[speyday]

hi guys,

ive been set in my ways and a bit out of touch with how line tapers are developing.

I am trying to see if theres a line out there that allows spey casting techniques to really show when using a 9 ft single hander.

The tactic works adequately for me using a rio outbound short, (27 ft head cut to 23) but wondering if theres anything out of the box that is delivering in this way.

anyone doing any short-rod spey casts? what line?

 

[Rickbjr]

Wulff Ambush and Rio Skagit Max Short.

 

[bender]

I like the lightest Rio AFS 4/5 on #8 SH rod and they are discounted now! Mine has exactly 300 gr head which is 30,7 ft long. I usually use 9 ft leader but for very small fly about 13 ft and for very big fly only about 6 ft leader. It is possible to shoot very long casts when thin nylon shooting line is used.

Actually when line head is light it is not important to have "true" Spey tapered line. When hauling is used long enough casts should be possible with all (trout) lines. Put slightly longer leader and don't anchor much line, just leader and they Spey cast just fine. Fresh water lines usually have delicate tips anyway.

Wulff Triangle Taper and Rio Trout LT have Spey tapers which are great for OH casting too. However LT heads are quite long and IMO LT WF4 head is bit long for #4 rod and of course LT WF3 hopeless long for #3 rod.

Esa

 

[CaneCaster]

Wulff Triangle Taper and Rio Trout LT have Spey tapers which are great for OH casting too. However LT heads are quite long and IMO LT WF4 head is bit long for #4 rod and of course LT WF3 hopeless long for #3 rod.

Esa

2 good line choices above, I completely agree with Bender. Also Rio's steelhead/salmon lines are very nice singlehand spey lines and worth a look.
I'll throw in a good word for Vision's Vibe series of lines (65, 85, 100, 125) as very versatile singlehand spey lines especially if larger fly deliver is a factor for you. and of course the Wulff Ambush is a proven winner.

Cheers.
James

 

[808steelheader]

Ambush! The easiest single hand spey casting line I've ever used.

Todd

 

[BCSteelHeader]

+1 on the Rio Salmon/Steelhead and Wulff Triangle Taper

I'm a novice/average caster but used both these lines for years for single handed spey casts. They worked well for me.

 

[njord]

I use my 10' 7wt with Wulff triangle taper and it works awesome for me. I single hand spey with it 99% of the time and I love it. I have used the Ambush as well but I find the reg TT more versatile and better in cold weather (no line stripping to freeze up the guides). The ambush will really launch some junk, works great for swinging and is SUPER easy to cast. It's basically a Skagit line and the reg TT would be more Scandi or possibly short head spey. 40 foot head compared to a 20 foot head on the Ambush. I really like both lines, it just depends on what way I'm fishing.

 

[speyday]

off to wu

Wow.

Lots of replies
Lots of knowledgable detailed replies
Fast as lightning replies.

Thanks so much !!!!

Gonna try the wulff ambush first; heard so much good about it in other, more general applications that it sounds like a no brainer.

 

[glcaddis]

Vision Vibe 65,85 or 125

These are European lines that work very well for single hand spey casting. There are a couple of stateside dealers. I got mine from Spey Clave Helsinki. With the strong dollar now might be a good time the grab one from them.

 

[peter-s-c]

Airflo 40+ and the various Delta taper Airflo lines (Sixth Sense). Basically a Spey line shrunk down in size for a single hander. They were originally designed for overhead casting, but the taper is ideal for single hand Spey casting.

They work well overhead or Spey cast so we can work our way down the river, switching between casting styles as the circumstances dictate.

 

[badgoalie]

Disclosure - I'm an intermediate-at-best caster who's had minimal training (4 hours) of single hand spey instruction. Been trying it on the river for about 2 years. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination.

For single hand spey, I have the Rio Steelhead/Salmon, Airflo 40+, Airflo River and Stream and the Wulff Ambush. I've also played around with the Airflo 240 grain short Scandi.

Can't say there's a bad line in the bunch, casting-wise. I think it really comes down to what your expectations are of the line. With it's really long, heavy head, I think the Rio is really cool of you don't want to strip running line. For my casting, I find that line prefers a faster, stiffer rod given how heavy it is.

I'm also really enjoying the newer Airflo River and Stream. Delta taper, easy to cast, and overheads fine. I like it as a middle ground between the Rio and the Wulff lines.

I agree with previous posts that for a "Skagit-like" setup, the Ambush is the way to go. It wouldn't be my first choice for overhead work, but as a spey-focused line I like it. I find it requires a slow sweep and minimal final lift given it's length and weight.

In terms of ease of learning (easiest to hardest), I would rank the lines Ambush, Short Scandi, 40+, River and Stream then Steelhead/Salmon. I find the Rio line with the entire head beyond the tip to be a pretty stern test.

I'm very interested in trying Loop and Vision's offerings as well.

Take care,

BG

 

[voodoofly]

hi Kenny. almost all lines will work. just adjust your casting. I use rio outbound shorts, rio wf golds, airflo dt, hardy's, etc, etc.
singles, doubles, snakes, snap t, snap c. circle c, pokes, etc.
come on up and we can cast and fish.
gary

 

[SpeySpaz]

DTs are great for SH spey, as are any triangle taper, but I have an el cheapo secret to share-

you can cut the head off a bass bug taper, weld loops on both ends, and put it onto a shooting line backwards, eg, fat end towards reel.
Viola! poor man's scandi head.

 

[domantas]

Guideline Bullet is another nice 27'-28' headed line for sh spey. Be aware though that if using tips of any kind using a switch with both hands is less tiring task.

 

[Bäschwatz]

Hi speyday
I'm no expert, but using selfmade lines on a shorter rod at the little brook round the corner.
Wulff Triangle i like very much. The Ambush i didn't tryed, because of plenty lines and rests, to cut and create something new, in my line found.
Most of my lines have an heavy belly in the back. Depending if float or sinktip with longer or shorter tip section.
Mackenzie DTX maybe a scale model.
If you are interestet to find out more about the different profiles of lines, contact Martin Laub " Troutcontrol " in Berlin Germany.
He has createt some graphic presentations from the lines he knows.
Together with his friends he also createt a table of needet line weights for much rods they tryed.
I hope this helps to find out the right line for your use.
Best regards
Thilo