Fred,

ANYONE? Undeniably I totally enjoy my big meat sticks- 15' 10 wts. They only get used on the largest of rivers that also tend to contain double digit average steelhead.

Would I use one on the Ronde? Nope. Ronde fish are what they are. Fishing a 9' 4wt can't even make them enjoyable beyond the grab. Nor would a spey tracker. I don't care what rod you use. A dog is a dog is a dog. A 12' 5wt isn't going to make a tired fish suddenly strong.

Salmo I agree that the 9140 seems like overkill for a lot of fish. In complete contrast to Ed's assessment I prefer the faster, if not the fastest, actioned two handers. That old 9140 flexes into the reel seat leaving you attached with a VERY short lever. And a rubber band to boot. Everything switches to your favor in playing the fish. All the while keeping a bungee to absorb the show.

The reason I prefer the faster rods, beyond casting them, is how the fish are perceived to your body. Flex them and the lever remains much, much longer. Once loaded there is no noodle feel- every head shake, quiver, and thrust is immediately transmitted to you. Not absorbed by a rubber band.

Up until a few years ago I was beyond skeptical. In fact I down right despised fast two handers. These fast rods were more suited to Marlin fishing then wimpy steelhead. Now that I have actually used them my mind is completely reversed. Just even try to move that stubborn fish,all of 8#'s, with a 15' 10wt fast actioned rod. Not pseudo fast like a Sage 10151, but T&T 1510 fast.

My main rods used now:

T&T 1208. For small to medium rivers where the fish range 5-12#'s. Casts of 25' to about 75'. Summer or winter work. This rod casts a DT 8 and is VERY comparable to a 9' #8.

T&T 1307. For medium to large rivers where casts of 50-90' are normal. Mostly summer use while fishing for steelhead ranging 5-10#'s. This rod also uses DT7 making it very comparable to a 9' #7.

T&T 1409. For larger rivers, summer and winter, where casts of 75' to 110' are expected. Also fishing for average fish of 8# and above. XLT 7/8.

T&T 1510. For large rivers, summer and winter, where casts of 90' to 125' are expected. And for fishing over steelhead that commonly run 12# or bigger. XLT 7/8 again.

Just to prove it to myself I played fish from just about all the length and action spectrums. To see if I was being certifiable even considering the Marlin sticks as 'sporting'. I'm still not so sure about the certifiable part...but I am completely happy with what I have found. And that was after spending years chasing these fish with the lightest two handers made, or homemade, trying to re-create the feel of the single handers. I now actually prefer to play these fish with the 1208 or 1307 compared to a single hander. Same goes for the 1409 on the bigger rivers and fish. The 15'ers however do require a strong fish to keep from being overgunned...but they are so much fun to cast and fish I can't help myself.

William