My swff outfit

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My swff outfit

Postby kerrywez » Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:28 pm

Hi all,
Just bought the following outfit and would like to know what you experts think about it. I would also like to know if I should buy a sinking WF line to put on the spare spool?

Airflo C8 Fly Reel - C8-69 Plus FREE Spare Spool

Airflo Polyfuse XT Cold 1 Saltwater Striper Taper WF7F

Cortland CX Saltwater 4 pc Fly Rod (9ft #9) - Save 35%

Shooting Head Backing Running Lines - No Boxes or Loops Type: Saltwater/Salmon Hi Vis Green


I have tried the fly using my 8 Ft trout rod, but it was not very good and so I thought I would buy the above outfit and have a real go at swff.

Thanks for any replies and suggestions.

Regards Wez
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby anthony2carr » Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:47 pm

Grand setup.

You should be more than ready to battle anything from our coasts.

I'd be worried about that reel however, no mention that it is saltwater proof.
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby anthony2carr » Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:47 pm

Grand setup.

You should be more than ready to battle anything from our coasts.

I'd be worried about that reel however, no mention that it is saltwater proof.
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby kerrywez » Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:57 pm

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. Funny I was thinking about the reel myself, suppose I will have to clean it well when I get back from every session, like I do with my beachcasters and multipliers.

If I find that I am getting well into the swff I shall have to buy a better reel I would think. I have been having a look on ebay and there are some reasonably reels there, I did a search for saltwater fly reels and came up with some reasonably priced ones, though I might go for some of the composite reels from ocuma or that.

Best regards Wez
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby anthony2carr » Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:45 pm

You should be OK.

But be sure to stick the reel in a basin of water overnight after each trip.

Washing alone will miss alot of sand and grit.
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby kerrywez » Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:21 pm

Thanks Anthony, the lot just arrived about an hour ago now. The rod is a very light thing, should be fun with a good fish on.
The reel is a composite one and the disk drag is sealed and water proof. It says that it can be used in saltwater. From what I can see there are no metal parts exposed on the reel.

I am thinking about getting a shooting head, but know nothing about them. Would it be possible to use the fore portion of a sinking line and then connect it to a running line?

What made me think about swff was a program on the fishing and hunting channel, on the Scandinavian satellite, it is a great channel. The tips on there are great, most of th fishing is from the USA, but also from all over Europe, They showed the best ways to cast and the stripping basket and it was not unlike the one on here, but a bought one.

All I need now is a wee bit of warm weather and to tie a few flies for the bass and sea trout, then I will be on my way.

I am very pleased with the new outfit, the rod will also do me for river fishing also.

Best regards Wez
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby anthony2carr » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:16 pm

Congratulations on the new purchase.

As for the shooting head. All the weight is inn the head of the line ( i.e. for 9 weight, the first XXft contains the casting weight) the running line is extra slim line that is designed to shoot through rod guides being pulled by line head.

I use an all in 1 line (Jim teeny, rio deep sea). But you can buy shooting heads alone, this you can accompany with mono or braid. I didn't do this because of tangling. Tangled fly line will fix itself with a quick flick, tangled mono is a different story as I'm sure you know.
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby JimH » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:38 pm

just looking at the list wez - are you deliberately 'underlining' the rod with the #7 line or is it perhaps just a mis-print -

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Re: My swff outfit

Postby kerrywez » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:08 pm

Hi Jim,
I did go out on the lawn yesterday, our lawn is over 50Mts long, and had a few swishes with the rod and I have to say that it seems to be fine. the line was the suggested one from the dealer from whom I bought the outfit, I just went with it, but I did wonder why he was suggesting a #7 line for a rod rated #9. The rod is very light, but has a very stiff action and seems to be very powerful, and I did think that the line might be a bit heavy, but they seem to be a fair match, though I have not had the opportunity to try a #8 line on it. When I get an intermediate line I shall go for a #7 and might even go for a #7 sinker. While I was trying the rod yesterday it was quite windy and I tried it into the wind and was able to shoot a good 8 yards, of line. I have been fishing fly for trout since I was a young boy and salmon since my teens and have no trouble handling any fly rod, even left handed with a trout rod, and I strip the line into large coils in my non casting hand and it shoots very well for me.

