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I assume you are talking about the Expert 6/7wt (verses the Expert 14',15' etc which are stout powerful rods). This rod loads properly with the 5/6 windcutter and Hardy 8/9 Mach I and should be rated 5/6 IMHO.
Of the Expert series, it's the one that requires a patient 'traditional' stroke yet to many this is also the good news - it allows an easy traditional stroke for effortless all-day casting. Nobuo calls it "very gentle"; it's not meant to have punch per se and is a nice trout/small searun spey. I cast this rod often to clean up my stroke again after power casting big rods, and enjoy fishing it for shad and trout.
On a related note in Spey casting (or any casting for that matter) throwing flies is a function of the line, not the rod provided the rod moves the line. In other words the line moves the fly, the rod moves the line, the angler moves the rod. So if two rods match the same line then usually the same flies should work provided the timing is correct through the whole linkage. If the angler has to push to move the fly, then the line is not doing it's job. Having to punch a fly typically indicates a timing problem or a mismatch between rod, line and/or fly size.
Going beyond the ordinary, with the through-flexing action of the 13' 6/7 I would have to believe a mini-Skagit head could be made to match it. Given that the Skagit masters prefer a similar softer flexing rod for most effective sustained load casting it's possible that a larger fly could be cast with the rod with less 'punch' with the right system. This would be an interesting thing to investigate as this is one of the things that Skagit casting is meant to achieve - the ability to fish big with small rods. The ability to reach into the deep part of the blank is beneficial to this end.
As an alternative the CND Speytracker 12'2" 5/6 is an IM8 ultralight spey that loads with these same lines (has the same power) yet it's super lightweight and built with a faster recovery rate material.
Of the Expert series, it's the one that requires a patient 'traditional' stroke yet to many this is also the good news - it allows an easy traditional stroke for effortless all-day casting. Nobuo calls it "very gentle"; it's not meant to have punch per se and is a nice trout/small searun spey. I cast this rod often to clean up my stroke again after power casting big rods, and enjoy fishing it for shad and trout.
On a related note in Spey casting (or any casting for that matter) throwing flies is a function of the line, not the rod provided the rod moves the line. In other words the line moves the fly, the rod moves the line, the angler moves the rod. So if two rods match the same line then usually the same flies should work provided the timing is correct through the whole linkage. If the angler has to push to move the fly, then the line is not doing it's job. Having to punch a fly typically indicates a timing problem or a mismatch between rod, line and/or fly size.
Going beyond the ordinary, with the through-flexing action of the 13' 6/7 I would have to believe a mini-Skagit head could be made to match it. Given that the Skagit masters prefer a similar softer flexing rod for most effective sustained load casting it's possible that a larger fly could be cast with the rod with less 'punch' with the right system. This would be an interesting thing to investigate as this is one of the things that Skagit casting is meant to achieve - the ability to fish big with small rods. The ability to reach into the deep part of the blank is beneficial to this end.
As an alternative the CND Speytracker 12'2" 5/6 is an IM8 ultralight spey that loads with these same lines (has the same power) yet it's super lightweight and built with a faster recovery rate material.
