[BLACK FRANCIS]

Has anyone else tried one of these yet? i am seriously impressed with the action, performance and most impressive is the weight 7 3/4 oz. almost half as light as a DB favorite. they have a medium action that may be a little to the fast side. snappy recovery and power to burn all with a nice feel that gives great feedback to the caster. i used it with a ten foot hunk of t-14 on a short spey 9/10 and it sailed. practicing with a dry line and fly was a pleasure. now if the creeks would thaw out i could try it with a fish on. i realize they are not a sponsor of this site but a great rod is a great rod. what are other's opinions?

 

[halcyon]

I am fishing it for winter steelhead with a Rio MidSpey Quad line and find it to be a real pleasure to cast and an extremely powerful rod. Love it.

Regards,

 

[Bob Middo]

No question about it, its a third lighter than my DBF, but not quite as powerfull. While the DBF revels in throwing the XLT, the BIIX seems to struggle a bit out past 100'. Yet when loaded with a DSL, it comes alive. Several of us who have cast the BIIX all seem to agree that the 14' 8/9 is better suited to a Mid Spey or Delta Spey Long. Of course it could also be because our casting sucks, but we like to think its the rod and line

Bob

 

[Smolt]

Bob,

How can the casting of anyone who gets a line out 100+ feet suck?

You're killing me!!

 

[halcyon]

Bob,

I agree with you about the casting of the XLT at distance. It certainly does not have the power of the DBF rods, but the DBF are in a class by themselves in my mind.

Regards,

 

[Nooksack Mac]

A concurring opinion

By coincidence, the weekly e-newsletter from the Fly Fishing Shop of Welches, OR (www.flyfishUSA.com), one of our sponsors, I believe, just reported on this model. After indifferent results with lighter WindCutters, they tried the 9/10/11 WindCutter and the rod changed its personality. "Smooth, powerful, loads like a moderate action, but kicks over like a fast action rod...User friendly, very light swing weight; easy to time and to stop...Brian Silvey: 100'+ casts..."

 

[Redside]

I would agree it is a great rod and very light.
Me and Mark Bachmann both tried other lines but the 9/10/11 windcutter
was the best.
I tested some of the early versions of this rod but they were not as
responsive as the one they came out with.
I still cant get over how light the rod feels in your hand.
We only tried the typical winter setup with it but cant wait to try
a floating line on it!Brian