RIO Windcutter Spey - any good?

[easky]

Hi Guys

Was looking at the RIO Windcutter Spey Flyline WWF 9/10/11 Spey Yellow / Green on the net - does anybody know what they are like? Do you know if they are a 'heavy line' and nearer the 11 rather than the 9 wt?

Its on a North American site so not sure if I would need to pay import duty? Again any experience/ advice very welcome.

many thanks

E

[wilbert]

Are you going for the multi tip or standard floater? I have had 2 multi tips and think they are great for casts of upto 30yds, if you need to cast further than this on a regular basis then I would go for something with a longer belly.

It can be a bit of a nervous time the first time you get a fish on it and hear the loop to loop connections going through the rings (multi tip only) and there were rumors of some of the earlier ones jamming in the rings but I have never experienced this or know of anyone that this has happened to.

They are quite a heavy line and some say they the presentation is not that good but you can achieve a delicate non splashy touch down but this is not as easy as say with an IG floater. If you like a fast actioned rod I would go for the 8/9/10

As a summary its easy to cast and quite versatile although not to everyones tastes (Mr WG).

[williegunn]

It is a good line for fishing small rivers, but on big rivers it is of little use being too short in the head and having the weight in the wrong place.

[elwyman]

Confession time.

Having had this discussion with WG in the past, with me singing the praises of windcutters, I have changed my mind! The sink tips are horrible to cast!

I've been using an IG floater with polytips over the last month and it is a far nicer line to cast.

I'll keep one of my windcutters for windy days and special situations, but I'll put the other two on ebay!

[kercock]

It is a line which is very easy learn to spey cast with because it has a short head of 55ft.I use one and have used them for years. If you are at the beginner stage you will manage fine with it. It was said earlier its fine up to 30 yards,the truth is comparitivly few people have any need to cast as far as that.Too many people get carried away with the casting and forget about the fishing,it's the way of things. Those of us older hands can handle the longer lines no bother , BUT, DOE'S IT CATCH US MORE FISH ?? my answer to that is NO.
My advice is,borrow one if you can,try it then think about buying one. . If you are buying it from the states ask the seller to mark it at $25,explain why and he may do it,no vat or handling charges etc. If he usesUSP for the posting forget it you will get walloped,they deduct the set charges on behalf of the government AND charge you for the priveledge. Always try before you buy. How many people on this site have made that mistake. What suits one person may not suit another and salmon fishing learning curves are or can be very expensive.

[williegunn]

kercock said:

It is a line which is very easy learn to spey cast with because it has a short head of 55ft..

But is it?
Is it not a line that enables a novice to propell a fly 15 t0 20 yds and catch the odd salmon.
I seriously dispute the fact that you can learn to speycast with one, you will learn much better with a double taper.

[easky]

thanks guys for all your comments and feedback, it has been very helpful to read your views and experiences.

I think I will hold off and see if I can try some of the lines out before buying - I would normally do this but was tempted by what appeared to be a 'good deal' , although if I was unlucky with customs it wouldn't be that good a deal

I have a friend who has the IG so I will see if I can get a cast with his, and at around £40 they seem good value

thanks again

E

[madkeen]

I wouldnt say the windcutter was for short casts, was watching a fisher a fortnight ago throwing the whole line out the rod rings must have been about a 45 yd cast at least.

[ceilidh]

If you are thinking of looking for one of the multi tips on Ebay try to get one made after 2004. These come with an additional intermediate "compensator" mid section as well as the normal floating one and the sink tips fish much better with these. Obviously the multi tips are a compromise and will be outperformed by the best single purpose lines, however, they are very versatile and well worth having if you can pick one up at a reasonable price.
I use my 9/10/11 on a 14' 9/10 Diawa amorphous whisker and also on a 15' 10/11 Bloke and it works well on both.

[petersc]

Hope you don't mind a Canadian steelheader butting in here, but to answer your question. No. And I had to own three of 'em to find out -- call me a slow learner.

Do a side-by-side comparison with an Airflo Delta Spey and you'll put the Windcutter to better use -- like tying up parcels. I did find one combo where it was excellent. I had a 7/8/9 Versa-tip and I threw Tip 2 in a drawer, hooking the tip directly to the belly for a 40' shooting head. Worked great then. But later I wised up and bought real shooting heads from Guideline and Vision. The 7/8/9 went EBay.

The synopsis: poor turnover compared to other short head lines especially with the Type 6 and 8 tips, won't handle super fast sinking 10' Polyleaders off the tip of the floater (unlike the others), poor short range casting compared to the others, and has an 'all or nothing' casting feel thanks to the very heavy, short belly, and long, wimpy front taper. Fish a floater Windcutter side-by-side with the comparable Delta Spey, Hardy Mach II, or SA Short Head and it ain't even close.

Like WG says, under 30 yards, use a DT line. If you want a sinktip, buy a good quality salmon DT floater, hack it at the 15' mark and then either loop on 15' factory tips or make them from cheap DT sinkers -- much, much better casting and turnover, covering typical fishing distances, than a Windcutter. I've done this to a DT-9-F, DT-10-F and a DT-11-F with good success.

The Windcutter may have been the top dawg of the short heads a few years ago, but today it's at the back of the pack. It may out-sell the rest, but that says more about Rio's savvy marketing than anything else.

Peter