DaveC Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Hi guys...so ok this is what I have right now. I have the St Crois imperial eight weight 11.0ft Rod. The reel I have is the Orvis Battenkill mid arbour. The reel is already lined with backing and the guy gave me some line that is spooled on an old line holder...not original so I dont know what it is. All I know is its kind of a light chartruse colour and it says written in pen WF weight forward I presume. So I plan to have the rod lined properly for steelhead fishing and maybe some pike fishing in the speed river to practice on...lol. All the line has loops at the end including the backing. So, What else am I going to need for leaders and such? Please keep in mind I have zero experience when it comes to fly fishing...I know there is dif types of sink tips ( if thats what Im thnking ) one guy I spoke with on the river had like dif lengths as well. What leaders and all that jazz....lol. Im going to just buy some flys that are proven to work like some intruders and that...I can always practice on that stuff later. Right now I just want to be able to be setup and ready to fish with the right lines...leaders...sink tips....and flys. I will work on the casting and catching part first. The other stuff later on. Any help is very much appreciated. Thanks,guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron4blues Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 The line that came with the reel is probably not a spey line, but that doesn't mean you can't use it. I'd look for a skagit line in the 600 grain range (Rio makes good lines). You will also need a selection of heads (look at Rio again). I like braided leaders myself, which you can find in better shops or on-line. For your loop-to-loop connections, make sure you're using a good double surgeon's knot or a whipped loop. On permanent loops, seal the knot or whipping whith epoxy, superglue or silicone. There are several excellent Youtube videos on these subjects that will help make sense of it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craiger Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 hey Dave i did some searching around for you and guys are throwing a anywhere from 400-500g switch skagit heads. St. Croix recommends a 400 so i would stay closer to that. 400-425 would be perpect. Check out the RIO MOW tips in the light or even medium weights. They are the best tips for fishing a skagit setup by far. Then I just use 10-15lb maxima for a leader off that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron4blues Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Craiger's right. I misread your original post as saying you have a 9 weight (only half-awake, LOL). Don't go higher than 500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveC Posted January 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Id be lost without you two guys...I picked up that reel Coachman...the Orvis Battenkill, mid arbour. Looks like it should do the job. One thing I did notice, was the guy I was talking to at the credit his reel seemed a larger diameter than this one? His looked like a 4 1/2 - 5". Another question....looks like the backing on the reel is wound for a left hand retrieve when Im actually a right hand retrieve. I pressume I can just take it off and rewind it the other direction? I see you both mention RIO. What do you think if I take the rod and reel into GrandRiver Troutfitters and have them set it up for me? I was going to sign up for a lesson with them for $50.00 to get a good start on the basics...just some thoughts. Craiger...when I looked at the connection to the guys floating line...it looked like a simple loop connections. Is that for easy removal ? Your leader is tied on how with what type of knot? Thankyou guys...sorry for bombarding you with questions..lol Just anxious to get it all together and be ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron4blues Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Loop to loop connections are for easy changes and are stronger that other knots. Leader/line connections and tippet/leader connections should also be loop to loop for the same reasons. Your new reel is indeed reversable. As for capacity, a trick is to spool your reel backwards (line first then backing) so you know how much backing to use, then unspool it and respool in the correct order. Be careful doing this so you don't get tangles by wrapping it around a large piece of cardboard or the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craiger Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 I was using a double surgeons knot until I had at least 3 fish break me off right at that knot. I have now switched to a rapala knot or a loop knot, whatever you want to call it. I just make the loop a little bigger to make the loop to loop connection easier. This knot has never failed me yet on both ends of my leader. Check out www.speypages.com/speyclave and do a search on your specific rod and you will see lots of different ideas on there for you. There is so much knowledge on that board for anything spey related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveC Posted January 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Loop to loop connections are for easy changes and are stronger that other knots. Leader/line connections and tippet/leader connections should also be loop to loop for the same reasons. Your new reel is indeed reversable. As for capacity, a trick is to spool your reel backwards (line first then backing) so you know how much backing to use, then unspool it and respool in the correct order. Be careful doing this so you don't get tangles by wrapping it around a large piece of cardboard or the like. Thats a great Idea....never thought of that. Im sure the same would work for the float reel as well. I was looking at lines and the MOW tips....wow man, that stuff is expensive !!! They sell a MOW kit with all the sizes of sinking leaders. Is that something I should look into or should I just get one or two sizes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron4blues Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Thats a great Idea....never thought of that. Im sure the same would work for the float reel as well. I was looking at lines and the MOW tips....wow man, that stuff is expensive !!! They sell a MOW kit with all the sizes of sinking leaders. Is that something I should look into or should I just get one or two sizes? You probably won't have to buy all of the heads, but one or two won't do it. If the MOW kit is reasonable, go for it, but it isn't a hard and fast requirement. I have half a dozen heads, plus a couple I made myself. Take into consideration where your going to be fishing: water depth, speed and the distances you'll be casting. You'll want at least one floating head, especially if you want to cast for bass or pike or carp in the shallows, and a selection of sinking heads to match conditions. For instance, fast deep water will require a faster sink rate if you want to get your fly deep; slower or shallow water and you can use a slower sink rate. Check out the site Craiger mentioned for more guidance, or talk to a knowledgeable rep at a good shop when you're buying. You'll also find info on Rio's site as well. I mentioned leaders earlier: you can also buy them with different sink rates and are a good investment. Not much sense having a sinking head if your leader is bouyant and suspends the fly 3 or 4 feet higher than the head. The better braided leaders come with a ready-made loop at the but and a ring or loop at the tippet end. I bought my braided leaders in Nova Scotia, but I'll take a look around for you and see where you can find them up here. once you've used one you'll see why I like them: strong, a bit of give, they stand up well to abrasion and they tend not to develop a "memory" when wound on the spool.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron4blues Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 You can also try building your own furled leaders. Here's a video from Youtube on the subject. Use a limp mono for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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