16' rod

[christian roulleau]

Hi guys,
Not having to fish this season, for the reasons we know of! I want to compensate by giving myself a small gift.
I am thinking of a 16 ', generally fishing for 2 months in spey mainly on Grantown and sometimes Gordon Castle or Tulcan.
I recognize that with a 15 'I do the job perfectly; Would the size above bring me more?
I am attracted to these big rods but I am a little afraid of fatigue on long periods of fishing.
Thank you for your opinions
Protect yourself from this covid ****

 

[rotenone]

Hi guys,
Not having to fish this season, for the reasons we know of! I want to compensate by giving myself a small gift.
I am thinking of a 16 ', generally fishing for 2 months in spey mainly on Grantown and sometimes Gordon Castle or Tulcan.
I recognize that with a 15 'I do the job perfectly; Would the size above bring me more?
I am attracted to these big rods but I am a little afraid of fatigue on long periods of fishing.
Thank you for your opinions
Protect yourself from this covid ****

It a simple answer how long are the lines you intend to fish?
I suggest if the heads of your lines are under 65 feet there is no point at all, I am covering water and the same distance as my old 16 foot plus rods with 14 foot models now and the rivers are bigger then the beat you mention, there will be more control with the longer rod but the margins and extra fatigue are not worth it. 14.6 is the longest rod I use now but have fished the Kola, Gaula and other big rivers spring season with a 13.9 with no loss of effective fishing performance.

There are rare occasions where ultimate distance might be called for lower Tay etc using speciality shooting head casting but I think you will be good with what you have already



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[Rennie]

I've several 16fters Christian, they do have their uses on big rivers!.I've fished Grantown quite a lot in the past and have to say I felt I coped more than adequately with a 15fter. With the new advances in lines and rods I've often thought about going back to Grantown and wouldn't feel under gunned with shorter rods these days!, 13ft 6 ins rods seem to be the new 15fters!.
A modern 16fter is a rocket launcher and will fish lines at distances that were once the preserve of the biggest rods.I can easily do with my 16ft MacKenzie and 16ft LPXe what I could do with my Hardy 18ft Favourite, but with far less effort and for an awful lot longer and its easier to get lines to suit them.
When I fished at Grantown regular, I used a B+W Merlin 16ft rated 7/9 with primarily a DT 8 and laterly an 8/9 Rio, that was a lovely easy actioned rod that would afford just as much fun with Sea Trout and Grilse as it would with Salmon.It did give me amazing water coverage and control when it was needed.If you could source a lighter line rating in a 16ft rod as opposed to a 10/11 or 11 weight then I think that would be advantageous to you, as you probably know your self, presentation of the fly scores heavily on hard fished places such as Grantown on Spey. Do it better and quieter than every one else in the right places and your catch rate will increase!.
Salar soon wises up to yet another 10/11 head splashing down on top of them!
Good luck, Pedro.

 

[Handel]

I had a Hardy Swift 16ft. Great rod. They always said about the Swift range of rods that they felt a foot shorter than they actually were. But as Rotenone says, I can cast further easier with my 14ft 6in Gaelforce Destination than I could with the 16 ft Swift.

 

[HOWKEMOOT]

I may be opening myself up to criticism, so be it. However in my experience distance is more to do with technique, timing & expertise and to certain degree how well you are suited to the rod. In the past, many years ago, too many to mention I used a 16' SAGE with great effect on the Tay. As technology advanced I found I could achieve the same result, ie catching salmon by using a shorter rod until I settled on my current weapon, a 14' FX1. I do quite a bit of fishing in middle Spey some way below Grantown, I find I can reach across to most of the lies in all heights of water and control the fly properly as well as any fish that I encounter. Today I see more than enough anglers who can cast into the next county with all sorts of modern gear but often struggle to attract a rise, that's because the fish are lying closer to the home bank than the other side. The reach for distance can be a bit counter productive, it's like wearing chest waders and feeling the compulsion to wade to the 5th button and find yourself unknowingly standing in the middle of the lies.
As I say many years of experience.

M

 

[christian roulleau]

Hello,
My attraction to a big rod is not the distance, but as Pedro says it is more the discretion with the use of long fine line and better handling of the fly.
Use of Lee Wulff's 80 'TTspey with a very thin profile
seems ideal to me (when conditions allow!)

 

[christian roulleau]

Clarification ; I'm thinking of a RB Meiser 16 '# 8!

 

[neilt]

15-9 guideline le cie is great for your purpose - light lines, far off and line control.
If you can find one it is a great rod for this.
Carron jetstreams 9-10 65ft Head good lighter line too.

 

[gordyT8]

Neilt recommends the 15-9 Guideline, and I tend to agree. Pretty sure there's a good condition one for sale on FB marketplace just now (not mine I hasten to add!). My preference in early season is always for a longer rod. The extra length is nothing to do with striving for extra distance, the benefit is in the ability to hang flies out in the current for longer (and slower). The extra 9" or 12" keeps more line off the water, whereas with a short rod your fly will always track more quickly - not what you really want in cold spring conditions.

 

[pfeul]

Clarification ; I'm thinking of a RB Meiser 16 '# 8!

Bonsoir Christian

IMHO the main benefits of the extra length of a 16' #8 as compared with a standard 13' #8 rod would be line control, easiness to cast long belly lines, or easiness to cast scandi lines when deep wading up to the armpits.
I might be wrong but I'm not sure you would gain some really substantial extra distance as compared to a mono running line + 40-45 ft shooting head cast with a 13'#8 rod.

 

[bluejay]

As a lover of the 16'ers I use them whenever the river is big enough, and if possible I only got to the big rivers .
My preference has been to use the longest rod I can get away with as there are advantages. The longer rods are not so hard on the body if you have good form. Struggling with a long rod will wear you down quickly and make you sore the next day. So get some instruction or watch videos or just go out and learn to use it to where the rod does all the work and not you. But by all means choose the rod that is the most fun for you. It's all about enjoying your time on the river and not struggling.
Good luck!