# New Allen/Kraken 10Wt Rig



## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

I ordered a new Allen Volant 10Wt Rod and Kraken reel, Im really excited about it. I've been fishing all my life and I have some fly fishing experience in the North West. I wanted to see what experience you have with Allen equipment and South East Texas Fly Redfishing. Tell me what I need to know!


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## BrandonFox (Jan 8, 2013)

You'll love the Kraken. Can't speak for the rod as I haven't fished it, but anything from Allen is quality. 10 wt might be a little big for inshore, however it will get the job done fine.


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## Finn Maccumhail (Feb 16, 2009)

I've got some other Allen reels and they're good quality. No clue about the rods though. The 10wt is generally overkill but would definitely be a good jetty rod or if you get over to LA for bull reds in the winter.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

See my avatar...enough said? 

Ok, here's more...largest king salmon ever taken on the fly from that river in Alaska, top two fish that week(in mid June) were better then the all tackle king salmon derby winner in Anchorage...four of the top five fish I caught were each better than any anglers with their high priced Tibor, Sage, Orvis, etc. Kraken reels rock. 

I don't know about the rods...but the Kraken is the best reel I've fished with. 

...and by the way 10 wt is NOT overkill for King Salmon over 40 pounds and roosterfish over 40 pounds...and just about any Tarpon...and any good Permit on a windy day....and big striped bass...and well you get the picture.


p.s. please post something regarding your experience with the rod. I'd appreciate it.


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## ChrisCook (May 13, 2013)

I am a newbie but I have an 8 wt and 10 wt Kraken XLA and they are top notch in quality! Great reels and affordable price not to mention they look tough! I definitely give them two thumbs up!


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## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

I handled an 8 weight and it felt a little light to me for my style. I wanted something with a solid backbone since I catch quite a few 28-32" reds, and Allen didn't carry a 9 weight in their high end rods so i went with a 10 over 8 since the physical weight difference is so minimal. Evan, who is the co founder of Allen returned my tech support phone call and told me inwould like the 10 and reminded me that I could swap it for an 8 if I don't like it. I used to tie my own trout/bass/brim flies..so I'm looking forward to tying my own again almost as much as catching!


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## Finn Maccumhail (Feb 16, 2009)

8wt is plenty for reds that size. I've caught 40" reds on an 8wt.


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## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

Well if it seems too heavy I'll send it back, or just buy an 8wt


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## Finn Maccumhail (Feb 16, 2009)

Mike East said:


> Well if it seems too heavy I'll send it back, or just buy an 8wt


Keep it, you'll want/need both in no time.


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## SurfRunner (May 22, 2004)

I agree, I would keep it! you'll need it as soon as you get rid of it.

I just bought a 10 wt recently and haven't caught anything with it yet but have had it out to the jetties. I was only good at blind casting it for 2 or 3 hours because of its weight. Next time, I won't cast unless I see fish or start seeing others hooking up.


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## dc1502 (May 25, 2006)

The XLA is killer , I also have the regular Kraken in 8wt. As for the 10wt , if you throw big patterns ...... Get it.


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## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

I got the rig in today.. It's really really REALLY nice. I admit I'm new to saltwater fly fishing, but I've never felt such a smooth reel drag out of the box on freshwater trout rigs. I'd compare it to the difference in smoothness in the feel of a Shimano Chronarch to a Garcia 5500. The rod is beautiful, feels great and it balanced perfectly at my top finger hold with the reel mounted and spooled. It feels really good in my hand. The fit and alignment are perfect, guides look very high quality and the workmanship could not be any better. The rig looks like pure perfection. I can wait to try it out this evening!!


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## Blackdog317 (May 25, 2010)

*Nice rig*

Looks awesome! Keep it! Would be great for Bull Reds or Jacks. I usually have an 8 wt and 10 wt in the boat just in case...


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## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

My first saltwater tie...first tie in about 10 years...


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## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

Took the family out and spent a little time on the water today so I decided to give everything a try. In short it's a really nice setup. The rod loads up nicely and I very easy to cast. When I wasn't fighting a tailwind that would kill my backcast I actually made some pretty decent presentations and was able to make decent 50' casts right up against the edge of the grass with a nice smooth entry. Although I didn't catch anything, I really liked my foam little topwater I tied and it was fun to watch a home made bait work it's magic again. The 10 weight did wear on me a little and after about 30 minutes I could feel my tricep and forearm getting tired. But the rod really is easy to cast... As far as the reel, it's super smooth. I haven't gotten to put it to the test yet but I love the smooth feel of the drag. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that I don't have a stable place to store fly rods in my bay boat with the reels on. I'll have to figure something out so I can travel across the flats without needing to disassemble the rod to move..


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## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

*Update*

I finally got out yesterday and fished for a few hours. I really like the rod and the reel. The 10 wt is a just a little tiny bit heavy to cast for 4 straight hours,, and dealing with a 10-15mph intermittant breeze was a little challenging. I am a novice so, right or wrong, I found that moving my left hand up to where I was straddling the cork with my index and middle fingers on the rod gave me more comfortable leverage and made the rod a LOT easier to cast, so I guess I would say it was a little nose heavy and I now understand why I see guys saltwater fishing wearing palm gloves. With a comfortable grip rod loaded up nicely and casts easily,, and when the wind laid down for a few seconds I could cast all but the last few feet of fly line with a single back cast. Unfortunately I still did not catch a FISH!!!!, but Im in the right place with the right gear so sooner or later Ill hit one on the nose... I did order an 8 wt which should be here this week so Im anxious to try the difference.


