I picked up a Loomis 13"4 Metolius streamdance 5/6 on Wednesday (the Meiser I was trying to get got sold out from under me). Since my cash was tapped I was stuck trying to get something I already had to work for a line. So I took an old 7/8/9 w/tips I had and cut 7' out of the back end of the middle section. What I was left with is a 47.5' line that comes out at about 430 grains. It sure casts nice for a quick fix; no trouble shooting 30' of line into a breeze with a piece of yarn on the leader, especially if I keep about 2 feet in the belly in the tip-top before I shoot it. It's especially nice for the single spey. The rod has a pleasant, moderate action with that line but definitely doesn't like to be "pushed". I plan on making up a line by RiverAddicts formula, but for a quick fix I think what I did does the trick and thought it might be a useful piece of information for somebody else out there.
Quick fix troutspey windcutter
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re: loomis 13 4
Wow - you must really be loading that rod up. I use the WC 5/6 (320gr i think) and feel like it's a good match. Wonder what the rod would feel like if you cut off a bit more for a skajit setup.
Are you trout fishing with it? It really works well for big trout water. Lately ive been Indicator/Nymph fishing with it. (then i get bored and swing streamers).
Wow - you must really be loading that rod up. I use the WC 5/6 (320gr i think) and feel like it's a good match. Wonder what the rod would feel like if you cut off a bit more for a skajit setup.
Are you trout fishing with it? It really works well for big trout water. Lately ive been Indicator/Nymph fishing with it. (then i get bored and swing streamers).
Jpeter,
You know that rod feels like it can really take the 430 grains no problem. It doesn't feel floppy at all, just nice medium action flexing deep into the butt. I will say I am backing off the rod a ton; I barely hit it at all, it's incredibly nice to put as little effort in it as possible. I've heard the grain window is 350-520 grains and I believe it, as long as you stay mellow with the rod. I do plan on trying a 5/6 for it I'm sure that would be a great line but just the same I wouldn't have any qualms about trying a Skagit with 490 grains like RiverAddict recommends. By the way a 5/6 wc is 365 grains, so the setup I'm using now is only about 65 more grains, or 17% heavier.
I've landed a couple 5-pound trout on the rod already and it handled them with ease. To me it feels like I could take on a 10-12 pound steelhead without any worries at all. Even though the tip is really soft there is enough backbone if you keep a shallow bend in the rod when fighting bigger fish.
Right now I'm fishing an indi with it for trout, golden stones and big midges in deep water (8-14 feet) is the "name of the game" on the Truckee in the winter. The Truckee is real "big water" trout fishing, with a powerful current big boulders and kick-butt wild freestone trout. A 5-lb rainbow is a real adventure and there are trout approaching 30 inches and 10 lbs in there, so you definitely are best served with heavier trout gear. In years past I've fished a 10' 6-wt GLX or 9' 5-wt XP for this job and usually even after a short day of fishing (4 hours or so) my arms and shoulder are toasted, esp. with the 5-wt. With this new rod I don't struggle at all, at the end of the day I feel pretty fresh.
What I really bought the rod for though is swinging soft-hackles in the summer on the Truckee (a bird's nest will catch fish all day) also steelhead on the Trinity in the fall. Swinging soft-hackles for trout is about as close as you can get to steelhead fishing around here where I live. It's so much fun on a floating line and an unweighted fly, the grab feels so much like a steelhead grab it is such a blast. I can't wait for "caddis time" next summer this rod is going to get a workout!
You know that rod feels like it can really take the 430 grains no problem. It doesn't feel floppy at all, just nice medium action flexing deep into the butt. I will say I am backing off the rod a ton; I barely hit it at all, it's incredibly nice to put as little effort in it as possible. I've heard the grain window is 350-520 grains and I believe it, as long as you stay mellow with the rod. I do plan on trying a 5/6 for it I'm sure that would be a great line but just the same I wouldn't have any qualms about trying a Skagit with 490 grains like RiverAddict recommends. By the way a 5/6 wc is 365 grains, so the setup I'm using now is only about 65 more grains, or 17% heavier.
I've landed a couple 5-pound trout on the rod already and it handled them with ease. To me it feels like I could take on a 10-12 pound steelhead without any worries at all. Even though the tip is really soft there is enough backbone if you keep a shallow bend in the rod when fighting bigger fish.
Right now I'm fishing an indi with it for trout, golden stones and big midges in deep water (8-14 feet) is the "name of the game" on the Truckee in the winter. The Truckee is real "big water" trout fishing, with a powerful current big boulders and kick-butt wild freestone trout. A 5-lb rainbow is a real adventure and there are trout approaching 30 inches and 10 lbs in there, so you definitely are best served with heavier trout gear. In years past I've fished a 10' 6-wt GLX or 9' 5-wt XP for this job and usually even after a short day of fishing (4 hours or so) my arms and shoulder are toasted, esp. with the 5-wt. With this new rod I don't struggle at all, at the end of the day I feel pretty fresh.
What I really bought the rod for though is swinging soft-hackles in the summer on the Truckee (a bird's nest will catch fish all day) also steelhead on the Trinity in the fall. Swinging soft-hackles for trout is about as close as you can get to steelhead fishing around here where I live. It's so much fun on a floating line and an unweighted fly, the grab feels so much like a steelhead grab it is such a blast. I can't wait for "caddis time" next summer this rod is going to get a workout!
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762 Posts
The suggested Skagit combo is to cut back a Rio 450 back untill the entire line + tips is 490-510 grains I deviated from the suggested line combo in that I did not cut the 450 back. I just looped the tips on to the factory loop. The suggested grain window is to two fast for my style. The lines that I use on this rod are a SA short head 7 wt and the Rio 450 skagit paired with 10wt tips. This combo works really well for me. The Skagit can shoot 2-2.5 rod lengths is very easy. Both lines load the rod deeply but do not over load the rod at all.
Mike
Mike
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762 Posts
The first attempt with the full 450 was with 8wt tips (109 Grains) It cast really well and I had plenty of rod left. So, on a recomendation from SSpey, I tried the 10 wt tips (150 grains) and it cast even better. I would recomend trying the 10 wt tips. The rod can handle it.
Mike
Mike
Thanks a lot for your recommendation, I probably wouldn't have tried that line for fear of it being too heavy. I threw it today and it was great. The "Skagit" part of the line is 28' from and Orvis Type III 10-wt long-belly line that I cut the back end out of and looped. It weighs almost exactly 450 gr. Today, on your recommendation, I was throwing a 120 gr. type III head on it, 570 grains total. River left with perry poke and snap t it was real nice. As long as I didn't hit it hard, just take some time and let the rod do the work, it was really enjoyable. I was shooting over two rod lengths of shooting line effortlessly with nice tight loops, all the distance I'll ever need. I know it's what I'll use swinging for smaller steelhead.
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