Gonna try something new this year.

[MikeA]

I ordered 250 yards of Suffix Elite 30# florescent yellow line today. I'm going to set up a rod with some T18 and suffix running line for deep presentations. I've seen Dave use it a few times and I'm impressed with how well it handles. It'll be interesting to put it through the paces and see how well it works for what I like to do. First use will likely be deep dragging Chart/white clousers on the Cumby for Sauger. BD and I discovered how well that works by accident a few years ago. We were actually out fishing the bait guys.

[Steve H]

T18 is some heavy stuff! That sounds like a great way to present a fly deep and get it there fast.


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[bd]

Yup, it's almost sauger season again right now, isn't it?

Mike, if you string that up on your guest rod, you can offer free ear piercing too.

bd

[Travis C.]

How much mono are you putting behind that T18? Could a 7wt handle it?

If you could Mike or Dave go over a setup like that and how you'd shoot the mono backing on a cast. That sounds really interesting for lake fishing when bass are stacked on drops during summer.

[gaspergou]

T8 or T11 might work better on a 7 wt. I use a 30' T8 head on my 6 wt for deep dredging for smallmouth and walleye. Amount of mono isn't critical, but I like to have at least 2x or 3x the distance of a normal cast so if I get hung up or the mono gets abraded or nicked I can do a quick change in the field. Besides, the head/mono combo doesn't take up much space so you can either load a spool with backing or add extra mono. If you want to try real deep prospecting for lakers or whetever, it'll sink as far as you want to wait...

A stripping basket with 2-3" of water in the bottom is CRITICAL for mono management, otherwise you'll wind up with it tangling everywhere. The water keeps it lubricated and supple, and makes it shoot easier/longer. Don't try to get more than a couple of feet of mono out of the tiptop before you shoot; it doesn't do you any good. Make sure your knots are low profile and/or coated with pliobond to allow them to go through the guides more smoothly, if they get hung on your cast you can shoot the tip section right off your rod! (insert chuckle here)

There's a great intro to using heads on Dan Blanton's bulletin board, that's well worth a read.

One thing that isn't often discussed it that doing a water haul on both your forward and backcast reduces the strain on your rod, and keeps the line low and out of the air so in windy conditions it's less likely to whack you across the head or impale your fly somewhere you don't want it (and will also cast further). You don't want to get hit, the tungsten will leave a welt!

I've had a hard time finding the Sufix Elite in #30 locally, but I just picked up a spool of Sufix Supreme. I'll let y'all know how it compares. 

[MikeA]

I thought I ordered 30 but I got 25.... Oh well that'll do.

[bd]

I'm thinking if you just attached a spinning reel to the end of your flyrod it would store the mono better, and you could just put a bass sinker on the end of the line for casting instead of all that tungsten line. 

bd

[MikeA]

Well after lawn casting the suffix and T18 today my initial impression is that it'd be awesome for lake fishing. Probably better then integrated lines. I'm guessing that's the reason Dan loves em so much. If depth and distance is what you're after this setup will get it done easily! Water, or in my case, ground hauling, actually works great with this setup. It works alot better at it then the integrated lines do IMO. I never water haul the integrated lines unless I'm getting lazy with my cast and let the line drop on my backcast which happens more then I'd admit after a few hundred casts.... This line also does not aerialize anything like the integrated lines at all and from my first impression water hauling is definitely going to be the best way to cast it. It just doesn't have any feeling in the air at all to me. Could be that I need to bump down my rod size too.
I'm not sure about accuracy with this setup yet. I think from the feel of it you could shoot this line at high speed and use your line hand to pinpoint the fly into tight cover kinda like you do with your thumb on a baitcaster. Haven't tried that yet but I image it'll take some practice to get good at it if it can even be done.

Going out this weekend and I'll try it some more and report how well I like it. I gota admit the idea of having one lie that will cover some many different situations with different heads does seem appealing.   

[bee]

set it up with a 13 ft 8 weight or heavier spey rod and then overhead cast it and you will be stunned at the distance and the depth that becpme avaiable .  Fished steelhead on BC rivers with some itlaina fisherman who used this set up for the deep holding waters in coasta rtivers andthey nrought up some huge fish with it...fish that are otherwise untouchable with a fly rod..