So I finally picked up a spey rod....I went to the dark side....I found a sage 8124 graphite 4 3pc.
I'm still looking for a reel, i like the Orvis Battenkills LA 5 or 9/10wt. i own one, so maybe an xtra spool, I'm looking forward to get it out and start field testing it... anyone have this rod? what lines are you running?

Try the rio windcutter II 7/8/9, or if your into skagits try the rio flight (go a little on the heavy side of the spectrum for grain weight), or the airflo tactical steelhead in an 8wt. Good luck.

Thanks Joe for the info
I'm leaning more toward the skagit lines... i gotta get a reel first... i'll also have to swing by All About The Fly
Hopefully i'll see you on the sky when i get my rod dialed in

Abel Super 8....

Bantam,

If you think you'll be wanting to toss some large flies, aka: half chickens, an old style "beer can" Rio Skagit line will perform better than the new Skagit Flight. The Flight has a forward taper and therefore cannot turn over as much mass in sink tips and fly as the former beer can Skagit can. Unfortunately the old style is sold only as a complete line (with running line), and is priced at $99. The 550 grain head should load that rod well.

Sg

I fished it for a day and that rod is FAST!!! I would recommend a skagit head of at least 600 grains to get it loaded, especially if you're new to spey. Airflo compact skagit 630 seemed pretty good to me.

Airflo compact skagit head ($50) + 30# amnesia mono running line ($5) = economical LINE SPEED!!!

Thanks Salmo G and Wria....

I think I found a reel that I want...Its new to the market, I'm not gonna mention it till I'm set up, I am leaning towards the airflo's compacts....since I have a decent selection of sink tips from my single hand dayz
I'm first going to give Aaron a call @ River Run Anglers, he's always been good to the other fly guys I know in the state
My budget got tight after buying the rod, (head gasket) I'm hoping to have it out fishing around the first of August

Another vote for the Airflo Compacts.... Go heavy on the grain weight.

You sure have "gone and done it."

I just started spey fishing a couple of years ago, and I'm still a hack. I've caught a few fish, but I usually don't look too good doing it. Last year, while walking into a spot on the lower Satsop, I ran across a nice English gentleman who was on his way out, also packing a spey rod. I told him I was fairly new at spey fishing, and he told me, "Don't worry - after the first 20 years it gets easy."

In all seriousness, you got yourself a nice stick. It is a fast one (maybe faster than I normally like), but as long as you have it lined right (heavy), you'll be chucking big, articulated flies and 15 feet of T-14 a lot further than you need to with little effort.

Good luck!

I had a conversation with Aaron about that rod the other day while I was hanging out at his shop the other day and he cautioned about lining that rod with a Skagit head. "That rod was designed before Skagit lines were developed and due to it's design and the way they were built, cannot withstand the forces Skagit lines produce....consequently many went back to Sage for repair or replacement......think bending a straw until it kinks."

So now I'm waiting for a reel in the mail, and had some good info from other sites...tho AD i'm still looking for a SHORTER STYLE Skagit head line...
I'm not looking for distance...at most i'll be casting 70ft... but average 40ft. I'm gonna try to get this down this summer on some brats on the cow and sky...maybe some tidal Ho's

Any updates?

So the rod is complete ready to go....
I matched the rod with a Flextec LA reel and today i went to mouth of the raging and talked to Aaron Riemer from River Run Anglers and he suggested me to go with a Airflo Scandi 540 short head (34') with Rio's (100') shooting line... so i bought it for a reasonable price... so tonight i'm going to go practice right now at Greenlake... and maybe get out next week with it.

New update:

Now fishing skagit 570 with 180gr 15' sink tip....
Casts great if I get the timing just right, did manage to C&R a nice lil wild hen today

Congratulations!

Things like that can cause spinning and casting gear to start gathering dust sitting in the closet.

Nice fish.

Sg

Now, you've gone and done it!

With this high river levels, it's actually quite nice throwing medium-large intruders this late, kind of making it easy finding dumb fish, or making short casts. Also getting hit on the end of the swing is probably the most rewarding strike.

Blue Intruder = Skagit Magic...according to Salmo G.

It also works in a number of of other locations!

Nice work on the transition to feather flinging and good on ya for early successes.

Congrats on the new technique. Choice of fly is perfect IMO. Noted quite a few guys fishing spey on the Skykomish tween Duffy Creek & the Wallace while running up.

Here is a nicely constructed custom Sage Graphite IV.





Sweet looking rod.


c/22

Ya' got me mixed up with someone else Coley. Other than a couple store-boughts I don't fish Intruders because I don't tie Intruders, but I likely would if I had them. Anyway, Ed and others more than make the case as to their magic.

Sure is weird to be fishing "winter rules" this late in July, but it's about the water, not the date. And here I am fixin' to go all floating line on some low water crick this weekend.

Sg

Nice job Bantam
Blue, the new purple.

Cool! Sure makes me want to get out there....

C/22 I like that cork work! Did Don do that for you?
If anyone wants to get out Sunday I'm game for some bug swinging.... ADPose that includes you

Heres the backstory on that Sage build.

http://salmo.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rodbuilding&action=display&thread=1893


c/22

That's an awesome background/history....I would love to customize mine! Time to catalog shop!

I was remembering a quote from a few years back about the color blue and steelhead. I recalled you chiming in with the comment mentioned above. Perhaps my memory fails me.

As you said, the source of the comment matters not, it rings true regardless