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10wt Rod??


-Marc V-

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Howdy all...toying with the idea of getting a 10wt rod for couple different reasons. Slinging big flies for musky and pike, and pulling bass out of slop conditions.

Mainly looking for a rod that will cast big ugly flies for little larger of fish.

Was wondering what folks would suggest for a rod company, why they choose the rod company they did over others, or any other pointers.

Would ultimately like to cast a selection of them before purchasing because that would be the best test if the rod would be a good fit. Almost would like to get a rod capable of saltwater if the occasion every came around. The two on the mind right now would be a Redington CPS series (always been partial to Redington), or R.L. Winston. TFO offers a 10wt also. Have casted a few TFO's but haven't been impressed compared to other rods out there.

Thinking of spending around a few hundred. Would like to get a quality rod without going overboard because I'm probably not likely to use it quite as often as other mid-weight rods. Higher wt rods seem to carry a heavier price tag as well.

Also open to any suggestions on a reel that has worked out for folks also.

Thanks.

marc

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The new winston BII MX is a sweet fast action rod and I believe they make it up to a 10. It's fast like the XTR was but is a lot lighter and managable. The new Scott S4 would also be a rod to look into. Scott in my opinion has a good thing going when it comes to fast action and salt water rods. I'm sure there are a ton of good choices out there but those would be a couple of my recomendations for what you are looking for.

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I use a 10wt St.Croix Avid (SCIII) for sinking shooting heads for fishing deep for pike. It works great for that. I also have a 10wt clouser floating line that will cast the biggest of bunny flies with heavy dumbell eyes.

I have also cast a TFO TiCr X 10wt and liked that.

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probably one of the better saltwater 10 wts around is the scott X2s, but higher on the price tag around $650 or so. Marc, I think for your interest and price tag, you should check out the new RS4 line from Redington it is new for 2008 ($275), and definitely piqued my interest. (a certain retailer has these rods way cheaper than $275). I also thought about picking up a 10 wt for river fishing for roughies like carp, red horse, buffalo, etc., as well as for muskie. The flies used for roughies don't typically require a 10 wt to cast (more like a 4 or 5wt when fishing nymphs), but definitely need the strength of a 10 wt to land one. I caught a moderately sized red horse last spring on my 9 wt and the fish had my fast action rod bent at the grip. I definitely felt helpless with the rod and underpowered, it wasn't even a big fish. I thought for sure the rod was going to break. I couldn't fight the fish and ended up pulling it to the surface and dragging it back to me upstream about 60 yards. Hopefully the 10 wt might have a little more nut to it, maybe even a 12 wt might be necessary to land these brutes on big river systems, I don't know.

Question is, once you pick the rod, what reel are you going to use? I'm leaning toward the Lamson Velocity Hard Alox. The conical drag system is pretty tough and durable. I fish a lot in the rocks, so the finish appears to be one of the most durable in the industry, designed to resist rock abuse.

drop me an email marc if you want to chat more about the rod/reel.

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Quote:

probably one of the better saltwater 10 wts around is the scott X2s, but higher on the price tag around $650 or so. Marc, I think for your interest and price tag, you should check out the new RS4 line from Redington it is new for 2008 ($275), and definitely piqued my interest. (a certain retailer has these rods way cheaper than $275). I also thought about picking up a 10 wt for river fishing for roughies like carp, red horse, buffalo, etc., as well as for muskie. The flies used for roughies don't typically require a 10 wt to cast (more like a 4 or 5wt when fishing nymphs), but definitely need the strength of a 10 wt to land one. I caught a moderately sized red horse last spring on my 9 wt and the fish had my fast action rod bent at the grip. I definitely felt helpless with the rod and underpowered, it wasn't even a big fish. I thought for sure the rod was going to break. I couldn't fight the fish and ended up pulling it to the surface and dragging it back to me upstream about 60 yards. Hopefully the 10 wt might have a little more nut to it, maybe even a 12 wt might be necessary to land these brutes on big river systems, I don't know.

Question is, once you pick the rod, what reel are you going to use? I'm leaning toward the Lamson Velocity Hard Alox. The conical drag system is pretty tough and durable. I fish a lot in the rocks, so the finish appears to be one of the most durable in the industry, designed to resist rock abuse.

drop me an email marc if you want to chat more about the rod/reel.


