Spey Day with George Cook

A few brave souls casting some sweet sticks from Sage and Redington

On a snowy March morning Ryan and I drove (Ryan drove, I was Miss Daisy) up to Bend Oregon to meet up with George Cook for Georgie's annual Spey Day event of 2016. George puts on this private event so dealers and their employees have the opportunity to come out and test drive all Sage and Redington two hand spey and switch rods equipped with the latest RIO spey lines. No pressure to cast like a champ in front of the general public; just a few guys on the river taking as much time as they want getting to know the rods that they talk about on a daily basis. 

Andrew’s Overall favorite:  

This hasn’t changed for me at all in three years now.  It was the Sage ONE 7136-4.  There is not a rod that is easier to cast out there.  It is just such a joy to cast and fish all day.  If I had just one rod, this would be it. (Let’s hope that I never have to have just one though).

Ryan’s Overall Favorite: 

Mr. Wiggles for the win! The Accel 7126-4 was awesome!  A med/fast action rod that is smooth, powerful, light in the hand and super responsive.  I have been leaning towards shorter spey and swicth rods these days as they are better fits for my casting stroke and the water I fish the most.  This rod would absolutely cover most any condition you could run into for winter or summer steel.  Plain and simple, Mr Wiggles is the bomb!

Super sweet smooth loops with the Accel

Andrew’s Surprise favorite:  

The Accel 7126-4, a.k.a. “Mr. Wiggles” blew me away.  I couldn’t believe how comfortable and responsive it was.  It reminded me of the old Z-Axis, but the handle is smaller and more comfortable, and it feels lighter and more responsive.  I absolutely love it now, and I hadn’t given it much thought before.  It isn’t as fast as the ONE, but faster than the MOD.  It is in the favorites list for sure. Just because it isn’t Konnetic Technology doesn’t make it any less of a sweet stick.

Ryan’s Surprise Favorite:  

The Sage One Trout Spey 10’9” 2wt.  I thought this stick would just be too wimpy, but it has amazing casting distance and control and is unbelievably light and crisp.  This would be so much fun to fish soft hackles, dries, and small streamers on.  If you are looking for some small ball fun, this is it!

Andrew’s Sleeper favorite:  

Andrew ripping some off

The Redington Dually 8119-4.  I was expecting it to be heavy and clunky.  After ten minutes or so, I was formulating reasons (excuses) to buy this rod when I already have three switch rods.  This is light and powerful, and is just right for small coastal streams with big, strong winter fish.  I feel a little under-gunned with a 7wt switch on the coast in February when the potential for a 20# chromer is very good, but this fills the gap and is fun to cast. 

Ryan’s Sleeper Favorite:  

The Accel 7114-4 Switch!  I love switch rods, and have had my Sage One 7116-4 in my hand almost every day on the water since I bought it.  This Accel is so sweet and smooth.  Again very light like the One, but a bit softer.  This would be a great all around switch 7wt for anyone.

Andrew’s Redington Favorite:  

The Chromer 7126-4 is such a sweet rod!  I had cast the 7136-4 a few times and really it, but the shorter spey rod had a nice feel to it and really stuck out as a rod that I could get used to.  My casts were flying long and straight with ease. 

Ryan’s Redington Favorite:  

Going to be a broken record here: The Chromer 7126-4.  As I stated above I really have started to favor shorter spey rods and this one proves it once again.  Light in the hand, smooth but powerful casting, the best of both worlds.  I have been a fan of the Chromer 7136-4, especially at the price it retails for, and I think I like the 7126-4 even more!

Andrew’s Least Favorite:  

The Sage Pulse 7130-4 was my least favorite in the bunch.  I can say with confidence that any spey rod that Sage or Redington makes today is far, far nicer than any rod that I learned to cast with nearly 15 years ago.  This rod is stiffer than I prefer and it feels unresponsive.  I still would fish it with confidence as it is powerful and can launch casts with accuracy, but it was my least favorite rod in the bunch. 

