Nissin ProSpec 320 6:4 - initial thoughts

by CM
(VA)

The weather finally cooperated enough for me to be able to try my new ProSpec 320 6:4 on some small overgrown streams that have small fish.

The other rods I use are a Suntech Field Master 39 7:3, and a Nissin Air Stage 240.

My first reaction was that the ProSpec's combination of 270 and 320 lengths is a perfect fit for the streams I fish most often.

After using the Field Master 39 for quite a while the 6:4 flex of the ProSpec 320 was a different feel. Combine that with a CCS rating that is more than half of the Field Master 39's rating, and I found that I had to slow my casting down and relax. That was a nice change.

The transition wasn't difficult, but I did shorten the line and tippet to be the length of the rod fully extended. I found it was easy to place the fly where I wanted under banks, over and under branches and logs, in between dead falls.

When brush or overhanging branches were in the way it was easy do side arm casts, underhand casts, and across the body casts when the right side (my casting arm) was blocked.

The rod loads easily.

The manufacturer's website says the rod is rated for a tippet up to 5 lbs. Depending on the brand of tippet you use this may be either a 5x or 4x tippet. I was using 6X Rio Powerflex mono tippet rated at 3.4 lbs. The mainline was the equivalent of size 3 fluorocarbon level line (Seaguar InvizX 12 lb test at .285mm diam).

Fishing a rod with a cork handle is a new experience for me and I like it. The larger grip combined with a slower cast made for a very comfortable fishing experience, and both the 270 and 320 lengths cast well and felt balanced.

Probably the biggest surprise to me was how well the rod transmits the feeling of the fish striking the fly. For some reason I thought the combination of the padded cork handle, lower percentage of carbon fiber (83% for the ProSpec 320 6:4 compared to 97% for the Air Stage 240 and 93% for the Field Master 39), and higher tippet rating would translate to a more muted feeling than I am used to. I was wrong. The fish were in the 4" range and under, and it was very clear when they hit the fly - even if it was too big for them or they spit it out immediately. The flip side is that it was also clear when the fish in a specific location lost interest and it was time to move on.

I'm looking forward to spending more time with this rod.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.