Leeda Volare IV???

[caorach]

Has anyone used one of these?

It is a bit late to ask now, to be honest, as I've just ordered 2 of them. They are relatively inexpensive and I have another Leeda rod that I just love as it is the ideal job for wild trout in wild places plus salmon and sea trout.

The two on order are 11 foot in a 7 and a 4 weight and they were about £60 each. They are 4 piece rods whereas my normal "loch" rod is a 2 piece so the plan is that they might be easier for a bit of backpacking. I also know a young lad who is starting fishing and who might be going to show some interest and aptitude so it will be handy to have a rod to lend him etc.

I do have a 4 weight 10 foot rod on a Sage blank but it is a 3 piece, so a little long to carry broken down on the backpack, plus it is a little fast for me. I do sometimes use it for trout and even the small trout give good sport on it but if I have a "spare" in the shape of the Leeda then I might also give it a try for the smaller sea trout. Now I know there is always the risk of hitting a bigger one, or a salmon, but I think it would be great sport to chase sea trout around the pound mark with a 4 weight.

[corsican dave]

yep, I've got the 11' 4wt sitting in a corner. i got it thinking i'd do some nymphing. i set it up once and decided it was a bit cumbersome for me. I guess I just don't get on with longer rods. I've got a mate who uses one for grayling on the clyde and thinks it's the business. different folks...  :lol:if anyone wants it, along with an unused Stillwater black shadow reel (or if you fancy a second one for your pal), drop me a pm!

[caorach]

I'm looking at it for loch fishing for browns mostly, and maybe for the smaller sea trout later in the season, so I'm well used to fishing longer rods - I almost always use an 11 foot rod for a 7 weight so even a 6 weight feels light to me :-)

I have two Orvis Battenkill reels that I'm going to try on the 4 weight rod as I'm trying not to spend much cash on this venture. One is a 5/6 reel with a 5 weight line on it that has probably only been used a few times, though it is at least 20 years old, and the other is a 3/4 weight reel that also has a line on it (4 weight) and has seen very little use, again it is probably 15 - 20 years old. On testing I find that the 4 weight reel is "rubbing" a little bit and there is a little ding on the edge of it so, perhaps, I've dropped it at some time though I've no recollection of this. However, it isn't binding and it is just a slight rub so it will probably do my job. As it is I might end up with the 5 weight on the 4 weight rod anyhow as I'm a bad caster and find it helps a bit to have a heavier line on some rods.

With being such a bad caster it seems to me that inexpensive rods, which I guess are more forgiving, actually suit me better. I love my 6 weight 11 foot Sage but this was designed, as I recall, to be softer and more suited to "British" anglers but I don't get on quite so well with the 10 foot 4 weight Sage as it feels more like casting with a stiff stick to me. Yes, I could learn how to cast well and load the rod up and... try doing that in the most windy inhabited place on earth and it soon stops looking like a great idea especially with a 4 weight line :-)