i was going to put this up so thanks for the prod
i think these lines are a good idea for the folks that want a line that can cover a lot of situations. at the price of $60 they are ten bucks more than a skagit or scandi head but may cover just about anything our area has. i do have demo lines in the 6-7-8 if anyone want to test them out.
#5 is 390 grains 37 feet long.
#6 is 460 grains and 38 feet long.
#7 is 520 grains and 39 feet long.
#8 is 590 grains and 40 feet long.
#9 is 660 grains and 41 feet long.
Easter Sunday GL steelhead, the first to stretch the line for me.
pic by Suzy
two days ago lower down on the same creek with some new arrivals.
i was a little puzzled by the line size listed vs the grain weights of the heads but it does make more sense after fishing them. you likely should follow the line number and not the grains so much unless you are truly underhand casting these lines with a light, high anchor. i fished the 6 (460) on my T&T 1107 and the 7 (520) on my T&T1208. i do use an underhand, light anchor stroke. those that do not will want to stick with the designated line size for the rod.
OK that out of the way i really liked the lines and the system in general. i fished the first day with the 6wt with the floating tip removed and one of the new 8' t7-tips on the 11' rod. removing the tip made it a perfect 30' for the 11 footer and that t-7 tip wasn't even noticeable in the casting. 7 ips was perfect for where we were fishing so that's as far as i got that day. with the tip removed the line reminded me of the 6/7wt NW skagit. about the same length and similar taper, to feel anyway. plenty of power to turn the tip and a weighted tube leech, hell i even hooked three fish and landed two.
the second day way down river and a lot more water i used the 7 wt line on the 1208 at first with the t-7 tip on with the floating tip. this really flew off the rod with the added length and taper and was making me look good. problem was too much water and not enough tip. so i removed the floating tip and went right to the 8' t-15 tip to see how it would go. to my surprise it went very well even with a large tube leech. still sticking with single speys and an underhand type light anchor i was able to handle casts out to about 70' and easily could have done more but the far bank was in the way. i would say that would be about the limit for weight in an average casters hands, especially with a bulky, weighted fly. moved to some slower water a bit later and went to the t10 tip and back to easy casting again.
all in all seems like a fine addition to the lineup and may just challenge the two head system (skagit and scandi) for a lot of folks. it is nice to have one head that can do most of it especially for those new to the sport who don't want to sort through all of the different matchups just to get out and fish. or for those who like to stick with one line that can handle a wide range of applications. for us GL folks a versatile line is what we have been needing and asking for i'm glad someone listened.
i would be very interested in hearing anyone else's experiences with these lines, especially matchups to particular rods.
i don't know if their simultaneous release was just a coincidence but i used the new 8' "T" tips from airflo with the tactical steelhead and they worked very well, even the t-15 with the floating tip removed. i also used rio's t-8 and airflo's CCT 200, both at 8'. i think 10' would be about the limit on all but the t-7 or 8.
poly leaders up to any length and weight would work off the floating tip too.
i did try the 8 wt rated line (590) on the T&T1208 and it was very easy casting. i liked the slightly lighter feel of the 520 but for fishing in auto mode the 8 line matched the 8 rod well.
from yesterday, T&T1208, airflo tactical steelhead 8wt floating tip removed, 8' of t-10 1" copper tube marabou leech.
