[blackflyfisher]

I'm new to spey fishing and have recently purchased two Redington rods:
Redfly 12'6" 7/8 and Redfly 15' 10/11. I plan on fishing these rods for steelhead and salmon on Michigan's small and large rivers. I am on a limited budget and would like advice on how to best outfit these rods.

Thanks

 

[Brian Simonseth]

Try 3.5 or 4.0 inch reel for the 7/8

And 4.0 to 4.5 inch for the 10/11

If we talk about brands we would be here all day and night........

 

[Salmon Chaser]

Hey blackflyfisher.
I have a 12'6" 9/10 that i use with a 4" J.W Young Beaudex and Cortland 9wt line. I also have the 15' Redington and use a 4 1/8" Young 1535 and Rio Wincutter. The 1535 or 1540 come up for sale often enough and are still relatively inexpensive. For the budget minded that would be the reel i would suggest. If you want to go up a bit in the $$ department why not get a Marquis #1 or #2
For the smaller rod an Okuma Integra 9/10 or 10/11 may be a good economic choice. They can be had on ebay for between $50-$60.
Good luck.
Salmon Chaser
><)))*>

 

[BEK]

I have a Cortland 140 Magnum on the 12'6" 7/8 and it balances nicely. I don't have the 15', but I fish the 14' 9/10 with a Tioga 12 standard arbor and that balances well, too. What type of line do you want as far as belly size goes? Do you want floaters or tips? A good place to look is the recommendations on the rio website. There is also a good chart on the Red Shed website with lots of line info. Good luck. Also, you should go to the spey clave on the Muskegon if you can. You could try out lots of different lines to see what works for you. That is what I am going to do.

Brian

 

[blackflyfisher]

Thanks Brian,
I have been considering the Tioga 12. I have a Cortland 4" cassette reel that I will try on my 12-1/'2 footer. They say that the short head line is best for the beginners. I guess I'll start with one of those.

See you in Muskegon

BFF

 

[roguespeycaster]

Line

BFF,

They say that the short head line is best for the beginners. I guess I'll start with one of those.

You shouldn't choose a line because someone says it is good for a beginner; you should choose the line that is best for your fishing situation. Find a good instructor and get a lesson or two and try out lines before you dump money into a short head. Also, find out what other people are using for set-ups in your area and use the one you like best. If you have a 10wt floater around it should work temporarily on your 7/8 while you decide on the appropriate line.