I am, as I have said previously, toying with the idea of using a shooting head, but have never used one in my life, so know little or nothing about them, save what I have read on here and other sites and forums. In your experience would I be best to use a size smaller than the rated line for the rod, for intermediate and sinking shooting heads? I was looking at getting mill ends from Mullarkeys and using them to make shooting heads. I was also considering using amnesia mono for the running line, around 20/25lbs, do you think that this would be too thin to use?

I would value your opinion on these matters as you seem to be the expert on the subject of swff and all that goes with it, so please let me have your considered opinion.

Very best regards Wez
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby JimH » Thu Mar 12, 2009 5:33 pm

Hi KW

First of all can I say I have never fished or cast with a Cortland rod and have no opinion of them. I do fish with Cortland lines and they are some of the best available, so I can only guess that your rod is pretty good too.

A nine foot #9 saltwater taper IS a pretty strong rod but not knowing how it performs, if it is fast, or mid to tip actioned has a lot of bearing on your cast and indeed how you cast. Generally most modern saltwater tapers can be over or underlined by one #. Over lining the rod will ‘slow’ its action during the cast and often help you get that ‘loading feeling’ and in general you may end up casting slightly wider loops. Under lining the rod can generate greater line speed and the lower you go in # the more difficult it becomes to ‘load’ the rod effectively. The better casters among us can still cast effectively to some extent.

Apart from your general application the line # is related to fly size – in other words, casting and turning over a 1.5/2 inch clouser minnow should be no problem with your #7, turning over a 6 or 7 inch bass fly into a head wind may prove more of an issue for you. Hence if you are casting biggish flies for pollack or bass then a move to a #9 might balance your outfit better.

Regarding shooting heads – if you are attaching custom sinking heads like Rio T11 or T14 via a loop-to-loop connection to a running line I’m assuming you have a particular application for this. If its distance your after (with management) then maybe an integrated shooting head like Rio’s outbound or even Rios custom cut integrated head could be a very good option. Or even consider Rio Max shooting head systems.

Jim Teeny series of integrated shooting heads also provide a good solution.

The Rio outbound shooting head is slightly greater than the AFTMA system for the same #. The head is short and has powerful tapers for turnover of big flies into strong winds. They are available in floating, intermediate and sinking versions. I would recommend a #9 for your #9 rod.

The finer and thinner you make your running line (mono or braid etc) the more management you will need to apply to it, you may at times get more distance but you will also get very frustrated with coils and wind and weed and waves and hence your true fishing may suffer as a result. I am no expert!
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby kerrywez » Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:00 pm

Thanks Jim for your very comprehensive reply. it is very much appreciated and welcome.

I do understand what you are saying. I would say the the rod is underlined, because there is no feel of the rod loading with the #7, I would think that a #9 wright forward would be the best line for the rod, which for it's weight and slimness, is very powerful. I think that I should go for an intermediate #9 line, from either Airflo or Cortland. As you are well pleased with your Cortland lines and as the rod is from them, I think I will go for one from them. The reason I would like the intermediate line is that I use them for most of my trout fishing and almost exclusively for salmon fishing and find that having the fly just below the surface is a great advantage. The #7 Airflo will do me for some small popper work, I hope.

I have not ordered any large flies yet, but will have to sometime, though I do tie my own, but have some minnows and deceivers coming, size 2, and will have a go with them when the water warms up a wee bit. BTW I was at your site today and was very impressed with it. It is a pity that I am not from your neck of the woods, as I found the water temp map very good, but I need one for the west coast. I have tried NOAA, but did not find one there, any chance you might share the source of the map for the east coast. I do find NOAA very good for wave hight and other stuff, but just can't find the surface water temp for here on there.

I don't suppose you know of a way to change my reel from left to right hand wind? I can put it on to reel the line in right handed, but then the drag is wrong, working when I am reeling in rather than when the line is going out. It does say , on the box the reel came in, that the reel is ambidextrous, though there is no explanation as to how you can use the reel right handed, I am just too long using reels right handed, whilst fly fishing.

I can imagine that it is quite a job casting the bigger flies into a wind and that I shall have to get used to new tricks. When I was casting into the wind yesterday, I was letting the rod a;most touch the ground to get the line to shoot into the breeze, as I would with a trout or salmon rid, fishing into a wind, but with a big fly on the end of the leader I should think that some other, or slightly differing method, would be required.