Ryan’s Least Favorite:  

Well, I might catch some flak for this, but the MOD 7130-4 and 6130-4 were a bit of a disappointment to me.  Some guys at the spey day liked them, but these rods were just missing something to me.  I am not going to say they are bad rods, maybe just that for the price they disappointed me the most.  They are moderate action, but it doesn’t have that umpf and “soul” that good moderate rods like the Winstons or Burkheimers have.  They just felt a bit lifeless to me and that is no bueno for a $1000+ rod.

Another great Spey Day with George Cook!

We are both looking forward to doing this again next year as any day that we can spend on the water casting different rods is a bonus.  If you have any questions about any Redington or Sage spey/switch rod, feel free to give us a call, there is a good chance we spent some time on the water with it recently.

Andrew Perrault
Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports
Gorge Fly Shop | Product Specialist
541.386.6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Spey Day 2015 | My Experience, Your Benefit | Bend, Oregon

Got the email from Erik of Angler's Rendezvous (our Sage, Redington and Rio reps) that our annual Farbank Mini Spey day was going down on March 22nd, 2015 in Bend, Oregon, a short three hours drive from my hometown of Hood River. I thought, what a great excuse to get away and spend six hours casting Spey and Switch rods until my hands had to be pried from the cork handles...Like a warrior who's held a sword for hours during battle and his hands won't let go.

Spey Day - Bend Oregon

Sage and Redington Spey & Switch rods
patiently wait their turn to perform.

If this years Spey day is anything like last years, I am going to thoroughly enjoy it. It's not too often that a guy has the chance to cast multiple Spey and switch rods side by side, for an instantaneous direct comparison. To really get a feel for the difference, casting different models, lengths and tapers side by side is by far the best method of telling the differences. Honestly, not only is it fun for me to spend the 6 hours casting all the rods but it translates into the confident conversations that I have on a daily basis with customers who call the shop or drop in looking for guidance in making their first spey rod purchase or their tenth.

From a customers standpoint, there is nothing like talking to someone on the phone that has actually cast or fished with the rod that they are interested in. From a shops standpoint there is nothing like having an employee who has actually cast or fished with the rod that the customer is interested in. First hand knowledge of equipment reeks through your conversation over the phone. I hate talking to someone that seems to be reading right out of the catalog trying to sell me something. It doesn't take too long to realize when this is happening.

Google or YouTube anything today and in a matter of milliseconds you have years of information and opinions at your fingertips. This is a good thing and it can be a bad thing. Good because you can do research without the pressure of a used car salesman breathing down your neck paid by commission. Bad because you can do your research...too much research...research overload, so much to the point you can't make a decision one way or another. You're now more confused than when you first started. If you're reading this and are thinking of making a Spey or Switch rod purchase, with all due respect, do some research, and pick just a couple of fly shops that actually fish with spey rods and you're confident with, give them a call and get dialed in. I have had numerous conversations with customers who have over researched and finally, out of desperation reach out to us. I once had a customer (if this is you, I didn't mention any names) straight up, within the first few seconds of our conversation confessed that he had been researching the equipment he was interested in for months and that he had literally called nearly every fly shop in the United States and now was so frustrated because he kept getting conflicting intel. I totally understood what he was saying and I respectfully said to him...that he had become so saturated with information he couldn't make a decision because most of the folks he talked to contradicted the previous guy he called. I politely said to him that he needed to take a breath and pick a couple of shops, who actually use spey rods, and start to trust somebody. He agreed with my statement and confessed that he was exhausted from all the research and he thanked me for being so honest with him. I could actually feel the tension in his voice subside as I told him this.


In short he'd become so overloaded with different personal preferences from so many shops that he couldn't choose. Shop employees where giving him advise on their casting preferences but neglecting to ask him about his. He was transitioning into the two handed world from single hand rod experience. So I was able to gather enough info from him and his background with a single hand rod that I could recommend a rod suitable to the casting style he was already used to, which made for a smoother transition for him. The equipment he was interested in was expensive and he wanted the confidence that he was making the right choice for his investment. He didn't have a local shop that he could test drive the equipment or talk to anyone who even used a spey rod.

Spey Rods and Reels stacked like chord wood!
OK, where do I start!

