[SpeyMonkey]

Well, after all the info I got from my earlier post in this forum, I was about ready to a)buy a heavier line or b) sell my rod. Thanks to all for the feedback. After some experimenting though (I threw a 10wt RIO-long cast one hander on there for the heck of it) I found out FlyTyer hit the nail on the head....the 9/10 lines I've been using are over-lining the rod. I still haven't settled on a line, but I will say that with a lighter line the rod recovers from its flexed position much faster and, low and behold, line speed! In addition it feels like a new rod..... lighter, lifts a long line easier, and carries heavy flies without a problem. The line I used has WAY too short of a belly (40ft), but it sure felt good to snap some casts out there for a change. Thanks again to all for the input. I now like my 9140

 

[flytyer]

SpeyMonkey,

As you have now found, the Sage 9140-4 is really not a 9/10 rod like Sage (and many others) advertise unless you use a very short line like the Skagit Spey line. It is really an 8/9 or even a 7/8 rod. If you want a crispe, faster rod, consider using a 7/8 mid-belly spey line on it. It you want to feel the rod load into the butt on each cast, use an 8/9 mid-belly spey line.

But like I said previously, this rod really is not made for casting large or heavy flies at 80+ feet. To do that, you need a different rod that has more backbone and power.

 

[SpeyMonkey]

You're right!

FlyTyer- You are absolutely right. I didn't think I could possibly be overloading the rod so much, but once I put a lighter line in there I was suddenly bringing the fly too far back on my single spey casts, shooting more line, and casting higher without much effort. The rod now feels lighter and it encourages a good sharp tug with the bottom hand, and a shorter casting stroke. I can't thank you enough for your advice. One last question for you...a lot of the fishing I do requires stripping the fly back in to get a strike so I am considering a shorter bellied line like the Delta Spey or Wind Cutter. Should I go down as much as a 7/8 in these lines as well? Thanks for your time. DM

 

[flytyer]

SpeyMonkey,

The Windcutter 7/8/9 turns the Sage 9140-4 into a rather nice, faster recovering rod and it is roughly equivalent to the MidSpey 7/8. The Windcutter 8/9/10, which is roughly equivalent to the MidSpey 8/9, is the largest Windcutter that I would use on the 9140-4.

However, it you really want to strip as close to you as possible while still being able to cast 80+ feet, use the Windcutter 9/10/11 and remove tip 2. This makes the line more or less a Skagit Spey Line (the Windcutter is about 44 feet long with tip 2 removed) or a 2-handed shooting line, and it will work very well with the Sage 9141-4. In fact, this is the type of line that Jimmy Green fished with when he designed the Sage 9140-4 and is probably why it gets listed as a 9/10 2-hander by most people including Sage.

The short head will allow you to strip most of the line back to you. Keep in mind though that the short line feels different and requires you to have more line stick to load the rod. Because of this, I personally would use the 7/8/9 or 8/9/10 Windcutter in full length (54 feet) if I was going to be doing a lot of stripping. Then again, if I were casting 80 to 95 feet, I would use the MidSpey and strip back the line until the back taper was at the bottom stripping guide.