Switch Rod Advice

[Onshore]

I moved to Florida two yeas ago and have been doing a lot of beach fishing. I take my flyrod when conditions permit but that's only about 1/3 the time. I've been thinking of going to a Switch Road, mainly to improve on my casting distance when the winds pick up. I'm fishing for Baby Tarpon, Snook, Redfish, Seatrout and Spanish Mackerel primarilly.

For years I cast a 14' spey rod for Atlantic Salmon and loved it. I tried it in the surf when I lived on Cape Cod but didn't really like it. I need a rod that will drive a line and fly into a moderate wind of 12-15 mph. But, I want a rod that will deliver distance with an overhand cast. The switch rods seems to me to be that tool.

I've been looking at a Wild Water med.fast action 4 pc. rod 11 ft. for 8/9 line. I've seen some great reviews for this rod and the price is right - under $200. but, I have three questions.

1) Does anyone have any experience with this brand rod and, would you share it with me ?

2) Should I be thinking a 10 wt. rather than 8/9wt? The reason I picked that is that I use aWF8 or WF9wt line in 99% of my Florida Fly fishing and allready have six or seven of them.

3) Is there a better line than a WF for casting the Switch Rod ?

I'll be using it with either a Tibor "Everglades" or "Gulf Stream" line holder......

I'd really appreciate any advice.

[Fin]

I've been doing a lot of research myself on this very topic as I too am in the market for a two-hand rod. From what I've gathered the best option for fishing the surf (or beach) is a two-handed rod designed for overhead casting. Beulah makes a real nice one that I've tried (the 9/10 surf rod). If you're primarily going to be fishing off of a beach you'll want to cast overhead, therefore there would be no real need for the switch rod. A switch rod is nice for its versatility, but If you're only doing one thing with it it sounds like there's a better tool for the job. The overhead rods have a faster taper and are really designed to do exactly what you're talking about. As for using your existing lines, I was in the same boat thinking I could use my existing 9wt lines. The problem comes from the extra length of the two-hand rods. The traditional aftma line standards don't apply all that well. It takes a much heavier line to load a rod of 11'. When they design a line for a specific line weight, they design it with a 9' rod in mind. It seems like all of the lines that are recommended for these two-hand rods are lines like the Rio outbound that have much longer heads. If you look at the grain ratings that are recommended you'll also see that for the 9/10 two-hander they're calling for line weights in the 12wt range. I actually like that idea, as you could throw some honkin flys with a 12wt line, and it will be a lot easier in the wind.

I know all of this doesn't really help you with regards to the wild river rod. But I figured I'd share my experience, as I'm just about ready to buy a two-hander myself and I've been doing a TON of research on them.

Hope this helps a bit..

[Onshore]

Thanks, Fin, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this. In addition to fisihing the surf, where overhead casting is a must, I also fish several tributaries where the switch rod's "spey" qualities may bo of help.

[maineguideman]

Check out Beulah Fly rods Website and check out the Surf Specific fly rods. They are like a saltwater switch / spey Hybrid They will boom out a big cast but stand up to the Salt. I own two traditional switch rods from another company That I use for steel-heading I don't think they would be as good in the salt / Harsh conditions. Plus Beulah $$ are better than most .

[dcobbett]

Offshore,

See the fly fishing forum on the stripersonline.com web site. Several threads; beat this subject to death.

[Fin]

In addition to fisihing the surf, where overhead casting is a must, I also fish several tributaries where the switch rod's "spey" qualities may bo of help.

I think in that case a switch might make more sense. Like dcobbett said, check on the SOL fly fishing forum. There are a lot of threads on this subject there. Also try flyfishingforum.com, a lot of those guys there throw two-handers.

[gseries69]

Onshore,

I just got into the overhead game late last year, did lots of research prior to my purchase and have learned a bunch from attending several demos and get togethers on the Cape including one with James Shaunessey from Beulah. There was much to learn. A switch rod will work but there are also rods out there that are specific to beach fishing. Beulah puts out a nice one as does Echo, T&T, and TFO which were designed by Bob Meiser. The common thread is that all these rods are stiffer and shorter than typical spey rods and have a quicker recovery. I spoke to Bob Meiser about rods specific to distance and overhead casting and he indicated that recovery was the key to optimizing performance. The switch rods we tried seemed to be a bit softer and while they worked fine, they did not perform as well as the stiffer beach rods. I settled on an 8wt 12' T&T and like it very much so far. The trick is getting the right line. The rod you mentioned will probably require a 10 or 11 weight line to load for overhead casting since there is no water being used to help load the rod. My 8wt has a grain range of about 450-550 grains . It fishes like a 10wt and I use 10wt Outbound and Airflo 40+ lines to load it. I also purchased a skagit line on the advice from some folks I met on the Cape and found the skagit very easy to learn on, though it sounds like you have plenty of experience already. It does well both overhead and with traditional spey casts. No cheater was needed and I simply attach some t-14 to the end to get under the surface. If anything, I would say you might want to look at a lighter rod that works well throwing an 8 or 9 wt Outbound or 40 + line.

[fxfly]

I have some experience with R.B. Meiser who (basically) invented the switch rod; he is a great guy and will talk rods all day, give him a call.

He recently built a flats rod 8wt for me using a Sage tcx blank. He crafts his own blanks for switch and spey rods, but does not craft blanks for single handed rods.

You can find his contact information on his web site.

Hear is a photograph of the handle assembly; I think it is clearly influenced by his involvement in the switch movement:

http://blog.protectedareas.us/public/RBMeiser-03.jpg

[Onshore]

Onshore,

I just got into the overhead game late last year, did lots of research prior to my purchase and have learned a bunch from attending several demos and get togethers on the Cape including one with James Shaunessey from Beulah. There was much to learn. A switch rod will work but there are also rods out there that are specific to beach fishing. Beulah puts out a nice one as does Echo, T&T, and TFO which were designed by Bob Meiser. The common thread is that all these rods are stiffer and shorter than typical spey rods and have a quicker recovery. I spoke to Bob Meiser about rods specific to distance and overhead casting and he indicated that recovery was the key to optimizing performance. The switch rods we tried seemed to be a bit softer and while they worked fine, they did not perform as well as the stiffer beach rods. I settled on an 8wt 12' T&T and like it very much so far. The trick is getting the right line. The rod you mentioned will probably require a 10 or 11 weight line to load for overhead casting since there is no water being used to help load the rod. My 8wt has a grain range of about 450-550 grains . It fishes like a 10wt and I use 10wt Outbound and Airflo 40+ lines to load it. I also purchased a skagit line on the advice from some folks I met on the Cape and found the skagit very easy to learn on, though it sounds like you have plenty of experience already. It does well both overhead and with traditional spey casts. No cheater was needed and I simply attach some t-14 to the end to get under the surface. If anything, I would say you might want to look at a lighter rod that works well throwing an 8 or 9 wt Outbound or 40 + line.

Thanks for the advice, guys.

I need a rod for the beach that can also be used in the tributaries to the Indian River Lagoon. The rod I'm looking at is designed to throw one of the new Skagit type 9 wt. lines. I've spent half a day casting it on the beach in in a tributary and have decided on it.