Potential spey outfit - comments?

[Jim White]

Good afternoon,

Looking at a few spey outfits, one of which is described below.

Rod - Echo TR7130 (13' 7wt)

Reel - Waterworks-Lamson Guru 4

Rod (w/tube), reel, backing, Airflo Ridge running line, Airflo Compact Skagit head, two Airflo sink tips, and a RIO leader. $650.

Reviews for the rod seem solid, reviews for the reel seem all over the place.

Anyone have experience with either/both?

Thanks,

Jim

[Yambag Nelson]

I have that rod.  It is a great rod.  Very versatile and can throw both Skagit and scandi heads very well. 

I don't have that particular lamson but I do have another one of their reels and like it a lot.  I don't know how much the guru is but when I bought my rod they threw in a Skagit head for $330 total (I think).  So you are getting the reel, running line, backing tips and leader for an additional $320.  Seems solid but not a steal.  Like I said though, really good rod for the money as long as you don't care what it looks like.  It is a good casting tool but not the most attractive rod to say the least.

[Yambag Nelson]

By the way, I have used both a 570 grain Skagit head and a 510 grain Skagit head with that rod.  Everyone's casting style is different, but my guess is that 540 might be the sweet spot (at least it would be for me). 

[Adam Soller]

That was my first spey rod which I paired with a Ross CLA. It will serve you well for the shad run. Still have it as a backup to a Burkheimer.

[Ken Fugate]

That was my first two hander.  Works well with a 540 and throws a 510/525 nicely.  570 is a bit too much.  It is really an 8 weight but Echo classes it as a 7 weight.  It is a good solid first two hander.

Ken...

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[Jim White]

Super helpful responses, thank you!

At casting church yesterday I had the opportunity to take my first two-handed casting lessons from Terry (thank you for the use of your outfit!) and John (gosh but it looks so easy...). Learned a lot. As might be expected a detailed gear discussion followed. Great recommendations from all, thank you.

Contacted The Red Shed (thank you John Bilotta!) and they are selling a $500 outfit (Echo TR7130/Echo Ion reel/backing/Airflo Ridge running line and a choice of either an Airflo scandi head or an Airflo Compact Skagit head with a few sink tips).

My question - Do I go with the Scandi or the Skagit option? My intended use, at least to begin with, is to wade the Potomac (upstream of Great Falls) and cast for smallmouth. Based on what I've gleaned re: uses of the two different head systems, it seems like that use is better suited for scandi. Am I correct? 

For $195 additional Poppy will add another Ion reel with the other line option. The obvious answer is "buy both," however, if I had to choose, given my intended use which head system do you recommend?

Thanks,

Jim

On Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 3:58:11 PM UTC-5, Ken wrote:

That was my first two hander.  Works well with a 540 and throws a 510/525 nicely.  570 is a bit too much.  It is really an 8 weight but Echo classes it as a 7 weight.  It is a good solid first two hander.

Ken...

On Feb 26, 2016, at 2:29 PM, Jim White <jrwh...@gmail.com> wrote:

Good afternoon,

Looking at a few spey outfits, one of which is described below.

Rod - Echo TR7130 (13' 7wt)

Reel - Waterworks-Lamson Guru 4

Rod (w/tube), reel, backing, Airflo Ridge running line, Airflo Compact Skagit head, two Airflo sink tips, and a RIO leader. $650.

Reviews for the rod seem solid, reviews for the reel seem all over the place.

Anyone have experience with either/both?

Thanks,

Jim

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[Yambag Nelson]

Skagit heads are generally more suited for throwing heavier sink tips.  If you were fishing the Potomac around fletchers that is the way I would go.  For smallmouth further up I would go with the scandi. 

That said, are you interested in it just because you want to do it, or because it is the best tool for the job?  I honestly wouldn't use a spey rod for smallmouth and definitely not a 13 foot 7 weight.  If they was my focus and I REALLY wanted to catch them "spey fishing" I would get something like an 11' 6 weight switch rod. 

I'm not sure why you would need a second reel.  Just buy two different lines and switch them out depending on what you want to do. 

[Connor Donovan]

No comment on the rod but the Guru reel is awesome.  Incredibly light.  Most reliable drag I've used on a mid-level-priced reel.  They just revamped the Guru line up so if you can find one of the previous production models on sale, go for it. 

But, I would try the reel (loaded with your intended line/setup) on the rod you are looking to buy.  Because its very light it may not balance well on the rod.  But then again, I know absolutely nothing about two handed setups....

[arthur noglak]

Jim,

Did you ever get the line wt right on that glass rod the other day? I had to get to work so I cut out early.I would like to try an 8 or 9 wt line on it to see how it loads. I would bet that if we put an 8 or 9 wt line on her she would load up nicely and make a sweet carp rod for the canal.

Art

[Jim White]

Art,

8wt felt so good I didn't try the 9wt. But I think it would cast very nicely with the 9wt.

You were right on the money, more weight, not less weight.

Cheers,
Jim


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[Andrew R]

I'm also looking to get into the two handed spey game as I'm heading to the U.P. soon for some salmon and steelhead fishing. Been oscillating between the Redington Dually or Chromer lines or else the Echo DH line. Thinking a 13.5 ft 7wt and was planning to throw skagit first before incorporating scandi as I have read that skagit is easier for beginners. Was curious as to people's experiences with these rods. 

Also, does anyone have experiences with the Pflueger Trion reel? I love the classic look and just got a 3-4wt version for my Redington CT 3wt, can't wait to hit falling springs up in Chambersburg with it. Anyways, I was considering getting a second 7-8wt reel for spey but do i need something 2 hand spey specific?

On Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 8:50:58 AM UTC-5, Jim White wrote:

Art,

8wt felt so good I didn't try the 9wt. But I think it would cast very nicely with the 9wt.

You were right on the money, more weight, not less weight.

Cheers,
Jim


Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 1, 2016, at 23:01, arthur noglak <arthur...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Jim,
>
> Did you ever get the line wt right on that glass rod the other day? I had to get to work so I cut out early.I would like to try an 8 or 9 wt line on it to see how it loads. I would bet that if we put an 8 or 9 wt line on her she would load up nicely and make a sweet carp rod for the canal.
>
> Art
>
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[Yambag Nelson]

You definitely don't need a special reel for spey rods.  Just one that is big enough to hold your backing, running line, and whatever head you are going to use. 

I have never cast either of those rods but I am echo fan and a lot of people like the DH.  Like the TR you can't beat the price.  Echo has one of the best warranties/customer service in the business.

[Andrew R]

Yambag,

Thanks so much for the feedback. I ended up buying an 13'6" 7wt Echo TR outfit with the Ion reel from Red's Fly Shop out in WA. Took it out this weekend to a golf course pond in Bethesda just to practice as the course doesn't open their greens for another two weeks. The 20 mph+ wind gusts didn't help but the rod still loaded very well with the .030 shooting line and 540 skagit head. Caught several less than enthusiastic bass with a size 6 wooly bugger which seemed a bit undersized for spey casting but definitely like the rod, although I liked the price even more so.

[John Bilotta]

It is a nice stick. 

Enjoy.

John

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