Bill Gallogly asks: I own a 15′ 10wt, 5 piece T&T. I have been casting a Rio Intouch Longhead Spey 9/10 765 gr. Is there a better line to turn over a heavy tip (t-14) and big intruder with dumbbell eyes?

Barrett Ames responds: Bill, any of the standard skagit lines that are offered by all the big companies will make it easier to cast the tip/fly setup you describe. With that said, on a 15 ft rod you are going to want more length than most skagit lines today that are aimed at that 11.5 to 12.5′ rods. Some lines that come to mind:

-Rio makes a ‘skagit max- long’ that is a few feet longer than any one else’s standard skagit line. It appears they may have discontinued this line, but you may be able to find one for sale somewhere as this is the first time I haven’t seen it on their website.
-Nextcast flylines (nextcastproducts.com) are a bit newer, and much smaller company. However their steelhead ‘Coastal’ and ‘Zone’ lines are amazing! The zone is slightly longer than the coastal, and both are available as dual density lines where the last 10ft is intermediate.

I can’t recommend the next cast lines enough for what you’re doing. However, being a smaller company they are often out of stock of common sizes, and are a little pricey.

Final thought: you might find it odd, but I expect the skagit line that fits best to be slightly lighter than your long head. I don’t have a lot of experience with that rod, but expect somewhere around 675-725 to be about right. If you look into nextcast lines, you might try asking those guys what they recommend… they are Thomas & Thomas fans and love the long rods!

Feel free to email me with any more questions.
Barrett Ames
T&T pro staff
Barrettames@gmail.com