[Poul]

I'm the proud owner of a 9-10 AirFlo delta spey (the green one). I love the finish, but:

When using the line the past few weeks it seemed like the rear taper was too fine/long to mobilize my d-loop with the whole (or even 8' less) head length outside the rod tip.

My assumption is that the big "bump" in these lines signifies the end of the head.

My understanding is that these lines had a long front taper and a shorter back taper.

I just stretched out the head in my hall and living room and took some (rough) measurements. (don't have a micrometer and used a 14' rod to measure). My results:

The front taper gets quite thick within 8' and almost max thickness within 12';

The back taper (to reach similar thickness) is at least 18' long;

and, the whole head is almost 70' long, which is about 10' longer than I expected.

I see a few possibilities:

1. the "bump" is not the end of the head but rather is designed to sit under/near your top hand to indicate the whole head is outside the rod tip;
2. my line has the wrong head attached to it (ie a long delta?); and/or
3. my line has the wrong end of the head attached to running line.

Is anyone out there familiar enough with these lines to enlighten me?

thanks,

Poul

 

[doublespey]

Yes . . .

Hi Poul,

The bump is a physical indicator to tell you when your tiptop is near the "head" of the line. I think they (Airflo) use a 14' rod as a marker, so you'd need to add or subtract 1' for the 13' and 15' rods.

So get that bump under your right index finger and your casting will improve drastically!

See you on the river!

Brian

 

[MJC]

Airflo Delta 9/10

Poul, Your line has the same configuration as all the other Delta 9/10's I've seen. Your measurments seem about right to me. I have marked several 9/10 Deltas where the fattest part of the line starts into the rear taper. That mark is always at 50 to 52 ft. When the mark is outside the tiptop on my 15ft rod the bump is below my top hand around 3 or 4 ft so your 18ft dimension seems right to me. I think they have lengthened the rear taper some from the first Deltas. Doublespey is a lot more experienced than I am but after you try his suggestions if you are still having trouble pull in a little more running line getting the fat part of the belly closer to the tip.

 

[Poul]

Thanks gentlemen!

It casts fine with the bump under my finger. I just couldn't figure out why I couldn't handle the full length of the head, when in fact , it turns out, I was... (guess I need to stay out of the pub post-fishing)

Should have been able to figure this out myself. On the bright side, I was casting further than I thought.

Poul

 

[silverdoc]

new airflo delta configuration

Poul;
I had the same problem the 1st time I tried my new Delta---couldn't even pick up the @#$$%[email protected]!! thing with the fat bump at my pinch point.
Called Tim Rajeff to see what I was doing wrong.
The "bump" is NOT the back of the head, but rather it's an indicator that the head is approaching the rod tip. The actual length of the new fat section is 19',(from bump to rear of belly), so I'm now taking extra 4 strips to get my "normal" overhang on a 13' rod.
According to Tim, the extra diameter coating is there to prevent wear/cracking, & it only costs about 3% in lost distance.
The line was baptized with a 7# chromer last Thursday
Hope this helps...

 

[Poul]

Looks like my problem is solved... thanks everyone.

My next challenge:

I'm considering buying a Delta Long for my 15' Loop Yellow (10-11). I can't decide between the 10-11 and the 11-12. What's causing my indecision is that the 10-11 Delta Long (690 gr) weighs less than the Mid-Spey 9-10 (725 gr), which seems like it will probably be too light for the big Loop (although it matches my yellow 14' #9 Loop well). Even the 11-12 Delta Long (770 gr) weighs considerably less than the 10-11 Mid-Spey (875 gr).

It's hard to figure why the grains differ so much between line ratings with two lines that have identical head lengths...

Any advice?

Poul

 

[Rick J]

For some reason, Airflo kept the grain weights for the Delta and Long Delta the same - figuring I guess that if a short head 7/8 would load your road the same grains distributed over a longer head would also load the same rod. No other line manufacturer is doing that and I question the logic. I have the 7/8 for my Scott 1287 and it is a wonderful line but I would really think about upsizing in the heavier line weights rather than matching line weight to rod weight.

 

[Dana]

Poul,

we've been throwing the 9/10 & 10/11 on the 9140 Loop Yellow (the one I was using at the Whistler School was the 9/10; kush likes the 10/11), and since the 10150 Yellow is quite a bit more rod than the 9140 I would suggest the 11/12 line. I have a 10/11 (but not an 11/12 ) here though if you'd like to try it on your rod. Let me know and we can arrange a meet...