Recently I have been in the market for a new fly rod and reel in the 6 wt range to cover pond/lake fishing, bass, carp and streamer fishing for trout. When I am looking at buying or upgrading a rod I am always interested in having it cover more then one need, and I figured a good 6wt rod and reel would allow me to cover a wide range of techniques and situations. The main reason for my interest in a rod in this range is due to the upcoming first annual Angling Sports Spring Fly Fishing Competition being organized and run by the Sotto Fly Fishing Club, but with that said I think the versatility of this setup will bring me lots of use outside of competitions.
Reel - Greys GX500
With this rod/reel having the main focus on still water fishing I knew that I would want a system or reel that would allow me to quickly change lines and be ready to fish. Being able to buy additional spools for a fly reel is handy, but often times the spools cost as much as 1/2 to 2/3rds the cost of the reel itself, so with a nice reel in the $200-400 range this can add up really quick.
I have often heard about cartridge or cassette reels and started doing some research into them. I ended up looking at and really liking the Greys Gx500 6/7/8 and purchased it from money that I put aside from selling flies and gear that I did not use. The Greys GX500 is a cartridge reel that comes with the reel housing and three spare cartridges as well as a reel case to carry everything safely. A cool feature of the Greys cartridge reel is the ability to quickly label and identify fly lines that are on the spool. It comes with 15 red little plastic circles that clip into the spool allowing you to designate the weight of the line and its characteristics I.E intermediate, hover, floating, full sink etc. I figured to cover the whole range I would need a full floating line, intermediate line and a full sink. Spare cartridges for the Greys GX500 seem to be in the $9-14 price range making it more then affordable to have a wide range of lines rigged and ready to go for every situation.
Cartridge 1: Air Cel Trout 6wt Floating (Scientific Angler)
The SA Air Cel floating lines are on the cheaper side of fly lines, I believe that I picked mine up for around $29 or so. I have used very similar lines and have always opted for cheaper price points on floating lines for trout/panfish setups. I have only gotten a chance to use this line on the grass as of right now because most ponds and lakes are still frozen over hard and from what I can tell it performs very similar to other WF floating lines I have used. Nothing special but a crucial part of any kit.
Cartridge 2: Rio Lake 6wt Hover (Rio)
The price point of the Rio Lake fly lines is around $75-80. For me this is a lot to spend on a fly line but I do realize that sometimes you get what you pay for. Luckily for me I picked this fly line up brand new in the sale bin at Angling Sports (London, Ontario) for $39. The specs on the line indicate that it sinks at 1 inch per second and is meant for fishing within the first 6 feet of lakes or ponds so its intended for shallower waters. I figured that this line would be great for fishing wet flies, nymphs and soft hackles in shallower waters, it sinks about half as fast as most intermediate lines. I have only tested this line out on the grass casting but it performs well, I am curious to see how it reacts in the water when being fished.
Cartridge 3: InTouch Deep 3 6wt Full Sink (Rio)
Yet again another pricier fly line, MSRP sits at $79. I lucked out and was able to buy this line from a friend at more then half off the retail price. The specs indicate that this line sinks at a rate of 3-4ips and is a full sinking line. The head on this line rates at 210 grains so should be a cannon and easy to cast in lake and pond situations. Casting this line on the grass I have found it nice and smooth with good weight behind the head, fits well with the rod I have matched it with. I cannot wait to use this out on the water and get a reel for its applications in stillwater fishing.
Rod - Redington Voyant 9'6 6wt
When looking for a rod I was looking at many different manufacturers and styles. I had looked at the St.Croix Imperial rods, TFO BVK, and a few other rods in the $200-350 range and even considered having Midwest Custom Fly Rod make me a rod. At this time I saw that a friend was looking to sell a brand new Redington Voyant 9'6 6wt rod at almost half the MRSP. I do own another Redington rod, that being a 9'6 8wt Pursuit that I purchased for salmon fishing so I have an idea of the quality that they bring to the table. I figured that the 9'6 rod would give me a little more reach and make roll casting from shore a lot easier when fishing still water so I figured it would be a good match. I have taken it out for a spin on the grass and really liked the feel and smoothness of this rod. In matching it with the reel I found that the balance point is slightly above the cork handle causing the rod to be a bit heavy in the tip, but this is something I have encountered in the past with other light reels and longer rods and it does not seem to have effected my casting stroke or ability to cast a rod. I cannot wait to get it out on the water to test more thoroughly, I think it will be a great addition to my collection and will cover a wide range of situations and provide me with years of use.
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