[FLGator]

Next purchase is the ultimate Grande Ronde set up...

Looking for a sweetheart rod/line combo taylored for targeting fish from October through April on the Ronde. Skating dry flies to tip work with weighted leeches. Recommendations?
Chris

 

[Brian Simonseth]

Here is mine

Rod: CND Custom 7/8

Reel: Islander LX 4.0

Line: SA Spey Short Head 6/7

 

[Rick J]

I 'd go with the Scott 1287 and picking a single line could be tough - for dry work I don't think you can beat a long belly 7/8 xlt. This works ok for tips also but can be trying casting all day. A WC or Delta with tips is tough to beat though the new Skagit lines that Scott and Mike are developing with Rio might be the ticket for tips.

I you had two WC's in different weights that could be an option - a lighter wc with an extension added for dry stuff and a heavier wc with tip 2 removed comes close to a skagit rig

 

[t_richerzhagen]

Meiser

13'6" for 7/8/9 with an AirFlo 7/8 long delta for dry line work. Unless it is late in the y ear and you have to go deep, sinking polyleaders work well. For deeper work use a skagit head system. A WC 9/10/11 or 10/11/12 with tip one and two removed and a sinking tip added both work.

 

[Riveraddict]

Ronde set-up

The most "sport" - 13' 4" Loomis Metolius 5/6. Tons of fun on Ronde sized fish, yet has enough snap to throw the typical unweighted Ronde type fly out to 80+ feet. Can throw 4" lightly weighted string leeches on 5' sinktips to around 70-75 feet. Will also handle a surprising amount of wind for such a lightly rated rod. I used this rod this past fall on the Ronde, Snake, Clearwater, and Methow - more fun than should probably be legal. I used a Skagit head that weighed 488 grains.

Good sport and increased capability - 12' 9" Loomis Roaring River Dredger 6/7. This rod is also real sporty with smaller sized steelhead, but because of the slight increase in line rating, it will throw a little longer and heavier sinktip than the Metolius, and handle a bit more wind. I have been fishing a 7' sinktip cut from a 24' 300 grain sinking line on this rod with weighted marabou patterns, and it will throw this combo 80+ feet. I have caught steelies to 8 pounds, silvers to 9 pounds, and one FRESH chum of about 12 pounds (incidental, not really recommended on a 6/7 weight flyrod), on this rod in the past couple of weeks. This is one very fun, yet high performance stick.

 

[JGS]

Question for Rick J

What about the Meiser 1356? I believe I remember that you just got your hands on one. Thoughts on it as compared to the Scott 1287?

Thanks, John

 

[Rick J]

The rod I got was the 13'3" 7 wt ACR (Gary Anderson grey blank) that I think Meise also will wrap up - this is a more powerful, faster rod than the 1287 and probably a bit better rod for throwing heavy tips and it throws the 7/8 xlt a mile but still I just love the feel of the 1287 and most of the casts on the GR don't need to reach out there a mile - either rod would be a great choice!!

 

[GPearson]

The new LS2 1307 from Scott with a 6/7 midspey. A super light little rod that casts like the big boys. Very fun rod for the little Ronde fish.

Greg

 

[promtbr]

I fish the Ronde only Nov to Feb and I am now less convinced one needs sink tip lines there , even in the winter (at least the upper stretch from Shumacher to the Oregon border)...14-15' leaders and bead head leetches/dredgers upstream mended seem to be able to get to fish in all but the few deep holes up there...

I've done both (tips / floating lines bead head flies), and it sure is a lot more fun being able to use the floating lines..

I've only Spey fished this last time and my 14' CND Custom (which I love!) is a bit more rod than I need there...

The above rod suggestions sound good (now that's started me thinking, hmmmm...)