Who here uses 2 handed rods?

[TyroneFly]

With some of the recent posts on 2 handed rods and my recent entry into it, I was wondering how many here use 2 handed rods (switch rods included)?

[Ron Eagle Elk]

My wife, VEE, and I both use two handed rods.

[fishbum]

I use two handed rods. One is a 14' Sage graphite II the other is a 10' 6" bamboo overhead rod that does a pretty good spey cast for it's short size. I am working on a a 13' 6" bamboo spey rod that should be finished in May( if the bluegills don't go crazy biting).

The older I get the more I like the two handed rods in the larger sizes. Lets the whole body get into the act.

fishbum

[randyflycaster]

I use a two-handed rod when I fish in NYC parks. Often I have limited room for back casts, so the two-handed rod allows me to fish where before I couldn't. (Though there are spots where I can fish a one-handed rod but not a two-handed one. And one handed-rods are better for making short casts and for retrieving my fly almost all the way to my rod tip.)

Also, casting a spey rod is less tiring.

I just wish the videos and articles I read would have explained the differences in spey lines, and how to match them to rods and to fishing situations.

Randy

[TyroneFly]

I just wish the videos and articles I read would have explained the differences in spey lines, and how to match them to rods and to fishing situations.

Randy

Randy, I too am confused by all of it. I am planning to go to the Spey-O-Rama in San Francisco (the event is April 17, 18 and 19) to learn more. I plan to take advantage of the 'brain trust' that will be attending by asking a lot of questions.

I do know that if you contact R.B. Meiser or Gary Anderson, both make custom spey rods, they are more than happy to give you an education on the subject. Also Poppy, the owner of the Red Shed Fly Shop loves to talk spey. You can either call or email him at the shop or he can be found on another bb on SpeyPages.

[Mike Thomas]

Yes, I use a two hander for the Tongariro river and am starting to try it out in the salt water. On the river I can cover water that no one else can reach (almost no-one in NZ uses a two hander) with ease and I love the action of a spey cast.
I do not understand the differance with all the types of spey lines but the line I use on the river works just fine, the salt water I am finding out is an entire new story and needs a whole new approach.
I sure wish we had Speyclaves here in NZ it would save me a couple of years of learning on my own.
All the best.
Mike

[Kerry Stratton]

I do. I picked up my first 2 handed rod, I think, in the spring of 1992 to fish steelhead on the Skagit River. Got to meet and fish with many of the early Skaigt style casting/line pioneers. At one time I owned 12 to 14 rods. Now I think I am down to 7 or 8.

[Silverback]

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[Silverback]

Count me in.

[randyflycaster]

I heard the DVD, Speycasting A to Z is supposed to be excellent, but it costs fifty bucks.

I got into casting trouble because I thought I could use the Mackenzie-style cast with my
short-belly Scandi line, but I kept blowing my anchors.

(The Mackenzie cast uses a short lift, to 9:30, and an almost horizontal back cast. This
creates a long casting stroke which is great for long-belly lines. With a Scandi line I want
to keep my stroke short, so I now I lift to 10:30 and don't sweep the rod back too fast.)

I guess I couldn't leave well-enough - the basic underhand cast - alone.

BTW, if you want to see the Mackenzie cast in action, go to youtube and search for
Gordon Armstrong.



Randy