Re: Looking for recommendations: Steelheader.net- Steelhead, Salmon and trout fishing

Mojo, Actually I think your rod might have been made by St Croix, or a least the blank.

Fishhog,I think if you can only have one spey rod it should be a 14'-9wt., or 9/10. This model is sort of the 30.06 of spey rods.

As for lines I would start with a short head spey line, ie, WindCutter, Delta, Jim Teeny, ect. Every line manufacturer has such a line so if you have a favorite brand you can get a short head line. A WindCutter is a short head (55' head) line that is known to be good on windy days. Most any short head line will have these same attributes. A multi tip line is a plus if you can afford one. If not it is a simple matter to chop and loop your floater so you can use sinktips on it.

You didn't ask but you will need at least a 4" reel to balance a 14' rod. They range in price from the lowly Okuma ($75.00) to more then $800.00. If you are on a budget that Okuma as well as several other lower priced reels will serve you well.

You can get a new two hander from $269.95 (Echo Classic) to over $900.00 for a Loomis Greased Line GLX. In my opinion there are not really any bad two handers if they are lined with the proper line weight. I have a package deal based on the TFO rods or Echo Classics that sells for $400.00. This is turn key except for flies. It includes a rod with bag, tube, and a "NO BS" no fault warranty, an Okuma Integrity 10/11 LA reel, floating line matched to the rod, backing, leader, line dressing, and a spey casting dvd.

If you have a local shop that speaks spey give them a visit. I would take a test drive before I bought anything. If you can't get a test drive near home let me know and I'll set one up.

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