DEADhead -

You read my mind smile.gif

I'm a huge fan of Scott rods and own several, most of which are the old G series. I do however have an X2s 7wt and I couldn't think of a better rod for the purpose of the original post. You're right though, they are a little pricey. The type of action that suits me is a little slower action, and while the X2s is considered a fast rod, and it is, it has a very sensitive tip which allows casting up close which you really cant' do with today's rocket launchers. And oddly enough I have this and a few other rods paired up with the Lamson Velocity. That model in my opinion is the best reel in that price range bar none. (just my humble opinion)

Mike

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Quote:

DEADhead -

You read my mind


you know what they say, great minds think alike grin.gif

yeah the scott X2s are sweet rods, but most anglers can't choke down the price tag here in the non-salt zone. I know they have an unconditional warranty, which is good if you use your rod hard fishing big rivers systems like me. Between the rod and the lamson reel, a grand can be a pretty hefty investment for a "roughfish rod". I feel a little more comfortable with a $500 setup, though some may even think that may be excessive (like my wife, which is why I don't tell her a) what things cost, and B) that I even own them wink.gif). In the end it depends on what you want to invest. For me I think the scott x2s setup is the top rod to pick, but I can live with fishing a Redington rod, which of course also has a lifetime warranty.

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Thanks for the tips so far. The Winston and Scott rods do look sweet, but are a bit more change than I'm looking to drop. Leaning toward the RS4. Did find them at the Foremost Outfitter for quite a bit cheaper. Not something I'm going to jump on right now, but wanted to get some ideas going. Long winter, might as well surf the net and see what kind of deals can be struck. Looks like the 8wts and larger are made for saltwater also.

Haven't put much consideration into a reel yet. Those Lamson reels look sweet. Was maybe considering an Echo. Not sure if they make reels in the 10wt range, need to check on it. Got one out of the bargin cave for my 8wt, and am pretty pleased with it. Probably not as durable as the Lamson's as they are composite reels. They have large arbors, disk drag, and internal bearings. Received high reviews, and heard of others commenting on them. The price tag isn't hard to look at either.

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I bought a echo a few years back and it was about 70 bucks. It worked a smooth reel, but it wore out quickly and had to be replaced by a bauer within a year of purchase. If you want a good reel at a reasonable price, I would look into the Bauer JM5 for about 250$.

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If you want a good reel at a reasonable price, I would look into the Bauer JM5 for about 250$.


What he said! Bauer makes some great strong, durable, super smooth drag reels. I use my JM3 and M5SL often and put their drags to work on salmon in AK this summer. Nothing but good things to say from me. I also have a M1 that I use for 3-5wt trout rods, smooooooth drag.

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  • 1 month later...

Haven't casted that reddington, but I can vouch for the X2S. I picked up an 8 wt this past spring which I absolutely love for everything I've used it for- steelies, bass, pike, lakers, bones and permit. Didn't land either of the last two but it wasn't because my rod wouldn't make the casts smirk.gif. This summer I bought a 6 wt X2S and it's great for smaller bass rivers, and even some night fishing for browns. I will most likely be getting a 10 or 11 wt next season, as it looks like I'll be getting a little serious about muskies in the hayward area, and from what I've seen that would be about the best rod for that as well. I guess its safe to say that I like those rods wink.gif

As a side note, I have casted the 10wt Z axis, and I wouldn't recommend it for big stuff. The action would be fine for fishing tarpon or bonefish flies, but it's not ideal for throwing the full chickens that those river muskies like to munch on.

In a lower price range, there are a couple tfo's worth looking into as well.

That's about all I've got on ten weights...

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I ended up getting a Redington RS3. It's a moderate/fast action, which will suit my casting style a little better than a fast action, but not certain (no line or reel for it yet) if it will throw the previous mentioned "half a chicken". smile.gif It was too good of a deal to pass up. Hope I don't end up regretting it.

Still looking around for a reel and line. I'm pretty much set on Rio Clouser, or Pike line they are the same line according to the specs just different names on the box. The reel is still up in the air. Strongly considering Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbor, but may wait until the tax man delivers the yearly check, and pick up one of the Lamson Alox, or a Bauer.

Thanks for the help. Next will be posts about musky flies! smile.gif

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A little more moderate action should help a little with the monster flies, those really light, super fast action rods don't work quite as well. I've just started fishing muskies on the fly over in the hayward area, and a buddy of mine (who's pretty dialed in over there) have been messing around to try and find a good rod, line combo for those huge flies.

