Since the Grease Line rods were designed with casting long-belly lines in mind, any of these lines in 8/9 might be a little on the light side dependending on your casting experience with mid-belly and longer lines. If you don't have much experience casting these longer lines, any of the lines you mentioned in 9/10 might be a better choice because they will bend the rod further. Unfortunately, there is no good way to make a better recommendation than this without knowing your level of experience casting mid-belly or longer lines.

 

Unfortunately, there is no good way to make a better recommendation than this without knowing your level of experience casting mid-belly or longer lines.

I was casting a 13'3" echo dec hogan with a 9 weight xlt for a couple months. I could cast snake rolls, single speys and such with some consistency, usually getting to leader to touch where I wanted it to and could sometimes cast around 80 ft. My only problem was the rod (since it was for skagit?) seemed to bend too much and give out with too much line. I think this rod would help?

basically im not good at it yet but I know some basics, and I find casting a long line fun so I want a line I can enjoy if I get better, not just something to learn on.

 

should be good match

14' 8/9 Loomis and 9XLT should be good match. I have casted 15' 9/10 with 10 XLT and it works well. It of course depend on your personal preference.

 

Agree, the 9 wt XLT is a great match with this Loomis Greased Line rod. In fact, any long-belly or mid-belly line in the 800 gr area will be a good match for it.

 

Awesome I will try that out.

for a second line, If I wanted to add a fast sinking polyleader which line between the powerspey and xlt would cast better without cutting it?
The powerspey has a shorter head and less long of a front taper I think, or would I have to cut it anyway? I heard of people having success cutting about 20 something feet off the xlt and adding a polyleader.

Thanks

 

The PowerSpey would be the better of the two to cast the polyleader simply because of its much faster front taper. This doesn't mean the XLT won't cast a polyleader, it will and do so rather well. But it does mean that your technique has to be spot on with the XLT or the cast will collapse.

 

I have that rod and very happy with it. I use a delta 9/10 with tips and a delta 9/10 long uncut. Very nice combo. Gets a nice load and the rod does the work for you..

 

How many grains is the delta 9/10? I just purchased the rio powerspey with a 63 ft head at 640 grains, I might bring it back for the 9/10 powerspey.

I will be also fishing the xlt 9 weight, I just want to try different lines :chuckle:

 

It will be fine. Those rods take a ton of weight. I'd load it up.

 

Andrewkovala,

The long-belly AFFTA spey line standard has 800 gr @ 80' for 9wt long-belly lines. The 8/9 true long-belly lines (i.e. lines with bellies of 80' or longer) made in North America and Japan are now and have been based on this standard for about 8 years or so now. Such lines are really 9wt long-belly lines and weigh in somewhere between 770 grs. and 840 grs. (perhaps a little more if the belly is 90' or longer). This is why a rod such as the G.Loomis Grease Line series rods that were desgned to cast long-belly lines and are rated for the AFFTA long-belly line standard as to line wt designation work well with mid-belly and long-belly lines within about 40 grs. up or down from the AFFTA long-belly spey line standard.

The 8/9 long-belly lines weigh in around 800 grs (in other words they are 9 wt long-belly lines). However, the mid-belly 8/9 lines are too light to load a rod that works well with an 8/9 long-belly; therefore, you need to go up on line size to the 9/10 to get the line weight grainage up far enough to properly load the rod but not overload it. And the various 9/10 mid-belly lines made or sold by North Amercian line makers or distributors are really 10 wt mid-belly lines.

I know this can get confusing; but if folks take a little time, look up the AFFTA spey line standards, print them out for future reference, and then look at them when looking for a line that would work on their specific spey rod, the confusion would pretty much vanish. I've got to let you know that I much prefer having the grain window the rod was designed to cast well marked on the rod instead of the AFFTA spey line wt designation because it make it much easier to match a line (provided the manufacturer puts the line's belly grainage on the box).