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Quick intro and the inevitable questions :)

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1.8K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  cuzza  
C
#1 · (Edited)
Morning all,

After using this site anonymously for a while I thought I should probably sign up and get involved!

I live in SW Ontario, Oakville to be precise and fish most of the local water but spend a good portion of my time on the Grand (upper for trout and the mid-lower for bass and steelhead) with occasional forays to the Saugeen for steelhead around this time of year. I'm from the UK originally (worked in SJ Fawcetts in Lancaster for those of you who are familiar them) and moved to Ontario a couple of years ago - love the ease of access to fish holding waters over here!

After spending a day on the Grand last week and watching the chap downstream covering the water much easier and more effectively than me with his spey setup compared to my 10' 8wt single hander, I had a chat with him about it and have decided I need to look into getting myself a two-hander for use on the larger rivers I fish. Haveing suffered seperated right shoulder last winter, that arm would certainly appreciate spreading the load with my left!

I am going to attend the Grand River Clave at Bean Park this weekend to get as much info as I can but in advance of that I have a few questions.......:rolleyes:

Particularly for the guys who fish the same waters as me - what length and weight rods are you using?

Primary use will be for steelheading both swinging flies and nymphing but if I can use it for throwing heavier bass flies as well, so much the better.

A tackle dealer I know can do a good deal on a Guideline ACT4 in either 12'6 8/9 or 13'7 9/10 paired with the relevant Short Cut shooting head which from reviews on here sounds like a good pairing but I'm wondering which, if any would be best - instinct says a 9/10 is too much but I'd appreciate any opinions.

I'm sure this is the thin end of the wedge - thanks in advance for any advice, hopefully see some of you at the weekend!

Cheers,

Richard
 
F
#2 ·
Welcome to "The Dark Side.":smokin:

Good on you about going to the 'Clave so you get to test out a combination of rods and lines. Trust me I have a garage full of rods (don't even ask about lines) and 'One size does not fit all.'

" ...... but I'm wondering which, if any would be best - instinct says a 9/10 is too much but I'd appreciate any opinions." I would agree, a 9-10 rod, unless your fishing big water with heavy flies, will just grind you down over the course of a day. Also consider the size of the fish you're likely to experience. You can easily handle one hell of a large fish on a 8/9 based rod.

Off topic question, but I frequently post on UK based boards, are you on any of them? Ask the question in the context that many of the Atlantic Salmon flies (Cascade/Flamethrower/etc) are excellent patterns for Steelies. Looked at those and said a 'Hummmmm?' :confused:Just keep the tails far shorter than the typical AS tie.
Fred
 
O
#3 ·
SW Ont.

I recognize your handle from Hipwader. I've been fishing the Saugeen/Sauble systems for two decades. I switched from using a Redington 12' 6" 7/8 to a St. Croix Legend Ultra 15' 9/10 matched with an Islander FR3. The big reel balances out the 15 footer just fine and I don't experience any negative issues with this rod. I don't find it too much at all. I still have the Redington and use it once in a while, but I find the longer stick and thicker line means less work to cast the fly - for me at least. I go with long leaders and tippet anywhere from 0x to 2x to turn over my offerings. Seems to work great and I bring up the odd fish to boot.:chuckle:
Enjoy the clave.
Good Luck.
GK.
 
#4 ·
Act4

The ACT4 two handers are very stiff. You would do a lot better with a different model that has a lot more flex. I have fished the Grand with Peter SC a few times and for my money 12-13' in 7 or 8 weight will get the job done nicely
 
C
#5 ·
Many thanks for your thoughts gents,

Fred - hear what you're saying - the fish in Grand aren't huge and I've had no problems with an 8wt single hander (I know spey ratings are different) so a lighter one, as suggested by Jack, might well be the ticket. I'm not on any UK boards - TBH I only got back into fly fishing seriously when I moved over here, the fly fishing I did in the UK was all on stocked ponds :( I reckon a lot of Atlantic salmon patterns would work for steelies nicely in a size 4-6 - you're trying to press the same buttons as the AS boys! I wouldn't go too short on the tail, just keep the proportion.

GK - interesting you get on well with a 15 footer, I would think that a longer heavier rod would be tiring after a while - maybe you're more athletic than me! The Saugeen and Grand are similar sized though so what works for you up there should work for the Grand.

Jack - Thanks for the feedback on the Guidelines, as a spey beginner, I'm looking for something with more of a through-action than tip then? Can you recommend anything in a similar price bracket? I'm not averse to buying decent gear but equally don't have money to burn!

Thanks agian all :)
 
#6 ·
7130-4-Echo, Decho, Deer Creek. Proven winners all.
 
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