Looks nice Wolfie Will be lots of fun with winter kahawai. I won't mention trevs...

Mudfish marquand wrote: Good on you Wolfe. You won't regret the purchase, that's a sweet rod. I got the same deal with an ICT #2, spare tip included. Not sure why ULF hasn't gone for it in NZ, for me, it opened up a new dimension of fly fishing. If you are ever down in TAURANGA and want some kahawai action, especially over the winter months, give me a yell. Cheers

Nice, looks like I will have to dust off my old 2/3 wt I used for trout. I wonder how those big anchovie munching kahawai would go on that. A couple of them put up a good scrap on the 10wt the other day.  They were in the 2+ kg range (one was 54cm).

Hi Wolfie. My ICT #2 likes the line one weight heavier. The line that I use on it the most is a Rio CamoLux WF3I. The other thing that I wanted to mention to you is not to be afraid of the wind. Windy days have an advantage because the angler and fly line are less noticeable to the fish. Also, a careless cast is more forgiving. I have fished my #2 in 25 knots plus wind with success. No matter which way the wind is blowing, you will find that you can use the wind to your advantage for at least 45 degrees of the compass. This works best for blind casting. Cheers

Found an inexpensive WF4F  - it's 100 Foot long!!! - who can really cast a  #4 line that distance in real fishing??? Just squeezes onto the Sage 2050. Could trim off 20 ft and still  not feel under-gunned.

Good evening Wolfie. For kahawai, I use small bead head bait fish flies, shrimp/krill imitations, crazy charlie / clouser patterns and small bait fish patterns and because I use 3 pound tippet, I only use flies tied on #8 hooks or smaller. Tonight, I've been tying small candy type flies in fluorescent colours to use on kahawai in tannin and sediment water, like it was today. Got a few, but nothing big. I have never measured how far I cast with the #1, #2 and #3, but it's obviously far enough. When I get a chance, I will measure it and send you a private message. My fly tying and fly casting is very average but does the job. Cheers

Here's one for anyone who is interested. The rod is a Leichi V-Feather #1, the reel a Sage 2230, a Leichi WF1F, Maxima Ultragreen 3 pound tippet and fly was a hometied krill imitation. The kahawai weighed  3 3/4 pounds and was my first fish on the rod and the biggest on it to date. I tried very hard to fault the rod but haven't found anything. It compares very favourably with much more expensive rods. The rod, cloth bag, graphite rod tube, the fly line and freight from China was $100. I really like the reel seat and have never had my reel come off it unexpectedly.

Yeah, before I got my mate to get it for me, I checked out a couple of his Chinese rods and by looks, I couldn't fault them. Took the risk and was pleasantly surprised. I have caught several hundred kahawai on the #1 and haven't had a hint of a problem. Another one of my mates from Tauranga owns the same model and it is one of his favourites too. A Rotorua  mate has bought two Chinese Leichi fly rods and a couple of weeks ago used his #3 on kahawai. I was cringing when I saw him landing the fish out in the water, but the rod held up. At less than $100.00, it's not much of a risk. Of course there is no guarantee. No doubt I will be buying more in the coming years. (I already have 44 fly rods and know I am a sick puppy).

Go on Mudfish, only 8 more rods and you'll have one for each week of the year :))

Ordered the wee Echo  last Wednesday from Hamills at 1.00pm and it arrived on Thursday at 11.00am. How's that for service? It's not a rod many shops would carry in stock in NZ. Spent a bit of time messing around trying casting different lines. Will take a bit of time finding a line that suits it. Tim Rajeff advises the same line weight for the rod but for me, it seems to like a #4. There are so many variables, not only with a suitable fly line, but also casting style, etc. The rod is only 6'9" and is not an open water rod. It's more suitable for fishing a small tight trout stream or a tight mangrove creek. So far, I've only been able to cast about 20 metres, but it's far enough for kahawai. I like messing around with different fly rods and I am really enjoying stepping back from the fast action graphites and into the more "traditional feel" of glass.