There are many reasons why you need to take a deep breath, sit back, relax a bit, and approach the spey/switch scene with a bit of trust. I say that assuming from this point on you will take my advice and use a shop that actually lives and breaths to spey fish and knows the equipment.

There are a number of variables that will help us get you dialed in. For instance, your casting style, are you on the aggressive side or are you a bit more laid back and patient, what size of a river you fish, what style or technique will you want to use and much more. I cannot give you a true diagnosis of the correct rod you should choose, by just considering my casting style. That would be like going to the doctor because you're ill and the Doctor diagnoses you with his symptoms. Doesn't make sense, does it? I need to gather as much information from you to help you make the right choice.






For example, I once set up a petite woman with a Sage One 7116-4 (11'6" 7 weight) Switch rod and a Rio Skagit Max Short head due to the fact that she was small, the shorter switch rod and head fit her perfectly. The standard, go to, introduction to Spey rods, Sage One 7136-4 (13'6" 7 weight) was too big for her. Once she took the Switch rod outfit to the river, it didn't take her long to fall in love with it. I try my best to get as much information from the customer and their casting style before recommending which rods would suit them. If they have no experience at all, either with a single hand rod or a two hander, my default recommendation is typically a fast action rod such as the Sage One. There's a reason for this. Typically a fast action rod is much more forgiving than an ultra-fast action rod, were your timing is somewhat critical, or a slow action rod because most people, honestly don't have the patience to wait for a deep flexing rod to load up before they start their forward stroke. When casting an ultra fast rod, such as the Sage Method, if your stroke is on its "A" game the rod will let you know how awesome you are by producing blistering line speed with little effort. BUT if you're having a "B" day, you're gonna struggle and you may not like the Method so much. The Sage One is the perfect go to rod for most folks. It's easy going for a somewhat laid back caster, super smooth and yet still has the power if you give it a little more umph on your bottom hand when you need to. Now there are other rods that have a fast action that would suit the needs of most folks, I'm just using the Sage One as an example, because in the Sage lineup of rods, it is my go to "comfort food" rod. It's an amazing tool. I wouldn't know these intimate details of the Sage One if I didn't have a personal relationship with the rod. The Method is an awesome rod, no joke, it's awesome...for the guy who loves an ultra fast rod...not so awesome for the guy who likes a more traditional full flex rod.


In the six hours I spent casting, I cast 4 weight switch rods to 15' 10 weight spey rods and everything in between. Spending considerable amounts of time on each. If you want to test your casting skills grab a 4 wt switch rod and immediately after casting that for 20 minutes grab the 15' 10 weight Sage Method, then go straight for the Sage Accel 7126-4 aka "Mr. Wiggles" and just see if it doesn't take some adjusting before you get your stroke back. This is why I go to these "Spey Days". To be able to grab rods and cast them side by side for an accurate instant comparison is priceless for the customer who doesn't have that opportunity or have a local shop that they can do so themselves. My experience equals your benefit. You, the consumer benefits from my personal time spent with each of these rods. Now, if you call the shop and ask me about a rod that I have never cast, I will tell you that I have never cast that one...yet. I will be honest with you and tell you that I haven't lined that rod up yet. I can still describe the action of the rod, maybe even talk to you about the taper, give you a great line recommendation but this conversation won't have the passion in it compared to the rod I have actually went out and spent time on the water with or even personally owned. You can tell when someone has a bit of passion about something.


I'll end with this. The "Spey Day" was on one of my days off...just sayin...

Low and Clear

This beautiful Steelhead was caught on a Sage One 6126-4 in low clear water conditions. When water is low and clear, lighter rods, lighter sink tips or no sink tips, and natural colored flies are a good choice to improve your odds in landing the prize...

Remember, if you can’t find it at the Gorge Fly Shop, you don’t need it!

Gorge Fly Shop
John Garrett | Product Specialist
541.386.6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

George Cook - Spey Day on the Sandy River

Spey Day: Opportunity to cast an entire series of Sage and Redington rods!

Once a year and always seemingly the wettest day possible, George Cook (Northwest Representative for Sage, Redington and Rio) organizes a one day event set aside just for dealers to come and cast the entire arsenal of two hand equipment. Sort of a mini spey clave. The idea evolves around getting the rods in the hands of the guys that actually sell the equipment and taking them for a test drive. It also allows us to test the different lines available from Rio.

