Fenwick Aetos 11' swith rods 7/8wt

[ontariooutdoorsman]

Anyone have experience with the Fenwick Aetos Switch rods? I have been looking at getting into Spey casting and starting with a switch rod. I have One of these Fenwick's at a local store and was looking for some feedback

 

[jacm0]

I do not have a reply, came here looking for an answer for a 6/7wt Fenwick switch rod For a switch rod, the price is so good it is hard to pass up, but trying to figure out if one would do well with Rio's Scandi versatip line, and in what grain weight. There is not much on line recommendations from Fenwick or Rio for this rod.

 

[mjkirshner]

I do not have a reply, came here looking for an answer for a 6/7wt Fenwick switch rod For a switch rod, the price is so good it is hard to pass up, but trying to figure out if one would do well with Rio's Scandi versatip line, and in what grain weight. There is not much on line recommendations from Fenwick or Rio for this rod.

You may have gotten your answer by now, but if not, you may find it here.

http://cdn-tp2.mozu.com/15440-m1/cms/files/ea6db6af-e2d4-4398-ac77-c0e5f6f5d11f

or here:

http://cdn-tp2.mozu.com/15440-m1/cms/files/e415401b-353e-4ff7-9b4a-99cdc97f56b7

My understanding is that the Fenwick Aetos is the former Grey's, so you may be able to figure out the line weight by checking the chart for Grey's models.

 

[bassclef]

I know this is an old thread, but for anyone who gets here via Google, here's what Fenwick customer service had to say when I asked about recommended gran weights for the Aetos switch rods:

Thank you for contacting customer service and the suggested grain weight for these models are below:

Aetos 11’1’ 5/6- 300
Aetos 11’1’ 6/7- 330
Aetos 11’1 7/8- 360

Regards,

Customer Service

 

[Ard]

Looking at those grain weights I would have to guess the rods are quite soft throughout the shaft top to butt.

I would base that guess on that I own some Hardy 11 foot 6 inch rods rated 7 weight, these rods work perfectly using a 475 grain line. Several years ago I mistakenly bought a 375 grain Rio Outbound thinking it was the correct replacement for a line that had went bad. The rod would not cast that line at all. Weighing 375 the line was 15 grains heavier than what Fenwick says is the matching line for their 7/8 rods.

To offer a point for comparison the 375 grain outbound will work on a 9 weight single hand rod. The line has a 37 foot head and casts well off the old Orvis Silver Label 9 X 9 I tested it on. One would hope that an 11 foot 1 inch rod designed to Spey cast or overhead cast and rated 7/8 might call for more backbone than my old 9 weight single hand rod.

While there are many hidden gems out there in the rod market if a person is headed into learning specifically to Spey cast I (based on experiences) would recommend starting out with a recognized quality Spey casting rod. Buying a rod that is common on the market and on various fly & Spey casting forums allows you to zero in on lines and weights that are being used successfully by a large number of anglers. Having a good rod with a matched line, proven to be a combination that casts well is a good start.

If and when you do that, you may still experience difficulties learning to cast like you may want to but the lingering thought that maybe your rod or line aren't up to the task is eliminated.

 

[bassclef]

I also thought those ratings were awfully light...especially if that's total weight including the sink tip.

I have three Sage Accel 11'4'' in 6, 7 & 8 and their grain windows are 75-90gr heavier than these. I picked up a couple of the Fenwicks for some more treacherous hiking in, wading and/or boat situations (and because they dropped to about $150 each after sitting in my Amazon cart for a while!)

 

[flav]

Those sure are some weird numbers that Fenwick customer service gave you, and I'd be very hesitant to buy a line for one of those rods following them. What I'd expect is about a 100 grain range for each rod, not a 90 grain range for all three.

If I bought one of those rods I'd be calling Steve Godshall. He has grain window data on most rods out there, and if he doesn't have data on a rod you can send him your rod and he'll test it and give you a very detailed grain window. Then if you want he can make you a custom head or line for your rod that'll cast like a dream. Way better than guessing and buying several lines before you get it right.

 

[bassclef]

Well, I took the rod to my local fly shop last weekend with the info from customer service and asked for some help lining the rod.

They were also a bit skeptical at first, but after some test casting in the river down the block, it turns out that a 360g head works great on the 7/8wt.

I ended up with a Scientific Anglers Spey Lite Skagit integrated line in 360g. Also picked up a few Rio Spey Versileaders (10ft) which throw nicely at the end of that line.

 

[huronfly]

Wow that is super light for a 7/8, especially for a skagit rating... A 7/8 would normally be in the range of 450-500 grains. But if it works then well it's hard to argue. Did they give a skagit/scandi rating? There should be a range, scandi near the lower end and skagit in the mid-upper end. 360 seems more like an over head rating...