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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

Mike East said:


> I finally got out yesterday and fished for a few hours. I really like the rod and the reel. The 10 wt is a just a little tiny bit heavy to cast for 4 straight hours,, and dealing with a 10-15mph intermittant breeze was a little challenging. I am a novice so, right or wrong, I found that moving my left hand up to where I was straddling the cork with my index and middle fingers on the rod gave me more comfortable leverage and made the rod a LOT easier to cast, so I guess I would say it was a little nose heavy and I now understand why I see guys saltwater fishing wearing palm gloves. With a comfortable grip rod loaded up nicely and casts easily,, and when the wind laid down for a few seconds I could cast all but the last few feet of fly line with a single back cast. Unfortunately I still did not catch a FISH!!!!, but Im in the right place with the right gear so sooner or later Ill hit one on the nose... I did order an 8 wt which should be here this week so Im anxious to try the difference.


First, I love your new rod! She's a beauty for certain. And great work on that shrimp pattern!

I think you'll find the 8 weight MUCH more pleasurable to cast for longer periods of time. Wow, 4 hours casting with a 10 weight would wear anyone out. The 10 weight will be good when you are chasing the poons. 8 weight will be perfect for reds & trout.

Most folks wear the gloves for sun protection and to prevent line cuts in your hands/fingers when fish are running and also when stripping after the skin becomes softer/waterlogged. I learned the hard way and got some deeper cuts right in the crease of my finger after a day or two of fishing and really enjoy a pair of gloves now. Also many poling guides use them while poling and for fish handling.

I'd highly recommend 12wt. products. www.12wt.com

I love my SUNwt. gloves: http://www.12wt.com/fly-fishing-gloves

Many guides use the WORKwt. gloves.

Buff has some gloves too that are popular: http://www.buffusa.com/sports/collections/filter/gloves

If you are looking for more flies to tie, I highly recommend Greg Berlocher's "Texas Saltwater Classics - Fly Patterns For the Texas Coast". Tons of pics, good step by step instructions for flies that work well in our waters.


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## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

Yep, just stripping line I had a couple of moments where the crease of my finger got a little hot. I can see needing gloves, probably not for sunburn for me. My hands are always super tanned from fishing anyway. I can see where a fish on could cut you up especially on the backing. Never had that issue with rainbow trout.  Ill check out the 12 wt gloves.


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## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

By the way, I ordered the book. I got it free with my Amazon reward points!!


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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

Mike East said:


> By the way, I ordered the book. I got it free with my Amazon reward points!!


Sweet! I hope you like it. There are some great flies by the likes of Chuck Skates, Brooks Bouldin, TJ Neal, Steve Soule, Larry Haines, Eric Glass, Scott Sommerlatte and several others.


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## SiteCast (Jan 6, 2012)

*Get an 8 wt*

I am sure it is a great set up, but I would strongly recommend going with an eight wait for redfish. Quite candidly, a seven week is truly plenty for most of the reds you will encounter in our bay systems. Nothing wrong with the 10 except you will wear down casting it much quicker than a lighter weight rod, And it is a much more enjoyable fight with a seven or eight weight then a 10.


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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

SiteCast said:


> I am sure it is a great set up, but I would strongly recommend going with an eight wait for redfish. Quite candidly, a seven week is truly plenty for most of the reds you will encounter in our bay systems. Nothing wrong with the 10 except you will wear down casting it much quicker than a lighter weight rod, And it is a much more enjoyable fight with a seven or eight weight then a 10.


Umm, just a few posts above yours he said he ordered an 8 wt. hwell:


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## Mike East (Jul 31, 2006)

I'm a pretty strong guy, the 10 weight wasn't hard to cast but 4 hours working in the wind did wear me out.. I was really amazed at how stout the rod really is, and had I have known I would have bought an8.. But all I had fished before was 5 wt in trout water so I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm a largemouth bass fisherman kinda guy so I'm not much on the light tackle challenge but I also don't like redfishing for slot reds with a 9' stump rod a pound of lead and 2 chunks of dead shrimp,lol. That 10 wt to me felt like fishing a topwater on a castaway 7' Carolina Honey Rig, but a guy can never have too many rods, and I figured 2 is better than 1, so what the heck.


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## commtrd (Mar 18, 2006)

skinnywaterfishin said:


> First, I love your new rod! She's a beauty for certain. And great work on that shrimp pattern!
> 
> I think you'll find the 8 weight MUCH more pleasurable to cast for longer periods of time. Wow, 4 hours casting with a 10 weight would wear anyone out. The 10 weight will be good when you are chasing the poons. 8 weight will be perfect for reds & trout.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tips! I bought the book immediately. Also bought my first fly rod and reel today so diving right in.


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