And God spoke "Let there be steelhead", and there was...

[ninja2010]

Probably will go Echo again - not sure if I'll go with the Solo 2Hand, the Dec Hogan, or the Tim Rajeff model yet. I'll have to cast them to see which style I like the best. From their descriptions, the TR has a softer tip than the DH, and the Solo is a medium action rod that's right in the middle of the road. But I'm really only looking at the Echos for a Spey, I'm really quickly becoming a big Echo fan. Tim Rajeff and his crew really know their stuff.

can't go wrong with echo... great price, great warranty, great service, and local. the tr is more of a scandi rod, but can be cast water borne too with the right line. the dh loads all the way to the cork and more of a skagit rod. never cast the solo, but wiggled it, and feels a little klunkier than the tr or dh.

let me know if you want to go swing the wilson sometime with long rods... you can show me a thing or two on how to kill the skunk.

 

[GungasUncle]

Since I'm really new to the whole two-handed rod scene, I'm not sure which line type I would prefer. I know that with traditional setups, you use a fixed line length and just keep casting/swinging/casting/swinging until you either catch a fish, or want to fish at a different distance. Skagit casting is done with shooting heads and you have to strip the line in after each cast. I've tried a bit of both ways with my switch rod - and done right, both are fun methods. The Skagit seems like it's a bit more versatile - so I'll probably go that route, but I'm not sure yet. Can't really properly spey cast without water (which is why every fly shop out to have a 100 foot long casting pond out back, right?)

 

[ninja2010]

I started out with skagit and learned three casts - double spey, snap t and perry poke - from both left and right shoulders. skagit heads are short and has a lot of weight to boom out large heavy critters with not much backroom needed. It was developed specifically for pnw style of fishing waters.

mid belly and long belly traditional Spey lines require a bit more space to flail all that like around and longer rods are needed (ie: more tiring). the scandi line is a little longer than skagit and has a longer front taper; more suited for lighter Spey flies. it's a touch-n-go style of casting. timing is critical and it also requires a bit more room than skagit casts.

so that's why I stuck with skagit and only dabbled with scandi in the summer.

 

[GDBrown]

Very glad to see that the shunk has been dispatched with class! That was a great story and very well articulated. I have been out twice in the last two days and have ZERO to show for it. Well I take that back I did haul in a two inch minow trout up at Lost lake today with my friend. Good to see your getting out enough to make life enjoyable.

GD