Switch Rods ?

[redietz]

This year, my home stream has often been too flooded to wade very far into, so I've been fishing it with a switch rod and throwing streamers, with reasonable success.

I'm wondering if anyone here fishes smaller wet flies (the stuff we usually discuss here) with a switch rod, and if so, what kind of set up are you using?

[letumgo]

I believe a couple members fish wingless wets on a switch rod. Hopefully they will chime in.

[Old Hat]

I used to. I had a 10'6" Beaulah Switch in a 5-6wt. 4 piece. Medium action. It was a wonderful rod and a joy to fish with. I used it for a couple purposes. A light weight steelhead rod and a wingless wet rod on larger rivers where I knew there were some bigger fish. It was great for roll casting and simple spey casts with the light wets and allowed me get more distance than a regular single hander. I had two lines...a Beaulah Switch line for steelhead fishing and a double taper for the trout fishing. Both floating lines. I would use a sinking leader for steelhead if I needed. I didn't throw streamers on it mostly because I like a faster action for my streamers. You don't want a faster action if you are going to be tossing wets, especially a string of them. A slower action is better as well for performing the simple spey casts. Most of the steelhead flies I fished were just larger winged wets. I wish I never sold it. I would get another if I did more trout fishing still. I

[redietz]

Thanks Carl. That's completely different from what I'm doing. I've got a 3 weight and have been using a Skagit head with a sinking tip to throw streamers. I was wondering if I could change to a floating tip for small wets and what to do about a leader.

Mending of course is difficult. I suppose I could just use a double taper line and use the rod one handed, but that sort of defeats my reason for using the rod in the first place.

[hankaye]

redietz, Howdy;

Bob, you sound like the mule that starved standing between bails of hay ...
do a little experimenting and see what works best for you then run with it,
run like that Gump fella.

hank

[redietz]

redietz, Howdy;

Bob, you sound like the mule that starved standing between bails of hay ...
do a little experimenting and see what works best for you then run with it,
run like that Gump fella.

hank

Hank -

The problem with that is that it can get expensive. Shooting heads run about $60 a pop and then you need a tip in addition, which run around $25 a piece. An integrated head/line costs about a Benjamin.

I'd at least like to piggy back off somebody else's experience to reduce my search space a bit before I start experimenting.

[newriverspey]

Bob,

I am not an expert but can tell you what I use for fishing wee wets on a switch rod. Mainly, I am fishing the tail waters of the South Holston and Watauga Rivers, using flies down to a #18. The switch rod that I am using is an 11' 3wt rod from Bob Meiser. For me, Scandi lines are best for casting and swinging soft hackle flies/flymphs. You can use polyleaders of differing densities as sink tips when flows are high. You are correct that finding a suitable line system can get very expensive. I have several Scandi lines and if you give me some more information on the rod you are using, I would be more than happy to mail a few lines for you to test and see if any of them are suitable. Swinging flies on a switch rod is addictive!

Otto

[jddietrich]

You might want to consider the Rio Single Hand Spey. It comes in both floating and sinking. I use the 3wt. 3D sinking on my 10' 3wt. Orvis Recon, and the 6wt floating with a 5' sinking polyleader on my 3wt. Redington trout spey. Both for swinging pairs of small wets.

[redietz]

Otto -

Thank you for the very generous offer, but as it may be months before I pick up a switch rod again, I'll pass. I would, however, like to pick your brains about scandi heads as I haven't used one before, but I'll do so off line, unless anyone else on the board is interested.

[letumgo]

Bob/Otto,

I am interested to hear more about the Scandi set-up, and fishing wet flies on two-hand rods. I am new to this game, and would love to learn more.