Interview with George Cook - 2/1/2014 - Spey updates

Gearing up by the fire!

On a cold winters evening I sat and made a phone call to George Cook to catch up and see what the latest news is in the fly fishing industry. For those who don't know George, he is the northwest representative for more than 20 + years with Farbank products which includes Sage, Redington and Rio. George spends much of his time in the outdoors either either swinging two hand rods for Steelhead, Salmon and Trout or hunting the great beyond for big game. I like to pick George's brain for current industry news and catch up on some of the latest trends and then pass that on to you. George eats, sleeps and breathes fishing, in particular two hand spey fishing and when it comes to current news he is my "go to" for information. A lot of new two-hand gear has come from Sage, Redington and Rio over the past year and whether you're new to spey fishing or have been two hand casting through the evolution there is always a new better arrow for your quiver.

First lets update on Switch rods. This is an area that seems to be growing really fast for many reasons. We have some really great rods out today and the lines are coming along to match  them better than ever. One of the things that George and I discussed was what really is a switch rod today and what are they being used for?

So while we worked through today's switch rods and lengths we came up with what we think is a pretty good table of lengths of switch rods that really work well for different techniques.

Switch Table

10'6" to 11'3" - Single hand spey, nymph/indicator, overhead casting and some spey casting
11'3" to 11'6" - All purpose switch...name your game with these lengths
11'6" to 12' - In this length you're looking at today's baby spey rods. Line up the skagit short or scandi lines and go for it!

Lets start from the top with the Sage Method Series Switch rods. Although we call these switch rods we decided they really are today's baby spey rods. Why? Well its simple, are you really going to single hand cast a 11'9" two hand rod? and I'll quote George here "you'll be on your way to Tommy John Surgery". Remember why we started two hand casting? To alleviate the pain of sink tips and flies tied with whole chickens and rabbits is part of the answer to this question.

2013 IFTD Las Vegas - George Cook

The Sage Method Switch rods all come in at 11'9" from sizes 6 thru 9 weight and I quote George "These rods are shocking how far they can cast." 

The Method 9119-4 might be the one to get a little more in-depth with. Not many entries in this "King" class of baby spey rods but they are destined to catch on. Think about this for a minute; a baby spey capable of Alaska King Salmon, big BC steelhead, big winter steelhead and maybe even a power stick for beach casters and or even big striper fishing. No longer is this class of fishing ruled by the 14' and 15' long rod.

Read Charlie's review of the Sage Method 9119-4

Moving on into the Sage One Switch Rod series of rods we find a middle of the road rod class with a 11'6" length starting with a sweeeet little One 4116 weight and ending at a  8116 steelhead weapon. These rods are super light perfect multi-use weapons no matter if you are single hand overhead casting, single spey, nymph/indicator or all out two hand spey casting, the Sage One switch rods are ready to play. George considers the One 7116, "trout to steelhead, the 30.06  of switch rods".

Personally I have been trout fishing the One 4116. I have put down all other rods to fish this rod and I really can't think of anything I can't do with it. I have spent most my time streamer fishing it but the level of confidence is so great that I am not concerned at all if I need to switch my tip to floating and cast a dry overhead, especially with the Rio Scandi short head or set up a nymph indicator rig. The Rio Switch Chucker line lets me two hand cast some pretty good size streamers and you always have the option of lining it with an all out Skagit Max short head and really throw the meat.

Bobo!

George has also found love with the Sage ONE 4116-4 Switch rod having landed his single biggest Alaska rainbow measuring at 33.5"x 17" on the Naknek River. His line choice was the 325gr Skagit Max short and he was fishing a sculpin pattern.

Since we're talking about switch rods lets examine some line possibilities:
The first point to mention just to go ahead and get it out of the way...if your looking for a one line to do it all, STOP LOOKING! It does not exist nor will it ever exist. So in the game of switch rods you need to determine what it is you want to accomplish in order to choose a proper line for you. This might mean you'll need more than one line to do several things with your switch rod.

