I'm sure you guys get a lot of posts like this, so feel free to stop reading here. :chuckle:
Yesterday I got a chance to cast a couple two-handed rods, and I was intrigued by all the "wierd" casts I saw others making. So, I dug in on the internet and found this wonderful website on spey casting and tackle. I think I've read just about everything on it, and thought I would turn to you guys for some advice. After just a day, I'm hooked and am looking to get a rod and line for summer and winter steelhead in the northwest, if there is such a rod that can "do it all."
I've never fished with a two-handed rod, and have absolutely no experience with steelhead and salmon, but I think I'm ready to try something new, and seeing those guys casting 14 footers got my heart racing. I would consider myself a decent overhead caster, (I can double-haul out to 90 or 100 feet without much trouble on a calm day) and have been flyfishing for years. I'm mostly a dry-fly man, and have always preferred short, medium action rods on small streams, so this sort of fishing is a huge departure for me. I do have some experience with heavier line weights. (bonefishing mostly)
Anyway, I was hoping to get some advice on a rod, and maybe a line to go with it. I can't break the bank on this one, so I was hoping I could find a rod in the 14ft 8-10wt range that retails for under $500. The problem is, no fly shops in my area (Boulder, CO) sell two-handed rods, so I really don't have a chance to get my hands on them all and try them out. Even if I did, my casting skills are so pathetic that I don't think I could tell a good rod from a bad one.
I read all the rod reviews on the site and found them very helpful, and I was hoping that some of you guys might make some general recommendations on rods that fit my price range. Also, is an 8-9wt rod suitable for steelhead and maybe light salmon in the Pacific Northwest and BC? Should I be considering a lighter rod?
Anyway, thanks for reading my rambling post.
Jordan
Boulder, CO
P.S. If any of you know a casting instructor in my area, I'd love to get some first-hand instruction. I ordered Simon G's book, but nothing takes the place of a live teacher. I checked the FFF website for instructors in my area, but my state has only one, and he is on the other side of the mountains. I fear that for now, this is something I'm going to have to try to pick up on my own.
Yesterday I got a chance to cast a couple two-handed rods, and I was intrigued by all the "wierd" casts I saw others making. So, I dug in on the internet and found this wonderful website on spey casting and tackle. I think I've read just about everything on it, and thought I would turn to you guys for some advice. After just a day, I'm hooked and am looking to get a rod and line for summer and winter steelhead in the northwest, if there is such a rod that can "do it all."
I've never fished with a two-handed rod, and have absolutely no experience with steelhead and salmon, but I think I'm ready to try something new, and seeing those guys casting 14 footers got my heart racing. I would consider myself a decent overhead caster, (I can double-haul out to 90 or 100 feet without much trouble on a calm day) and have been flyfishing for years. I'm mostly a dry-fly man, and have always preferred short, medium action rods on small streams, so this sort of fishing is a huge departure for me. I do have some experience with heavier line weights. (bonefishing mostly)
Anyway, I was hoping to get some advice on a rod, and maybe a line to go with it. I can't break the bank on this one, so I was hoping I could find a rod in the 14ft 8-10wt range that retails for under $500. The problem is, no fly shops in my area (Boulder, CO) sell two-handed rods, so I really don't have a chance to get my hands on them all and try them out. Even if I did, my casting skills are so pathetic that I don't think I could tell a good rod from a bad one.
I read all the rod reviews on the site and found them very helpful, and I was hoping that some of you guys might make some general recommendations on rods that fit my price range. Also, is an 8-9wt rod suitable for steelhead and maybe light salmon in the Pacific Northwest and BC? Should I be considering a lighter rod?
Anyway, thanks for reading my rambling post.
Jordan
Boulder, CO
P.S. If any of you know a casting instructor in my area, I'd love to get some first-hand instruction. I ordered Simon G's book, but nothing takes the place of a live teacher. I checked the FFF website for instructors in my area, but my state has only one, and he is on the other side of the mountains. I fear that for now, this is something I'm going to have to try to pick up on my own.