[ahab]

Matching Line for Sage 9150-4 (green blank)

I am a beginning spey caster and am looking to match a interchangeable tip line with this rod. I have tried the Windcutter 8/9 and Airflo Delta 8/9 (not the Delta long). I researched around enough to know the Windcutter is 10 grains heavier in head weight and longer by about a foot. So far, my beginner's cast tends to favor the Airflo Delta. If it matters, I have lots of casting experience with a single hand rod.

In the hands of a very experienced fellow caster here at the GGACC casting pond facility, the rod handles both lines equally well. The rod also casts the Windcutter 9/10 fine, but the spey guy doing it said the airealized line falls too quickly once cast at distance. So . . . so far, the rod tends to perform best with a 570-600 grain line, even with very experienced spey casters, and Sage rates this a #9 rod.

My question is to anyone who owns or has used this rod up in the big country, on-streams, which line you kindly recommend--Windcutter or Delta? And as a beginner, would learning to cast with these shorter heads teach me merely to "lob" a line? How would learning with these lines affect me later down the road?

Second, I would like to get a longer bellied line soon after possibly, and if I did, which line would you recommend? The Delta Long 7/8 (580 grains) or the Midspey 7/8 (560 grains). The next sizes up in this class are really heavy, and as I mentioned the rod just doesn't seem to do well with anything over 600 or so it seems.


Ahab

 

[Ol Rich]

Go with the WindCutter

then you can purchase the upgrade #2 tip and have your MidSpey. Much more economical than buying two lines.

Rich

 

[fredaevans]

This blank has moxie! And then some.

This is one of my primary winter run rods for heavy tip work.

I use a cut back 10-11-12 WC and blast up to 400 grain RIO big boys with this rod like they were toys (the 300 RBB is the best match). I've even used a 500 grain RBB on this rod, but that's maxing it out.

So as noted above I'd go with the WC as it gives you a ton of options on tips, etc., without chopping up a line.
fae

 

[JDJones]

lines for 9150-4

If you put an (excelerator) upgrade #2 tip on your windcutter 8/9 line, what you will then have is essentually a 9/10 Midspey line. Yes Sage rates this rod as a 9 wt. But if you check out Simon's line wt vs rods recommendations on RIo's website, you will see lines recommended for "A" &"B" castrers. I don't remember which is which, but essentually what Simon is saying is to overline the rod for a beginning Spey caster, just as you might do with a beginning single hand caster.

Also, the shorter belly lines require a shorter casting stroke, they work very well with the underhand style. And they are more forgiving of less than perfect technique.

Personally, I prefer the XLT 8/9 line on this rod. It does not come as an interchangable tip line, but that can be fixed. It will allow tip casts of fifty feet (of line, not counting the leader) or longer casts of 90 to 100 ft (of line) that work the rod down into the lower sections. But if you want to cast like tthat,you have to learn how to cast like that.

JD

 

[ahab]

Thanks

Thanks for all the helpful replies and nice advice, gang!

 

[speydoc]

I fish the following lines on this(9150) rod - 10/11 accelerator(exellent, cut at the hinge and used with 6' to 15' 6ips tips) - 10/11 midspey(good for 300G bigboys for when you realy wish to get down in cold water) - 8/9 grandspey(nice as a long belly dry line)