The New Rio Switch Chucker - By far one of the most popular new lines to hit the market and we are still figuring out what it can do for us. While it can't do everything it is probably the best line available that can do many things pretty well. The Switch Chucker is a short powerful head with an integrated complete running line attached, (no need for a separate shooting line and no loop between head and shooting line). You can go right to a leader or choose a variety of tips for different applications. The short powerful head performs skagit style casting and turns over quite easily. An angler could go from indicator/nymph fishing to spey casting streamers with just changing out the tip. The handling section behind the head makes gripping the line easy during a cast and also gives you some body to help mend the line on the water. The line is a great line to learn spey casting due to its easy casting design. I must repeat myself now, There is NOT one line to do it all but the Switch Chucker comes about as close as we'll ever get. Another note for this line. No reason to over-line it. Buy the line weight that matches your rod.

Rio Skagit Max Short - A serious skagit head for the serious sinking tip and big fly work. Big flies and big heavy tips require mass to move them and turn them over. This game is accomplished best by the skagit short head. From 17' to 20' depending on size these short powerful heads are built on the low stretch ConnectCore Technology and are also offered in a i-Short (intermediate sink) series. MOW tips work great on these heads. If your plans with your switch rod are to spey cast large streamers or steelhead leeches than this Skagit head is what you want.

Rio Scandi Short VersiTip - This could be the best casting line I have ever thrown on a switch rod. Besides performing tight looped spey cast it also overhand casts extremely well and roll casts great! But there is a limitation and that is fly size. Stay within reason and this may be the only line you need. The VersiTip comes with four tips; Floating, Intermediate, Type 3 sink and Type 6 sink. What it doesn't do well is big flies, big sink tips and indicator rigs.

Rio Switch Line - This is the ideal line for those who use a switch rod from a boat to nymph/indicator fish. It has a powerful head that easily turns over indicator rigs. Also has a long back taper which gives you exceptional mending control. Line can be overhead cast or spey cast but I don't recommend this line to learn to spey cast with. The Rio Switch Chucker would be a better line to learn to spey cast with and still be able to cast a nymph/indicator rig.

Rio Outbound Coldwater Fly Line - If you plan on overhead casting a switch rod for fishing such as beach casting, surf casting or maybe big lake shoreline casting or even casting from a float tube the Rio Outbound series is hard to beat. They have a 37.5' head that can really load a rod well and have a great taper that turns over flies with ease. Now here's the catch, Outbounds are rated for single hand rods so to properly load a switch rod you must size up at least one full line size. One nice feature of the Outbound lines is you can find the grain weight of the line in the listing on our website. This can really help with getting your switch rod in the range you need.

George's Panther Cat "Shadow"

Lets talk Redington Dually spey and switch rods...
When I first saw the Redington Dually at the 2013 IFTD show in Las Vegas at first glance it was quickly noticed that this was a great looking rod with its cork insert reel seat and deep burgundy matte finish. But good looking doesn't make it a great casting rod. Well the new rod has been given its time on the water by many professionals and the results are in. "Crazy Good" in the words of George Cook.

Consider this for an "absolute splendid tool for 12 month use in the Northwest for steelhead". 

Redington Dually

• Redington Dually 7130 = $249.95
• Sage 2210 series reel = $159.00
• Rio Powerflex Shooting line = $39.95
• Rio Skagit Max Short 550gr = $54.95
• Rio Scandi 480gr = $54.95
• Add a couple MOW tips and you're under $600 for a complete 12 month Northwest steelhead fishing weapon

One line setup for the Redington Dually 7130 that absolutely impressed George is a Rio Scandi head in 480gr. I quote George here with "Absolutely simply wicked" and "be prepared to be shocked". This could be the absolute best pairing in 7 weight history and would be a perfect choice for a first time buyer, backup outfit, your kid, your wife, your significant other or whoever you drag into the boat with you for their first spey expedition - simply can't go wrong".

While our conversation continued on with many other topics it's time to conclude this one for now. We'll bring you more info on different subjects in the near future.

Greg Darling

Gorge Fly Shop 
Internet Sales Manager | Product Specialist

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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!