G.Loomis Asquith (part 2)

Deschutes meets Asquith Spey

G.Loomis Asquith Rod Review (Part II of II)
You can read part one here.

Asquith Spey Part II:
Summer, 2016 I was lucky enough to demo some brand spanking new G.Loomis Asquith rods for a day. I was impressed so I wrote a positive review and then promptly figured out how to get a couple in my boat for 2017.  My new rods showed up in early January just in time some one-swing fishing for winter steelhead.  I chose a 7130 and 6129, 7 weight 13” and 6 weight 12’9”, respectively.   My initial review of these rods was positive but my exposure was pretty limited.  These rods really needed some time dragging tips in the middle of winter.

G.Loomis Asquith

I decided to fish the 7 weight which is a natural choice for winter or summer fish in Oregon, then wait until spring or summer to fish the 6 weight.  I paired the 7130 with a Hatch 7-plus that balanced the rod perfectly.  I’ve also paired it with a Galvan R-10 which is also a good fit.  As far as fly lines go, I tested a fair amount of lines on this rod and never found anything it didn’t like.   The line that is still on the 7130 is the Airflo Skagit FIST in 510 grains.  The Skagit FIST replaced the intermediate Skagit in the Airflow line up but the general idea is to slow the fly down, fish it deeper, longer.  We had a lot of high fast current this year and I found this the appropriate line for at least one rod in the boat at all times.  I cast as much as 13’ feet of T14 and a weighted bunny leech on this rig and had zero complaints.  If you could only have one line to pair this rod with, a 525 Rio Skagit Max or Airflow Compact Skagit 510, the Rio is a foot shorter which I find more user friendly but both are excellent lines.  I spent some time with the 20’ Skagit Switch from Airflow but really didn’t think it was necessary; this rod casts easy.   I had no problem delivering long heavy sink tips and weighted flies with this rod.  I have never fished a rod so light in hand that could pick up such heavy loads without a roll cast.  As far as distance and line speed go, the only limiting factor is how much running line you can manage.  How does it fish?  It has awesome pick up and delivery. Gloomis got it right when they built this rod, all the weight is in the right places so you almost don’t notice you’re holding it.  We got several nice two salt fish on this rod…it’s not overpowering but it’s not a noodle either.  This is an AAA+ do it all 30-06 rod.

I couldn’t wait on this stick, so the first time the river got to a lower flow level, I broke it out. When I set up the 6129 I also paired it with a Hatch 7-plus.  Initially I was surprised the reel wasn’t too heavy since it was perfect on the 7130, nope, not a bit of difference in balance.   Can I say again these guys at Loomis put these things together perfectly balanced.  I only put one line on this rod and it was the Airflo Skagit Switch 450 grains.  This was a guess and a good one.  With 10’ of T10 sink tips, weighted or un-weighted fly this rod quickly became my new favorite rod to fish.  In good conditions this thing bombs just as far as the big stick.

The Bearded Pescador

The 6129 made its debut on the Sandy River with my pal Ryan going back-to-back on a couple hot ones.  I was a little worried about this rod and its stopping power based the 390 grain scandi we had on it last summer but it was fine.  Like I said this is the one I fish with now unless I have to go GIANT, which is very rare for me.

Coming soon: A side-by-side comparison on the Deschutes in July and out of the jet boat.  G.loomis 6129 vs Winston BIIITH 6126.  We’ll see who gets the best in class pound-for-pound!

Fish P*rn:

G.Loomis Asquith Review (Part 1)

Sam Sickles
Steelhead Outfitters
Deschutes River Guide
www.steelheadoutfitters.com
541.400.0855

 

 

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