[Rob Brownfield]

I use a 7 weight, but I am chucking rabbits

That is married to a Rio Streamer line which has a WF profile and a short head. I learnt a long time ago that flies that are heavy/big/wind resistent really could do with a specialist line.

I think and SLX would be the wrong profile myself, perhaps a more enlightened caster could comment.

[Jonathan Kerr]

hmm, i thought the slx was supposed to be quite good for bigger flies (when performing spey type casts I mean).
I used my 6wt set up (tcx and slx) and managed to cast a few streamers last year with it. Like you Liam i'm fairly new to streamer fishing but i've tied a few zonkers and woolly buggers up over the winter so looking forward to trying them out.
 

[Rob Brownfield]

hmm, i thought the slx was supposed to be quite good for bigger flies (when performing spey type casts I mean).
I used my 6wt set up (tcx and slx) and managed to cast a few streamers last year with it. Like you Liam i'm fairly new to streamer fishing but i've tied a few zonkers and woolly buggers up over the winter so looking forward to trying them out.
 

Better clarify that...I know Ben et al fish the SLX with bigger flies and spey casts, and thats ok for swinging a streamer or stripping across stream, but I tend to fish more upstream than anything else, so a dedicated streamer line is a must for me.

Apologies if I were not clear on what I meant. I re read my post and it is not clear.

[Liam Stephen]

Rob can I ask how you fish them upstream? Dead drift it back... How do you impart movement In the fly? I've only ever did the old cast slightly upstream at an angle, strip it back and let it swing round. I would be interested in your method.

Cheers
Liam

[Ben Dixon]

SLX #7 will chuck big stuff but it depends upon how big and how heavy they are when wet.  A #5 Outbound short is front weighted and weighs in at about an 8wt so is better suited to the job if you are looking for a dedicated streamer fishing line but is pretty pants for anything else.  I'm looking at getting a light switch and a Skagit set up for the streamer stuff this year.

Cheers

Ben

[Rob Brownfield]

Rob can I ask how you fish them upstream? Dead drift it back... How do you impart movement In the fly? I've only ever did the old cast slightly upstream at an angle, strip it back and let it swing round. I would be interested in your method.

Cheers
Liam

 I use a heavy fly and plonk it alongside anywhere I think a big predator might be lurking. I then stip it back a bit faster than the current.

The great Kelly Galloup states that a big trout will be used to prey fish shooting off down stream, so by chucking in a big down stream mend, I try and get the fly to swim parrallel to the bank for as long as possible before letting it swing round. Its just as the fly starts to accellerate and turn that I seem to get most hits.

I had better state that I have not had many fish on streamers as its a relatively new method to me.