FLYMPH FORUM

hi all
a few days ago i picked up a 6/7 wt beulah switch rod and am wondering if anyone else uses a swithc rod to fish there soft hackles of flymphs?
if so do you deploy differnt tactics? do you enjoy the extra height or is it not a good thing for flymphs? i have yet to get it on the river but have tried it in the salt a tiny bit for salmon andi like how it casts but it definetly is differnt from a single hander
thanks for any help

That is absolutely correct it is the nature of the cast and not the rod of use, all be it we now see manufactures promoting so called switch rods, nothing more than a marketing strategy.
However action and length of rod does have some bearing here.

DW

tbar24 wrote:hi all
a few days ago i picked up a 6/7 wt beulah switch rod and am wondering if anyone else uses a swithc rod to fish there soft hackles of flymphs?
if so do you deploy differnt tactics? do you enjoy the extra height or is it not a good thing for flymphs? i have yet to get it on the river but have tried it in the salt a tiny bit for salmon andi like how it casts but it definetly is differnt from a single hander
thanks for any help

I'm new to this board. In fact this is my first post. This may as well be the one I first post in, since I almost exclusively use two-handed rods. I have both spey and switch rods. The casting style is indispensable in my neck of the woods where there is little or no back casting room and you are trying to reach out across a wider river to swing flies.

Anyway. Soft hackles and longer rods are great when trying to reach a certain location. With that said, I don't really use different techniques (the casting techniques are quite different, but not the fishing) than I do with my single handed rods. I pick the rod based on the size of the river and what the back casting room dictates. Unlike what was posted, I don't find the larger size of the line to be a problem. But then again, I'm not fishing small creeks for fish that easily spook. But big rivers. Often holding steelhead and/or salmon.

I used my Scott ARC 11'9" 6wt. Light Spey for swinging flymphs, soft hackles, nymphs and streamers. The length is great for mending, I like greaselining. The length allows for a longer leader and the abilty to cast multiple flys. Since I rarely overhead cast while fishing the swing, the two hander and a Skagit head allows me to cast with out hanging the brush that always seems to be behind me. The only thing the two hander is really awkward with is upstream dry fly fishing. The rod is just a tool, I can make the same presentations with my single handers. Go fish and don't worry if your set up is optimal, the fish won't notice .

Mike

I use a 10'6" 5/6 Beulah for my multiple rigged wet fly fishing. I enjoy it greatly. The small butt end is just enough to take the load off the arms, it has medium fast action to manipulate the flies and just enough length for the water I fish. As Mike said a while ago it is my stillwater rod, low water steelhead rod, multi-wet fly rod, streamer rod, salmon fly dry fly rod, wanna-be spey casting rod and all around wind slicer all depending on what I am feeling up to that day.

I use a TFO Deer Creek 11ft 4wt Switch rod and an older Sage 12ft 5wt two handed rod for smaller flies and wet fly fishing.

The TFO is light enough for single handed with a Rio Nymph line in 4wt or 5wt, the Sage is too long and heavy for single handed comfort.

My main reason for these longer rods is line control while drifting flies in the current.

Regards,
FK

I use my Yamame Tenkara Rod for this style of fishing, it has a great reach with the furled leader and short tippet.

www.tenkarausa.com

I have a new favorite double handed rod for soft hackle fishing.

Echo Dec Hogan 11'9" for 4wt, relatively soft upper section with enough lower strength to cast and mend longer distances.

These two handed rods are very interesting when standing close to shore with high trees/brush,,,,, the standard spey type casts will allow easy presentation to seams and pockets that were previously very difficult if not impossible to cover.

Regards,
FK