucks as you have to mark the rear taper/head and then go from there on overhang to find your spot...I also think 110 is too short and the running line would be nice if it was thinner or better yet tapered down..
Casting wise, throwing the whole line isn't a big deal...fishing wise I just don't dig it on large flows...So...
Got the Vector out that poppy sent...52' head @ 120' not as fat of a head that I could feel as the nextcast..which when you've cast the nextcast in the wind kind of worried me a touch..but not an issue as in some pretty good blows threw really tight loops...
Ok, so here's the gist of the story and is strictly my own experience without formal funding from either company..:ray1: This line is going to be used on larger rivers and will be skating bugs and possibly some wet fly action..not intruders...The Vector 7/8 @ 500 gr. was pretty amazing as far as distance, fishability and fun factor...
Sat. evening I took out the Vector on the shore of a lake up in B.C. that we were camping on and just tossed some single speys out with a big hairy bug on the end that would skate across a wave...(it was what I found hanging off my ceiling in the back of my truck)...
Wind wasn't a big deal but there was some....The thing I really like about this line is how tight the loop can get and i.e. bore through the wind...I was just screwing around and stripping line...roll it down the lake and single spey it out....looked down and had two wraps left on the spool...wow..distance certainly is not an issue....
Next day took it out on the T. in some pretty crappy weather to go up against the nextcast...wasn't the best spot to try it as was wet wading on a rocky shore line so couldn't do any snake rolls or double speys...could do a decent cackhanded cast so that was what I was using as well as left hand high which I'm trying to relearn...badly at present but it is what it is...
The vector with a big bomber style dry on was easy to cast out, skated the thing nicely and before I knew it was over the 110' mark no problem...again only a couple wraps on the spool...I wasn't trying to see how far it would go but how far it would go in a fishing situation that was less then ideal...It did amazing...put on a classic wet fly, threw that and mended it down river...oddly enough it got smashed by something..as I don't think soc's bite..but wasn't taken by surprise so no idea what....tied on an eggsucking leech as it's my comfort fly..threw that without issue and mended beautifully...
Next came the nextcast 5/6 also at 500gr. the smaller head on the FF while not by a huge margin was noticeable..and with a lack of casting room impressed me quickly...stripping out line with the bomber on and casting it, no problem before the backing knot was hanging below the reel...OK casts distance...but that running line really bugs me...wasn't snapping out like the Vector and took more work to mend and get into the required dry fly skating position...Ok, not as nice, not horrible..but hmmm lets try the wet fly..cast it fine but just doesn't fish um to my liking..again that running line..had put small marks on it to find the head and tried different overhang...not bad but just not that great either...took it off and put the vector on again...and started smiling again..
I originally thought about keeping both lines but as I already have the 6/7 in the FF and it does what it does just fine..the vector was mentioned to me by B.M. and I can see why..amazing line for a skagit hore like myself...
Apologies for the long ramble but wanted to give you some details on how it was tested...If your testing the market for a floater then these two should be in your consideration...If it wasn't for the Vectors tight loops and manageability/fishability I would be all over the nextcast..though I would do some fine tuning like I mentioned before...
Huge shout out to Poppy for hooking me up with the lines to try..nothing will kill your line search faster then the prices on some of these lines..getting a chance to try a few against each other is an amazing thing...
