Fast Action Spey Rod

[beanieboy]

I prefer a fastish action spey rod and have been looking for something fast and light with backbone. Have looked at the Ian Gordon 15' #10/11 which is described as fast, however I do not find it so - I tried a Vision GT4 Catapult 15' #11 and found it much better than the Ian Gordon - this rod is delightful and is at the top of my 'must have' list unless there is a better [by better I mean a faster, lighter and more powerful] rod out there. I do rate the Guideline LPXe range very highly, although the handle is much too short [underhand type]. Anyone recommend a fast spey rod to rival the GT4?

[madkeen]

Have you tried the bloke rods i tried one(cant remember the model) of them this year and would have classed it as fast.I know these rods are recommended by some although it did not suit my casting.there are a couple on ebay just now.
alan

[robmason]

The Bloke rods are certainly fast, light and powerful, doing everything I've ever asked of them any how. Certianly worth a try.

[beanieboy]

Yes, I have the Bloke 5 piece #10/11 - it is medium/fast but not as fast as the Vision GT4 Catapult - it is a fine rod though and is as you describe light and powerful. I believe the earlier 3 and 4 piece were faster than the newer 5 piece.

[robmason]

I have the 4 pce. Not tried a 5 pce yet so can't comment on action.

[williegunn]

I cast the five piece yesterday, it is a big step forward on the 4 piece (which rapidly became 5 piece(s) when they broke).
Not a B&W by any means and if looking for a budget rod I would tend towards the Oralcle, but certainly usable.

[ceilidh]

I tried the Bloke 4 piece, which didn't really suit me, so Mick swapped it for the 5 piece, which works just fine and is now my standard rod for spring and back end on the Tweed. However, I find the whole concept of fast and slow rods very subjective and often misleading, depending upon the style of (spey) casting of the user. What might seem slow to an underhand caster using shooting heads might be considered too fast by a more traditional spey caster using a longer bellied line, even if this was a modern 'spey' profile rather than a DT.

It would certainly be interesting to hear from 'the experts' about their definitions of slow and fast and how they adapt to each type of rod.

[beanieboy]

I like to try as many rods as possible - when it comes to spey rods, and their actions, I have found there to be few experts. When I talk of fast action I mean a stiffer tip to middle action rather than the fast action associated with some of the more progressive actions that incorporate a fast recovery. My preference is a shorter casting stroke which is why I use 'faster rods' and heads of 65' maximum. Some folk will tell you that you cannot spey cast unless you are using a through actioned rod [eg Norway etc] - this is nonsense - individual style is a key factor. Have to say though I was greatly dissappointed with the action of the Ian Gordon 15' 10/11 - lovely finish and very light, but [despite the description] medium fast at best. The Bloke 5 piece is, in my opinion, very good, albeit a bit to through actioned for me. As stated in my first post the GT4 Catapult is superb.

ceilidh said:

I tried the Bloke 4 piece, which didn't really suit me, so Mick swapped it for the 5 piece, which works just fine and is now my standard rod for spring and back end on the Tweed. However, I find the whole concept of fast and slow rods very subjective and often misleading, depending upon the style of (spey) casting of the user. What might seem slow to an underhand caster using shooting heads might be considered too fast by a more traditional spey caster using a longer bellied line, even if this was a modern 'spey' profile rather than a DT.

It would certainly be interesting to hear from 'the experts' about their definitions of slow and fast and how they adapt to each type of rod.

[macd]

Like graham i have one of these would recommend it

[williegunn]

beanieboy said:

Some folk will tell you that you cannot spey cast unless you are using a through actioned rod [eg Norway etc] - this is nonsense -

Yep total nonsense the Norway is a fast rod.

[storlaks]

1st. Guideline Le Cie 14ft 8in Fast Action. Matched with head lenghts of 55-70ft.....unbeatable..IMO.

2nd. LPXe 15ft. Short handles make no difference to speycasting at all. I've used a Loomis GLX (very similar to LPXe) for years matched with spey heads of 60-85ft. no problem. Best price/performance rod....the LPXe, not the GLX (-:

3rd. Loop Greyline (half price at Fishtec) 15ft. More progressive, but fast recovery. a little heavier then the guidelines, but a lovely rod to cast.

I agree with Springer though, have a go with a few before you buy...if you can.

[themoygreen]

You cant beat the B+W norway speycaster 15ft 10/11.There a fast action rod
and you can throw some line with them aswell.

themoygreen

[ceilidh]

I am still confused by the definitions of 'fast' rods. I have always thought that tip or middle to tip actions fell into the fast or medium fast categories and the more 'through' actions into the slower ones and that this (in spey casting) equated to either, or both of, a difference in the length of casting stroke, or of the difference in timing between the back and forward strokes in order to achieve a good cast. I recently tried a friend's 15' 9/10 B&W Norway and found this, even during my first few casts, one of the easiest and most timing tolerant rods I had ever handled. In fact, after a couple of hours I was deliberately trying to test it,s tolerance to the limit!

Would I therefore be wrong in assuming that the faster the rod, the more accurate your timing needs to be and the more precisely the weight of line (or the length outside the rod tip) needs to be matched to that particular rod? Obviously, here I am talking about the modern specialised spey lines, since with a DT one can, within reason, vary the length of line to be aerialised to suit the capability of the rod.

[beanieboy]

Nonsense indeed - get real, the Norway is not a fast rod - it is not a stiff rod nor has it a particularly fast recovery - what it is is the fastest of the B&W range. If you describe the Norway as fast then the aforementioned LPXe, LeCie, GT4 are absolute rockets.

williegunn said:

beanieboy said:

Some folk will tell you that you cannot spey cast unless you are using a through actioned rod [eg Norway etc] - this is nonsense -

Yep total nonsense the Norway is a fast rod.

[beanieboy]

Gordon

I know of an Altmor Orator 15' 9/11 on offer - is this the model you are referring to? - you mention that it has a fast tip action, do you know where I can get the full spec on this rod [weight etc] - can't seem to get much info from the net.

regards

Des

graham said:

If you are looking for a fast tip action 15ft rod try and find a Daiwa Alltmor Orator. They were discontinued last year but you may find one on offer somewhere. I have one but it needs very exact timing to get the best out of it because of the fast action, but get it right and the line flies out of the rings.

[beanieboy]

Over here in Ireland when you get someones christian name wrong they say it is a sign you will meet a new woman - so beware! - many thanks for the info.

regards

Des

[beanieboy]

Have just purchased a new 15' Altmor Orator 9/11 from Foxons for £200 inc postage - can't be bad at that price. Thanks again for all the advice.

[beanieboy]

Graham/Ross

Out of interest which lines do you favour for your Orator?