[brooklynangler]

For exactly what are the 10/11 long belly lines designed for? I've tried the XLT 10/11 on all of my 10/11 rated spey rods and it feels like casting a 13wt on my 9wt single hander.

Am I missing something? Is the 1611 the only thing that can handle a 10/11 with grace and control?

TIA--

Joe

 

[Dana]

the 10/11 extended belly spey lines are monsters. I too find them to be too much line for most of my rods. On my 10/11 rods I use the 9/10 XLTs (it is the heaviest XLT I have spooled up) and 9/10 GrandSpeys in some cases even the 8/9 GrandSpeys (the 8/9 GrandSpey is routinely used on my Loop Blue 10150-4, a 15ft 10/11 weight rod). Mind you I tend to like to underline my rods anyways and am generally carrying the whole head out the rod tip for casting on big water with these lines, so the lighter lines make sense (lighter line, more grain weight outside rod tip with longer length out than shorter length of heavier line). If I was routinely casting 70 - 90ft with these lines the 10/11s would be ok.

The extended belly lines are exceptional for anyone who likes traditional long line spey casting and doesn't want to strip and shoot. With these lines you can fish 100ft plus without ever having to shoot line (but watch out because then I'll come along and fish clean up with my shooting heads out to 60ft and pick up the "close, easy" fish!).

There are few things in fly fishing prettier than the extended belly spey line in the hands of a master (here's a good video of such a caster).

 

[brooklynangler]

Thanks!!

Yeah--- dana, peter thanks a bunch.

I guess my question was, what ROD or Rods did Rio/SA have in mind when they designed those 10/11s. I have cast a lot of the big spey rods (probably not as many as you, Dana), and I think the only one that could handle the 10/11 is the T+T 1611, IMHO. Maybe the big Greenline.

Seems odd that Rio and SA would build a line for only a few rods out of the tiny spey market.

I too much prefer to underline. I've not found the fly yet that can't be cast with a 9/10 spey line...and I have some ugly flatwing striper flies that look like mops that were very effective.

Cheers to all--

Joe

 

[flytyer]

Joe,

Although I have found my T&T 1611 can cast the whole belly of the 10/11 GS, it is not happy doing so unless I limit myself to casts os less than 80 ft. I use the 9/10 GS on my 1611 and love the way it feels all the way from 50' to over 100'.

I'd love to use my 10/11 GS in winter because of its use of 11 wt tips, which sink a little faster than the 10 wt tips I use on the 9/10 GS. However, the 1500 gr wt of the 10/11 slows down and feels heavy on my 1611, so I don't use it anymore. The 10/11 XLT feels very nice on my 1611 though and it weighs about 1240 gr, which is nearly the same as the 1300 gr of the 9/10 GS.

You perfectly described why I have been saying I want to see a rod manufacturer put a fast-recovering, stiff, powerful, progressive loading 17' 12 wt on the market. I would be able to cast the 10/11 GS's 1500 gr as well as my 1611 casts the 9/10 GS. Rod makers, there are others of us out here who are desireous of a fast, stiff, powerful 17' or 176" 12 wt so we can use the 10/11 GS and cast its 1500 grs, to the middle of the river if we wish. Perhaps, one of them will produce such a rod for we big line, long rod affectionatos withing the next year or so, (I can hope and dream can't I?)..

 

[brooklynangler]

Here Here

Aye-Aye!

Sign me up for that 17' er as well. Would be a great tournament casting rod, too!!!

the 80 ft limit is one I find on that 18' 10-12 daiwa I have. Beyond that and I simply can't get the line aerialized. To feel the butt really work on such a big rod and then unload! It almost turns me around!

Cheers and thanks

Joe

 

[flytyer]

Joe,

Even though a 17' 12 wt would make a good tournament rod, I want it for fishing! It sounds like you do too.

