Maxcatch 11′ 3 Weight Trout Spey: I love this Thing

 

I’m not just saying this because Maxcatch sent me a free rod to try. I’m saying this because I saw This Video. The guy is obviously a seasoned Scandi Caster and he loved the rod judging from his comments below the video.

So, when Maxcatch ask me about making some videos for them, I told them I was interested in the rod.

Fast forward to when it showed up on my door. I lined it with a 225 grain OPST Commando head which was pretty good on the rod and a place to start.

My favorite line on the rod was a home- made 235 grain, 11′ shooting head I chopped off a 510 grain Rage compact. I love chopping Airflo lines because they are the easiest to weld using my daughters hair flattening thingy and clear shrink tube.

This head literally jumped off the rod. Literally. I think its because Airflo installs tiny legs on their shooting heads.

I had Varivas Airs running line, 25lb test on a reel that was not caged. This shooting head shoots like a mutha, but it is so fine that if you do get a tangle its a mess.

I somehow managed to produce the mother of all tangles while a was casting much further than necessary. I decided to chop the mess and granny knot it so I could continue fishing, but when I did, I let go of the wrong end and lost the entire running line, head a sink tip in the river.

So I’m working on coming up with another 11′ head for the brush patch in my backyard where a river with big trout sometimes manages an appearance behind the boulders in the overbearing riparian jungle.

In the meantime a 225 grain Commando is fine for the lower river. A 250 might just be the ticket, but I don’t have one at the moment. A 275 Commando Groove absolutely flies on this thing but It has the feel of old time Skagit whereas it really loads the rod but I would rather not attempt touch and go casting at that weight.

I love doing snake rolls with this thing so I’m still experimenting with buying and chopping different heads to replace my beloved Chopped 11′ 235 grain zinger.  With this combo a moderate sink tip with little Skulpzilla flew like a bullet.

The more I do this stuff, the more I am absolutely convinced that getting the perfect line / rod match is paramount! Paramount I tell ya.  I did order a Rio Skagit Max Trout Spey at 11” 250 grains. But 250 grains at such a short shooting head might be just a tad too much. We shall see.

 

11 thoughts on “Maxcatch 11′ 3 Weight Trout Spey: I love this Thing”

  1. I’m still a total noob, but I have definitely caught the bug. I got into the style because I love swinging wet flies and it seemed like a natural progression.
    What I need is something a little lighter and preferably longer than my current Echo SR 4106-4 now that Spring is just around the corner here in the South. So, I think I’m gonna pick this one up. I’ll follow the link on your page. Hopefully you’ll get a little kick back from Amazon or somebody 🙂

    1. So, my rod arrived on Friday and I went out to cast for a couple hours after work. Today I spent 6 or 7 hours on the water actually fishing. And, I have to say I was very pleased with my purchase. I’m not sure you could get a better 11′ rod for the money. I got mine for $115 + tax!
      While it certainly did not feel like a high end rod – not by any means, it was absolutely a joy to cast. It was light and felt solid. Being new to two handed rods I put this rod through the paces a few times – especially now that I’m working on my touch-and-go casts. And while I threw plenty of casts that were pretty bad I never felt like the rod gave way or collapsed like many $80 – $200 rods may have.
      I fished a 210gr SA Scandi Lite head with a 9′ Airflo versileader and about 4′ of 5x flouro. Most of the day I fished a gang of wets and early on in the morning I fished a bouface like thingy on the dropper with a starling and pheasant tail. This seemed to be a good setup for me.
      Thanks again for the recommendation. I think this will be my go-to wetfly rod for big water – which is mostly what I fish these days.

  2. I just bought the Maxcatch 11’ 4 weight….there is no line recommendations on the rod, or anywhere for that matter….skagit and rage heads for me, but where do i start for grains? I couldnt wait to cast it, so i put a 200 grain ambush short on it with a 10’ t7…..nope, too light….im thinking commando in 275-300 grain with the 96 grain tip? Hints?

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