Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Review: Redington Dually 7130-4 13’ 7wt Spey Rod

Pictured is the eye appealing Redington Dually Spey Rod. Its light in hand, attractive to the eye and it won’t break the bank to get one. At only $249.95 it is worth a serious consideration if you want to get into a Spey or Switch rod, or need a backup rod!

According to: Redington, in their words: Our new collections of switch and Spey rods are built on high-end performance and sweet style at less than half the cost of the competition. Half the cost! The Dually at $249 offers an array of modern cosmetics, with a traditional cork handle and reel seat, and a burgundy matte finish. This thing casts and flows tips like fine wine. Two hands are better than one.

My take: I recently had the pleasure of taking the Redington Dually 7130-4, 13’ 7wt Spey Rod out for a ride. Let me start out by saying that in this day and age of high tech and high dollar Switch and Spey rods it was refreshing to use a rod that I would easily and eagerly recommend to someone who is looking for a bargain or is on a tight budget and yet would still enjoy fishing with it.

The Redington Dually is a perfect example. When it comes to a great deal, in my mind Redington’s new Dually, at the M.S.R.P. of $249.95 would be a go to rod and the added bonus of a Lifetime Warranty doesn’t hurt its cause either. This is the perfect entry level rod that’s easy on the eyes and easy on the pocket book. I also think that it would make a perfect back up rod for someone who may need one in a pinch. I found it very smooth and very easy to cast, and yet had lots of power. It’s an easy rod to fall in love with and I believe it’s a better rod than the $249.95 price tag suggest. In other words, for your money, all things considered, at this price you can’t go wrong!

I enjoyed the feel of the full on cork handle (anyone who knows me knows I am real picky when it comes to the feel of the handle on my Spey rods) and for a 13’ rod, the 6.8 ounces felt light in hand. If you’re thinking 6.8 ounces is pretty light, well you’d be right. That is light...very light! To make my point, in comparison to a high quality and high dollar rod that’s at the top of the food chain, let’s compare it to the Sage Method 7126-4 for instance. The Method weighs in at a lean 6.5 ounces on a 7126-4 (12’6” 7wt) compared to the 7130-4 Dually (13’ 7wt). The Dually is 6” inches longer and only weighs .8 ounces more. I can’t compare the two in other areas other than weight because it would be like comparing a Porsche to a Volkswagen. At the Gorge Fly Shop, Travis the store owner says, and I quote…”If you don’t want to buy a more expensive rod…don’t cast one!” and this is true.

That being said and staying in the context of this review of the Dually, my overall take is that the Dually is an exceptional rod for your money and I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase one if I was interested in starting to Spey fish. It truly is a better rod than the sticker price suggests, and it’s a joy to cast and fish with. Also, to repeat myself, the Lifetime Warranty is another major bonus!

Line Match-ups/recommendations: For those who like a more traditional set up, the Redington Dually has a softer tip action which allows for a deeper load and marries sweetly with the Rio Short Head Spey #7/8wt with its 44’ head length. This was a sweet combo and surprisingly very easy, I’ll say it again…very easy to cast and a refreshing change from stripping in of all your running line for the next cast, like we do when using Skagit type heads. For the Skagit Masters out there the Rio Max Short 525gr head, yes I am a fan of the short heads even on a 13’ Spey rod or the Skagit Max 500gr head would be excellent choices as well. If nymph fishing is in your bag of tricks, the Dually 7113 or the Dually 8119 switch rods matched with the new Rio Switch Chucker lines would be an awesome tool (but that’s a whole other review).

FEATURES:

Two handed series with offerings in both heavy and lighter weights
Custom full-cork handles/reel seat (feels great in your hand)
Suggested grain weights on all rods (to take the guess work out of it)
Alignment dots (for those of us who are sight impaired)
Lifetime Warranty (who doesn’t like that?)
The Redington Dually offers 4 through 8-weights in switch models and 6 through 8-weights in Spey selections in a range of lengths.

Line Recommendations for the Redington Dually 7130-4 7wt:

Skagit Max 500gr
Skagit Max Short 525gr
Rio Scandi 480gr
Rio Short Head Spey #7/8

I’ll end with this. Years ago I was stubborn to the whole Spey rod emergence here in the Pacific Northwest. Ask any client of mine that fished with me as they started showing up on the rivers I guided, and they’ll tell you how stubborn I was. I had no interest in swinging a 14’ 9wt Spey rod that felt like a weight lifting bar for an 8 pound steelhead. I was perfectly happy torturing my shoulder with my single hander. Nothing about that triggered my attention…BUT TODAY…that has all changed! With manufactures pressing the envelope of lighter, stronger, better and faster attitudes…I perked up like a black lab begging you to throw the ball. Today, I don’t even own a single hand rod. The sheer pleasure of casting a two handed rod has smothered any thoughts of turning back. I absolutely love swinging for steelhead with two handed rods. If you are on the fence, jump on off and grab a Dually, slip into your waders, lace up your boots, and let the addiction begin!