 

[Lambchop]

I found out that there was a recent review of the Vision Extreme 15' in the April '04 Trout & Salmon magazine. that rod is rated for 10/11. One of the comments made was that it really needed an 11 line. So maybe the 17' in this series (which is rated 12/13) would be an answer.

 

[brooklynangler]

Oooohhh

I heard about those vision rods! Very cool stuff!

Cheers--

Joe

 

[Hammer]

Hat's Off!

to BrooklynAngler!,,,you layed out a question of mine perfectly,i know in MY testing of the line,,,and doing comparison's between different Daiwa's,it seemed as though the last twenty ft. was just to much for any rod,thus80 ft,,90 could be acheived,but with other lines with around 80 ft. head length,i could shoot a bit of line into the forward delivery,equaling what the 10-11 would do,,and more,since these casts were done with control,,not the struggle in your mind that suddenly enter's the picture,,,,,the last phata-- twenty ft of the xlt head,,witch just signals my mind to `drive it faster',,,landing in a heap!,,what line is being used by Scott Mckenzie? or whoever is doing the `distance thing'in U.K.?,,the man with the big B-W

 

[Grampa Spey]

brooklynangler

When, Simon sent out the Grand Speys for testing, my Sage 10151 in my inexperienced hands was overloaded with the GS 10/11 and many times with the GS 9/10. The performance with the GS 9/10 was not as good as with my old Accelerator 9/10.

Since then, I have learned from a member on another board that the GS 7/8 with the tips works well with the Sage 10151 as a surfcasting rod. I will tell my son this news as he now has the 10151.

Thanks to the advice of Flytyer, I tried the GS 7/8 with my new ARC 1409 earlier this year. The two make a great match.

I hope that you guys who want the long rods get your wishes. I would like to see Sage or Scott come out with a 12'6 in 10/11 weight rod for those of us who are wimps and like the shorter rods.

 

[brooklynangler]

What do with my XLT 10/11

I'm not sure what to do with my XLT 10/11. I know ebay, but I'd like to make it work for my rods...

I'm thinking of cutting that last fat 20' or so off and doing a tapered step down to the running line. I have lots of line around that I could use to make this taper, but i wonder if it will be an ok casting line...

any comments on a 20' step down on the end of an XLT?

 

[flytyer]

Grandpa Spey,

The Sage 10151 works very nicely with the 8/9 GrandSpey, the 7/8 is a bit too light for good spey casting.

Joe,

If you know someone who has a T&T 1611 or 1511, a Scott 16' 10/11, a Loomis 15' 10/11 or 15'6" 11/12, a Sage 10160 or 10161, Loop Grey Series 16' 10/11 they all cast the XLT 10/11 well. If not, hold on to it until you get yourself one of the faster, more powerful 16' rods, one of the rod makers puts a 17' big line stick on the market, or put it up for sale here or on Ebay.

 

[Grampa Spey]

Flytyer

"The Sage 10151 works very nicely with the 8/9 GrandSpey, the 7/8 is a bit too light for good spey casting."

The fellow in emails said that he used a Rio tip compensator with the 7/8, and it balanced out very well. He mainly uses the overhand casts from the surf with this combo. I gave my son a 9/10 tip compensator to go with the 9/10 Accelerator, that I gave him with the Sage 10151. I'm waiting for a report when he tries it on the surf.

 

[flytyer]

Grandpa Spey,

I never even consider using the tip compensator with the GS because that adds more length to the line, unless you cut the line both at 15' and 25'-30' from the tip. I can see why the 7/8 GS would work OK with the 10151 if the tip compensator is added to the line, since it adds more length, more weight if the line is not cut back a bit beyond 15'. Also, the tip comsenator would have the sink tip deeper and this would greatly increase the load on the rod when pulling up the compensator and a sink tip.

 

[brooklynangler]

Thanks

Thanks everybody. As usual your help and advice is more than a wee spey donkey such as me could ever ask for.

Hee-haw to youz all.

brooklynangler