When you're looking at a reel, make sure you compare the startup inertia, as it'll be pretty important if you decide to use it for big salmon or steelies (or anything in the salt). I haven't seen much from that hard alox model that lamson has, but some of their other high end reels have quite a jump on startup for a reel in that price range. The sealed drag system has advantages for sure, but I think you'll get a lot smoother drag out of a bigger cork disk than that little synthetic job. That being said, Bauer is coming out with a sealed synthetic disk model, the Rogue, and it would definitely be worth checking out. Haven't fished it yet, but I talked with the reps and checked out the demo models they had at the show in denver and they look very sweet.

As far as lines go, the pike line doesn't seem to be any different than the clouser, as you mentioned- and the clouser kicks a$$ grin.gif If you're gonna get serious about the musky thing, you may want to look into an intermediate or sink tip though, it helps when you want to keep those monster streamers moving without pulling them right to the surface. Something to think about over the long winter... smirk.gif

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I've already put a little thought to a full sinking line, or sink tips. wink.gif Was thinking of attaching sinking heads to the loop to loop connection of the rio.

Otherwise not sure I'd be able to go another month without food for a second spool, and full sink line this year. May have to be one of next years purchases.

Maybe next year I'll eat a few musky to help appropriate funds toward the fishing budget. shocked.gif

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Marc,

We should meet up to chat; I'll be in the metro the weekend after xmas. I can show you some of those flies we were talking about. Also, I can bring my battenkill MA reel, spooled with the Rio coldwater clouser line. It is a 9 weight line, but I think it will cast fine on your 10wt, I can bring my 9 wt along too, if you want to compare casting. At least that way you can make an informed decision when it comes time to buy the reel and the line. I'm not sure if I'm gonna pull the trigger on that Lamson velocity hard alox yet. Maybe I'll get the reel and the steelhead line, and cast it on your RS3. Then I can make the decision if I want to get the RS3 or the RS4 10wt.

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Quote:

I've already put a little thought to a full sinking line, or sink tips.
wink.gif
Was thinking of attaching sinking heads to the loop to loop connection of the rio.


That's a good way to get a little more versatility out of your line, and avoid spending a ton on lines. I've used the clouser with up to an eight foot section of sink tip, and it turns it over pretty well. The taper on some of those versa-tip lines will probably cast a little smoother, but if that's not worth eighty-some bucks to you, a couple of different sized pieces of sink tip will work just fine. You can buy 15 foot sections and cut them up into different lengths depending on how much sink you want. That little system works pretty decent for steelhead fishing too, you can switch up from swinging flies to indicator fishing without having to carry an extra spool...

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Oops, I was using kent's computer and forgot to log him off and made that post under his name. I wouldn't have realized it except I was going to go back into it and ask if you want a good recipe for those muskies grin.gif

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.....and ask if you want a good recipe for those muskies
grin.gif


Are you kidding...I'm already druling! laugh.gif

All kidding aside, I did have a buddy eat one once, and know another guy who has eaten many. Said they are a really good tasting fish. Nothing like northern. Would eat one if it wouldn't revive, or if it was badly gill hooked.

Thought about playing with the lengths of the sink tips as well. There's a retailer of fly items down this way that carries a good selection of sinking heads in many different IPS's.

Considered going the multi-tip route also, but majority of the time will probably be using the floating line alone, i'm guessing, and didn't like the tapper on the versi-tip fly lines. What can i say...guess i'm just hard to please. crazy.gif

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Considered going the multi-tip route also, but majority of the time will probably be using the floating line alone, i'm guessing, and didn't like the tapper on the versi-tip fly lines. What can i say...guess i'm just hard to please.
crazy.gif


If that's the case I'd probably go with the clouser and some tips. You can get a bunch of tips with different sink rates, but I think that you'll be fine with a couple different lengths of the same size sink tip. It's a good way to get a feel for it without a big investment- Rio sells a 15 foot section of sink tip in a good variety of sizes and line weights for about 22 bucks. You can get three different sized sections out of it that should work well in most situations around here. Raging british columbian rivers might call for a little more technical approach, hopefully I'll get to find out soon grin.gif

Never eaten a musky myself, but a buddy of mine claims they're delicious and he keeps one little (legal) male a year. I'll have to take his word for it smirk.gif

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