Viking Lars | Saturday, 13 May 2017
Not a big fly rod - as in the rod's big, but a rod for big flies. When it comes to casting big, wind resistant flies, two factors matter more than others, and that's line weight and front taper. If you have the right line, all that's left is finding a rod that suits you.
When it comes to big flies, I'm thinking about pikeflies. Not all pikeflies are big (although the "small" ones are usually quite a lot bigger that most flies). A "small" say 4-inch flashabou pikefly can easily be cast on a 6-wt with the right line. The big ones need more weight - back to that later.
I use shooting heads most of the time - presentation doesn't matter that much, and 90% of my pike fishing is done from either a float tube or my Andersson Speedster pontoon boat. And sitting in either of those, changing a shooting head is fast and easy (although I often have two rods ready).
There are some really fine big fly fly lines on the market, and I enjoy using them - especially on a boat where you have a little more height over the water and often can stand.
I've more or less always fishing 8-wts when pikefishing. Sometimes a little too heavy, sometimes a little too light. Not because of the fish (although it's nice to be able to muscle a pike away from snags), but mainly because of the flies. As I said, many pike flies can be cast on a 6-wt with the right line, but often, using a really big fly lures out the really big pike.
The ones in the PoD are about 30cm long (app. 12 inches) and can be cast on an 8-wt. But put a little wind into the equation, and maybe even a Wiggle Tail on the back, and the 8-wt is a little undergunned.
So - I'm now awaiting Lee to do his magic on a 10-wt Hot Torpedo I ordered. That'll give me the extra line weight I need to more comfortably cast those big flies with tails when it's windy (which it is most of the time). I have two double hand shootingheads reserved for cutting up for this rod. I think I can cut them to 24grams and about 8,5m, and that'll be a good starting point. I've yet to try the HT 10 with shootingheads, so the first tests will be based on what I use for my 8-wts. I'm confident the rod can carry even more if needed, but 24grams is more than enough to carry these flies and I don't want to cast and fish heavier heads that I need to.
Have a great weekend!
Lars