[Bob Wyatt]

Hi guys,

I'm taking a new talon RA 7/8 12 footer with me to NZ this season. I haven't put a line on it yet and would like some suggestions on optimum tapers and weight. I have had some advice about uplining by at least two line weights, but the action of this rod does not suggest that to me. Any of you familiar with these rods?

I'll be using it for trout on some of the larger South island rivers.

 

[sms]

Bob,

remember that lines designed for two handers are heavier than single handed lines.
I'd suggest you ask Barry (or if someone here can tell) the grain window for it and... get a Guideline powertaper for it if you like shooting heads...

Cheers,

 

[Bob Wyatt]

Hi Sakari,

Yeah, I've had advice on grain from Barry, and I'm sure he's correct, but I was just wondering about other's experience on the water and some specific suggestions for lines for it.

 

[JDJones]

12ft 7/8 wt

I have a 12 ft 7/8 wt rod from Anglers workshop that I understand is built on a Talon Cairnton blank. It was advertised as being graphite 4, which at the time was the latest greatest.

I have used a Windcutter 7/8/9, a Cortland WF9 Spey, an XLT 7/8, even an original GrandSpey 7/8. I am currently using a home built 450 grain Skagit line on it.

 

[Bob Wyatt]

JD,

How is that 450gr Skagit working out for you? It seems to me that 450 would be a real load for this Talon 7/8, which feels to me more like a standard AFTMA 8/9 action. I can't see it handling a 450gr line overhead comfortably.

 

[JDJones]

Overhead vs. Spey casting

BW: You are right. For overhead casting, a 450 gr line would be way too heavy. It would probably break your rod. The dynamics in overhead casting are different than in Spey casting. And after re-reading your post, and discovering that you will trout fishing in New Zealand, a Skagit type line would not work well at all. Perhaps a Wulff Triangle Taper or something similar. But it would likely need to be an 8/9 or a 9/10 wt to load the rod. Seems a bit heavy for trout fishing.

On the other hand, for what I do, which is swinging flies from sink tips, the 450 gr Skagit line works very well. Perhaps some clarification is in order though. My cobbled up line has a "head" length of 26 feet. That is the part that weighs 450 grains. when I add a 10 foot sink tip, it becomes 36 feet long, which is 3X the rod length.

The weight of the sink tip is not counted when refering to a Skagit head. At least I don't count it, because it doesn't matter. The tip will be in the water.not in the D-loop. It's only contribution towards loading the rod is line stick.

With this setup, I can deliver a pretty good sized fly and use a tip weighing upwards of 200 grains to get it down. It lands on the water about as gracefully as a B-29 sans landing gear. But that's O.K.

 

[Bob Wyatt]

Thanks for that JD,

Yeah, I'll be using the Talon 12 footer in NZ for big rivers (and big trout ) so it's mostly an issue of covering the water more than chucking heavy heads. It's a pretty light rod and I think it will do perfectly for that job.

I'll be using DT or extended belly lines. I reckon a DT8 floater or a long belly 9 will bend this rod plenty.

 

[JDJones]

lines

Reveiwing archives looking for something and came across this. You've probably been to NZ and back by now. Hopefully have found a line (or two) that works and caught a lot of fish. Just remembered, when I first got this rod one of the lines we tried, and overhead cast on it was an S.A. #9 Distance taper and or a #9 Mastery Steelhead taper. Mainly because I had them on hand. Too light for Spey casting but worked well for overhead casting,,,,,as long as you had room for a looooong back cast.