My day started late with a multitude of snooze button clicks, but I managed to get myself vertical and headed to the kitchen for a nice hot cup of java, grabbed a granola bar and an apple then headed for the river to test drive a new Spey rod combo I received from our tackle rep at Okuma Fishing products. The rod is a “Guide Select” 13’-8” 8wt. IM8 4 piece matched with an SLV 10/11 reel loaded with Rio 35 lb. slick shooter and a Rio 500gr. Skagit head with 10’ of T-14 to get the big intruder fly down fast. I was a little skeptical at first knowing that Okuma is mainly known as a “Gear” company and that they may not pay as much attention to their fly stuff, boy was I wrong. Now I don’t profess to be a Spey casting god, but my chuck and duck method was seeing effortless casts in the 60-70 foot range with the odd cast reaching 80 ft. (even I shock myself sometimes). I was quite pleasantly surprised to find that this set up casted beautifully. I can’t comment on the reel drag system as the lack of cooperative steelhead made this test difficult. This Spey combo is perfect for the beginner to intermediate caster who doesn’t want to break the bank or anyone looking to get their first Spey set up and enter into the world of Spey fishing. These Spey combos will be in all of our boats for the 2012 season and I’m sure our guests will love using them.
Cheers & Tight Lines,
Randy & Trish Beck
www.bcfishingguides.com
http://www.facebook.com/ultimatesportfishing
