Posted: 5/8/2011 2:29:06 PM EDT
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I am in the market for a nice travel 8wt. I already have a 2 piece 8wt but want something smaller for throwing in my pack. I was looking around the websites and found out about switch rods. They look pretty darned neat. I think I am going to try one. I will be using this rod mainly up in SE Alaska and on the rivers here in WA. What rod do you recomend? How fast? What type of line would I need for one of these. Thanks |
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They look like some sort of intermediate between a Spey and a standard. My naturally pessimistic and skeptical side says they'll have all the drawbacks of each and some new limitations based on the hybrid state. Still, I'd love to hear of somebody who's used one.
The Temple Forks page on them gives recommended lines for their offerings: Switch rod lines I went to TFO because they were the first manufacturer I recognized in the results of a google search. |
| There is a 7wt St. Croix switch rod at the local shop that looks about right for Michigan steelhead. I might have to get it. I have been casting full size spey rods on the Muskegon River here in MI for the last 10 years and love it. I haven't tried the switch rods yet, but I can see how they would be great here. |
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Speypages.com is a great place to learn more.
My first question would be what type of fishing will you be doing and what time of year. Winter steelhead means I'm fishing a long sink tip to get my fly down to the fish, thus I'm using a Skagit line. Summer steel and salmon means I'm not trying to fish deep and would prefer to fish a Scandi line with a floating, intermediate or lighter sink tip. The best rod for a skagit line has a slower action allowing you to load the rod as you pull that 10' of T-14 to the surface. A faster rod tends to be preferred for scandi lines. Skagit lines do better when you have very little room for a back cast and need a smaller D loop. When casting a scandi line your D loop will be much larger and you'll need more room for a back cast. There are very few poor rod makers anymore so you have lots of choices. My suggestion is to buy from a shop that knows the type fishing you're looking to do and will allow you to cast different rod and line combinations. The grain weight & length of line you choose will be key to your success. It's not uncommon for people to try several different lines to get it "just right". Don't be afraid of using your switch on small streams, I no longer use a single hand rod for any steelhead fishing. The extra length of a switch is great for mending line. |
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My $.02 as a fly fishing guide, spey caster and switch rod user:
A switch rod is a very powerful tool if you have the skills to use it properly. How do you use it properly? Learn to spey cast. I keep single hand, spey rods and switch rods on hand for client use. Those who don't know how to use spey techniques struggle and get tired fast using switch rods. If you are a strong caster you can single hand a switch rod but it will wear you out, I know this for a fact. What line do you use on a switch rod? There is no standard for switch rod line classifications yet. Some manufactures are building rods to handle traditional fly lines, some for spey lines and some for switch lines. Point is all 7wt switch rods are not created equal. My top switch rod for indicator fishing Steelhead is a Beulah Platinum 6wt. I use a Rio 8wt steelhead/salmon line on it. IMHO, A switch rod is a burden unless you have the fundamentals of spey casting down. I hope this helps. |