Fred Evans, all
"Have been experimenting with the SA nymphing line on two light spey rods (trouters if you will) line worked very well with either rod for dry's. For 'sunk fly's' the 5/6 WC is still a grand line ... but light in the head for tossing large 'fluffy' drys so far for me."
With the winds we have in N. California and S. Oregon, the WC 5/6 gets a little fluffy and very light in the head at its maximum range.
The best dry fly line, I have found has been the Mid Spey 6/7 with as long of a floating furled leader as the rod, line and I can handle with about 3 foot of tippet.
A single or double spey and sometimes a snake roll will work if I get the loop shooting out in an upward loop with the fly dropping like a parachute at the end. It is a real blast to have a trout strike the fly just before it hits the water or as it hits.
The problem when I get more than 50' of line out is catching a fish that strikes the fly or just gulps at it. Even if you see it, by the time you respond to the strike the fish is gone. They have to hook themselves, which can be a lot of fun getting pecks and strikes in a certain area or for a large part of the drift.
The second problem that I have noticed this year as my casting skills get a little better is that the average dry fly will not hold up very long for me with the long setups, anchoring and the force of the casts.
However, when it all works, it is really a blast.
When a trout hooks itself, you need to get them in very fast. Dragging a whole spey line in the current really tires out even good sized trout in a very short time.