As for you not being an expert, you must be one of the foremost exponents at this new branch of our sport, so I think that the label fits.
Thanks, again, for your valiable reply Jim.

Very best regards Wez
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby JimH » Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:38 am

Hi again KW

The Cortland line that is much thought of for SWFF is the 444sl, a combination head of floating and intermediate line, it’s a very, very useful line as you can still control drifts etc with the floating section of the head and the running line, yet your fly remains subsurface. It may ‘feel’ slightly funny when casting at first as the two different materials in the head interact.

The #7 would be fine for smaller fly work no doubt.

Changing the reel from left to right hand should be pretty straight forward with the airflow as far as I can remember – as you pop off the spool you should see a ‘six sided’ nut type thing on the main spindle held in place by a ‘C’ washer gripper type thing. The spool has the female version or receiver pattern of this shape. You simply need to lift this nut out and turn it around and put it back – job done, I think!

Regarding the casting it can be a lot of work and if you have the opportunity or indeed the inclination, then I would strongly recommend a visit to an instructor.

I am glad you found the website and I hope its of some help to you, if you log onto www.probassfly.com you can subscribe via e-mail and during the season I post very regularly on conditions, notes etc which will drop into your inbox automatically.

I will be working/fishing on the West coast during April (two weeks) and spending some time on the peninsula perhaps we can meet for a pint or even a cast or two.

Bendy rods - Jim
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby kerrywez » Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:33 pm

Hi Jim,
Thanks for your reply, it is most welcome and helpful.

It would be great to meet you when you are down, I would find the experience to be very educational and informative. You never know I might just be able to show you a spot or two that should fish well with the fly. If you can let me know when you will be coming down I will make sure that I can meet you, anywhere you like.

I shall send you a PM, if I can and let you into a very important development, something that has only recently happened, down this neck of the woods and in my humble opinion it should be a great happening for swff here.

Very best regards Wez
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby JimH » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:12 am

KW

I will pm you my plans later this week - I'll will also have my car full of FF gear so you can cast/fish with various lines/heads etc just for the fun of it!

talk soon
Jim
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby kerrywez » Mon Mar 16, 2009 2:36 pm

Hi Jim,
Many thanks for your reply and very kind offer, which I will be only too happy to take you up on. I have further news for you regarding the PM I sent you last week and will PM you with the details.

Very best regards Wez
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby kerrywez » Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:26 pm

Well I finally had the chance top throw a line with the outfit and the line is way too light for the rod. I was fishing into quite a strong wind and the line would not shoot for me at all. I have now ordered 3 new lines, a floater, an intermediate and a sinker and a spare spool for the reel, all #9 weight so I should be in action when I get them.

The lines will not be with me till after Easter, but I suppose they will be worth the wait.

I caught nothing the night I was trying the outfit, no a sniff of a fish.

Best regards Wez
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby roger de dodger » Wed Apr 08, 2009 7:28 pm

if you want cheap lines to cut up and experiment with this crowd delivered quickly to me ,they seem cheap enough :wink: http://www.tacklebargains.com/acatalog/ ... ance_.html
EAST COAST BAITBUCKET RAIDER,

thornback specialist
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby JimH » Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:16 am

Hi KW

Heading your way on the last weekend of April - will have exact dates this weekend.
Will help in any way I can - and pm you later

best
Jim
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Re: My swff outfit

Postby kerrywez » Fri Apr 10, 2009 9:26 pm

Hi lads,
Thanks for that Rodger, it might well get one as I have a spare running line here.

Glad to hear that you are gettng things sorted Jim, I am looking forward to getting some real help and advice. I really hope that the water had warmed a bit more by then. I was at Rossbeigh today, not a touch and the surf could not have been better. The chap I was with had a small Bass, around 12 ins, but I was trying for a big one and using 1/2 a Mack side, on Pennell tackle size 0/4 hooks, so not much chance of getting any wee ones. My friend had his small one and a fair sized Flounder on fresh Lug. We both got well soaked by the waves splashing and I can say that the water is far from warm.

Thanks again Rodger and Jim I look forward to your message with you plans.

Very best regards Wez
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