I am considering purchasing a new switch rod. The particular rod I am looking at calls for line wts between 350 and 550 grains.
They don’t actually list it as a 6wt or 8wt, etc.
Where do you find the grain wt. of common fly lines. I have looked on the box and it isn’t listed.
Does grain wt. only apply to sink tips??
What part is weighed – the head part only?
Is there a good resource / reference explaining this grain wt. and how it is applied? By the way, I have read the “common sense” stuff and I have to say, I just don’t get it.
Well, according to the AFFTA line weight designations, Orthoman, at the grains you specify, (350 to 550 grains), the rod you are looking, can handle anything between a 12wt. and a 15 wt. line.
(A normal 6wt. line can be between 152 and 168 grains, for comparison)
Paul
I would contact Rio and Airflo for anything definitive on switch/spey/fly lines rated in grains. Another good source for info on grain rated lines as applied to switch and spey rods would be Gary Andersone and of course his good friend Robert Meiser.
Your best advice should come from the rodmaker, who must have had at least one or two lines in mind when they designed the rod taper.
As part of this decision-making process, you’ll also want to consider which type of casting…change-of-direction (“spey”) or overhead…for which you’ll use the rod.
For spey lines, grain weight reflects the weight of the head: front taper/body/rear taper. This applies regardless of the length of the head or the function (floating or sinking) of the tip.
Specs for spey lines are different than standard lines. AFTMA guidelines can confuse you. For example, I have a Meiser S2H106 switcher rated for 7/8/9 spey lines and performs change-of-direction casts nicely with a Windcutter Spey 7/8/9 line. That line (55’ head) specs at 525 grains. This is well beyond the 185 to 240 grain window for standard lines in 7, 8 & 9 wts.
This is not to say that standard lines cannot be used. Another two-hander, a longer 5/6/7 rod rated at 340 to 510 grains, fishes extremely well with two standard lines, a Hardy Mach I 8/9 Salmon Taper and an Airflo Delta 8/9, in addition to Windcutter Speys in 5/6 and 6/7/8 positioned at the bottom and upper-mid range of the window. While the standard 8/9 lines are measured at 210 to 240 grains, they have long heads that go well beyond the 30’ mark. The total functional weight of the longer head puts it inside the required grain window for the rod.
If you had to buy blind, without guidance from the rodmaker or the ability to test drive some lines, RIO’s WC Spey 6/7/8 @ 455 grains falls about smack in the middle of the window you specify. The rod would possibly handle a WC 7/8/9 nicely, too. Both of these have the “shorter” heads (approx 50’) that are easier get the hang of and mate well with switch rods. There are probably some standard lines that would match well, too, including a Mach I 9/10 among others. Hopefully you are able to discuss line choices with the rodmaker. That should leave little doubt.
I’m not an expert at this 2-handed/switch stuff (or anything fishing for that matter), but there seems to be excessive, unnecessary confusion regarding matching lines for rods. Hopefully I made some sense and did not further confuse anyone. Perhaps someone who is an expert will chime in.
I am looking at the exact rod that you mention; however, I don’t want a club. It just seems that such a heavy head would necessitate a heavy rod and I am trying to stay in the 8 wt range as I am not fishing really large rivers (eg Trinity). I currently use a 10ft. 8 wt. – that I made on a DanCraft blank. I wanted something similar.
It just seemted that the higher grain head wts would be more for a heavier rod as an earlier post mentioned.
Meiser has changed his designations for the switch rods a bit, but the previous S2H106789 switcher may now be the “system 8” rod. If so, then it is, as you mention, too much stick for the Trinity. It’s a delight to cast but a bit overpowered for that water. He has lighter switch rods that might be worth considering. Give him a call if you haven’t done so already.
If you’re at all open to a shorter spey rod, you might ask Bob about the lighter “Trouter” and “Highlander” rods for fishing the Trinity and similarly sized waters. The S2H117567 is much lighter in hand and in action than the above rod, casts well at short/med distances, and won’t overpower smaller steelhead.