Grampa Spey
02-21-2009, 08:54 AM
Thursday afternoon, I was trying SA's new Sharkskin shooting/running line with a new Skagit 600 head with my Z7136.
At first I was using a size 6 Copper John with a tungsten head, green body and rubber legs.
I had a couple of taps, and I had been seeing small flashes of silver in the foam line.
At the end of the day, I took off the CJ and replaced it with an orange soft egg fly at the end of my 7' Versi Leader with a couple feet of tippet. Then, I went back close the river edge to put the egg fly into the foam instead of casting way over it. I had a couple of whacks, and then a 10-12" native half pounder hit the fly and went aero for a couple of times. He was tired after that, pulling around the Skagit towline. Of course the Z7136 was too much rod, and I had him in and released in less than a minute.
Soon one of his clones did the same thing. While I was getting him into release him, I noticed some jumping silver about twice the size of the first two. I brought in my line, cut off the egg fly, made a loop at the end of the 10# tippet and attached some 3# tippet and a yellow and black California pest in warmer weather. A jumper hit and broke the tippet as the line hit. Too much tension with the big Skagit head in the water.
Next trip, a mental note to take my Z6126 down with an AFS head, 15' Spey Leader and a little heavier tippet. Then cast into the foam line instead of 20-30 ft over it.
At first I was using a size 6 Copper John with a tungsten head, green body and rubber legs.
I had a couple of taps, and I had been seeing small flashes of silver in the foam line.
At the end of the day, I took off the CJ and replaced it with an orange soft egg fly at the end of my 7' Versi Leader with a couple feet of tippet. Then, I went back close the river edge to put the egg fly into the foam instead of casting way over it. I had a couple of whacks, and then a 10-12" native half pounder hit the fly and went aero for a couple of times. He was tired after that, pulling around the Skagit towline. Of course the Z7136 was too much rod, and I had him in and released in less than a minute.
Soon one of his clones did the same thing. While I was getting him into release him, I noticed some jumping silver about twice the size of the first two. I brought in my line, cut off the egg fly, made a loop at the end of the 10# tippet and attached some 3# tippet and a yellow and black California pest in warmer weather. A jumper hit and broke the tippet as the line hit. Too much tension with the big Skagit head in the water.
Next trip, a mental note to take my Z6126 down with an AFS head, 15' Spey Leader and a little heavier tippet. Then cast into the foam line instead of 20-30 ft over it.