[SpeyBob]

I am interested in getting into Spey fishing and would like to build my own rod. In reading back posts on this site and others, I believe that something like a 14' 9wt would be a good place to start. It won't necessarily be the best at any one situation but would be a good comprimise for most. From what I have read several places the St. Croix rods are very good values for the price. I have also read that some people believe that the Cabela's blanks are made by St. Croix. The Cabela's blanks are less than half the price of the St Croix. My real question is, will the Cabela's blank make an acceptable Spey rod.

Thanks

Bob

 

[BobK]

Makers....

My Cabela's rods are imprinted with "Made in Korea". My St. Croix rods don't say anything like that; I would assume, therefore, that they are made in U.S.A. (because of trade law).

Nothing wrong with good Korean manufacturers - many brand name rods are made there, and some of the names would surprise you.

BobK

 

[SpeyBob]

Bob:

Thanks for your reply. How do you like your cabela's spey rods. Are they good or should I spend more money on some other blank?

 

[BobK]

Experience....

I only have the 11'3" "single-hand" 6-wt., and it is fine for my use on smaller streams and rivers here in the NE. Our Lake Ontario tribs aren't that large, and I got it for indicator fishing, mending, keeping less line on the water and tossing spey flies, and it's very good for that. Enough backbone to handle bigger Lake Ontario fish, as well.

But that's the limit of my experience with spey rods - I don't need the big ones for my fishing (as all fly fishers, I will qualify that with a "so far"!)

BobK

 

[MJC]

Low Cost Spey Rod Blanks

SpeyBob, "Ol Rich" has a St Croix 14' 9/10 that he says he likes very well. His son uses a Cabela's rod which I believe they also like just fine. If you do a search in the spey clave using St Croix and Cabelas for search words you should find lots of info. I also had a 14' 9/10 St Croix that I just loved. I sold it because I had other fish to fry and I've been sorry ever since.

 

[Nooksack Mac]

The St. Croix 14' 9/10 was my first spey rod; a user-friendly medium action well-balanced with a #10 DT or long-belly line. The Cabela 14' 9/10 (a friend's that I used for an hour) is considerably more powerful, perhaps more studly than a 14-footer should be. It required a DT11 to flex it.

 

[rambohead]

Affordable Spey Blamks

Bob,

Your question about affordable Spey blanks. I posted a reply to someone elses question last night about a similar topic and your answer is, Forecasts 14' 9/10 Wt Spey rod by Batson Enterprises in Western Washington. You can actually but one from Bob @ "The Hook And Hackle" company. The are online @ Hookandhackle.com Retail is about $100.00 which includes the blank, both grips, seat and guides. The blank is an opaque blue and it comes with blus thread. I am a rod builder in Washington and I just finished one last week for sale. I through it this last weekend and it is throws really well. The action is between a traditional and a european action. If you want to see what they look like finished, I just listed it on E-Bay under fly rods.

SF

 

[Ol Rich]

My son's Cabela's rod was an earlier model and labeled "Made in the USA". I believe it was a St. Croix blank.

Rich

 

[JDJones]

another place

Another place you may want to check out is Angler's Workshop in Woodland Wa. Since you are so close, It might be worth a trip up there. You can't miss it. It is alongside the I-5 on the right as you are going north.

 

[fredaevans]

Angler's workshop also has a huge web site that you might want to zip around and see what's to be had.

 

[SSPey]

Bob, it might help expand your possibilities for blanks by knowing that you can get by with many 8wts, and virtually all 8/9 wts, for 4 season steelhead fishing in Oregon. I use 8/9's in winter, and 6/7/8's in summer, fishing rivers within 3 hrs of the lower Willamette Valley (including the mainstem Willamette).

Then again, if you buy a 14' 9wt as your first rod and like it, you'll have a good reason to seek out a lighter dry-line rod for summer.

 

[Hammer]

it's all about where you fish

and on the Rogue with it's many faces,there are sections that i feel quite undergunned with a 14ft. rod,very undergunned,almost `naked' in a scense :whoa: ,maybe perusing the redshedflyshop or any other sponsor sites will yeild a used rod for you to start out with for not much cash,even from one of the members here,then you can at least get your feet wet