Switch Rods

I’m looking for some input on this type of rod. My take is that they are a hybrid of a single-handed rod and a Spey. A tween if you will.

Can you kind people help fill in the knowledge gap for me? Is anyone using one? Do you like/dislike them? Do they fill a hole in your rod arsenal?

Thanks!

Good morning Tyro.

I will try and help and keep it all rather simple
AND general, trying to keep things simple and fairly short.

I believe that that is no reason to own a single handed fly rod SHFR.

Because they limit the caster to where they can fish/cast.
Because the require a greater skill to master than using a fly rod with two hands.

The above two points are the key to why people should use a Switch rod or Double Handed rod, be is a beauitful flowing Spey type or an aggressive Overhead casting type.

Sadly today’s SHFR is being built faster and faster, the action, which then requires a better and better, higher and higher level of caster skill.

This then reduces the rod’s possible performance with Spey type casts, which are ideal for tight locations be it in the salt or the sweetwater.

The rod then is ideal for overhead casts only, this sole factor then reduces the time the angler’s fly is on or in the water because of the time consumed by overhead casting where as simple roll casting takes about one quarter of the time to complete or LESS.

The fast overhead casting SHFR then is unsuitable for tight location fishing where a Spey or roll cast would open up another World to the fly caster.

The very same World where the spin fisher thinks as normal, simply because he or she does not require any space for a back cast.

However the caster, in most cases is not increasing his or her skill levels and as a result the SHFR in almost all cases can perform far better than the caster can extract from his chosen casting tool.

Enter the Switch rod. SR
This is not a new concept.
BandW from Britain built these forms of fly rods years ago, and now some years later the World is suddenly discovering this brilliant and highly talented… (yes brilliant is that) form of casting tool.
Why the new discovery, simply because of marketing, and Companies wishing to sell the consumer another product.

To me and others (not all of course) believe that Swich rods are the perfect answer to the thinking, fishing fly caster, be it salt or sweetwater, because now there is a rocks that can be driven by one hand if the angler wishes to do so in overhead casting, where there is space, clearence behind the caster or where the location has trees or rocks and or other problems behind the caster that stop a overhead cast being complete, then the two hands holding the rod allow the rod to be driven into a Spey or simple roll cast with complete ease.

Ideally the SR should be in the 10foot plus range length to enable ‘better’ Spey type and roll casts.
However the above even a 8fot SR will produce far better Spey and or roll casts because the caster now has two hands to rotate the rod with a clearer snap action at the end.

opp, sorry I could write a book on the subject… :slight_smile:

Trust the input has not confused anyone.
Kind regards,
UB
ps, Tyron, you will notice in the future, the anti two hand fly rod users are the people who have not fished in real life situations and do not understand the value of being able to fish where most cannot, against trees, rocks or weeds behind the caster or under bridges. (I love under bridges in the shade in the middle of the day.)
Which is strange because I’ve found in the locations where 99.9% cannot cast/reach in their cast is where most fish live and do not appear to be as shy !

We can talk about suitable line shapes for SR’s some other time, maybe.

I don’t know about all of that, but a slower rod in any length will be better for roll casting, which Spey casting is just a glorified, long distance version of anyway.

I have an 11’6" single hand rod I use on big waters for bass/walleye and great lakes trib fishing. I had it before the above documented “rebirth” of switch rods. The length gives me a lot of advantage in many situations and causes me some grief in others, but most times I like the extra reach. It does fill a hole in the arsenal, but I can live and fish without it.

Tyro,

Here is a company in Oregon that makes switch rods you may be interested in. http://www.meiserflyrods.com/index.html I plan on making a SR my next purchase to give them a try. I fish several lakes in the Sierras with tree lined shores and thought this type of rod would be a good tool to have in my quiver.

Welcome aboard!

I’ve just started hearing the term switch rod this past year and don’t know what it is. A couple of years ago I bought a 13’ 2pc blank to build with a 16" Tennessee handle. I haven’t built it yet. But would this be what they call a “switch” rod? Just curious…because I had no input on it. I just saw the blank…and thought about fishing with such a rod…and ordered it. Sounds like that is what I am going to make…I think…a switch rod…maybe

Gemrod

Most of the “switch” rods out there run anywhere between 10’6" (most notably the Beulahs) and 11’6". I can’t speak for the rod-building or two-hander industry but it seems that once you get to 12’, then you have a true two-hander.

However it’s not really the LENGTH per se that qualifies a rod as a true two-hander or a switch rod; rather it’s the ability to use the stick as either an overhand casting rod OR a two-hander. The current generation of switch rods excel at both. Obviously the longer the rod the heavier (generally), so once you exceed a certain mass, rods become difficult to cast overhead without a ton of effort.

My understanding anyway. I own a TFO Deer Creek 11’ 6wt switch rod. Beautiful machine.

Tyro

While the term “switch rod” is a marketing thing, two handed fly rods have been around for a long time. I make and use a bamboo rod that is 10’ 6" long and is intended to be fished with both hands. This rod is hollow and therefore light enough to cast single handed if you desire. I make this rod for steelhead fishing in the Great Lakes area. I guess you can call it a “switch rod”. For the water this rod was designed for it performs great. There are places that it is not worth a hoot because of brush on the stream banks and a short 6’ 9" “SHFR” is a much better tool and even that is too long in some spots.

Just a note, my 10’ 6" two handed rod was derived from a taper that was designed in 1920-30 in New York, USA. Two handed rods have been around for a long time.

fishbum

Fishbum,
thanks for posting info. I have an idea. If you do not have a guide near the ferrule on the tip section…you could buy an 8" grip with slip rings from Jann’s Netcraft. Mount a shaft inside of it to slide up into the boo a bit…but maybe not even need that. Maybe just bore the grip to fit the butt end of your tip section. When you want to go shorter…take apart the rod…slide the grip on and go back to fishing. I have been planning on making my rods with that extra grip to have along in case I either wanted to fish shorter…or broke the butt.

Gemrod

Tyro - I see that you are from Oregon – a state with some premier spey casters. and great water to use a switch rod spey rod on. I would suggest you perhaps research these people on the net and call their shop and maybe take a couple lessons.

I have both single hand, spey and switch rods. I am much more competent with the single handed rod than the spey rod but I’m getting better with the two handed rod. I choose the rod I will use based upon the water I am fishing and Oregon has some great places to use the switch rod or spey rod (eg Rogue, Descheutes, Umpqua).

If the waters you fish are easily covered with the single handed rod, then I probably would say just stay with those. If you find that your waters limit your back casts - and/or you need a little more distance - then learning to spey cast – which is what you can add with the switch rod – some of the basics of the casts you probably already know but just don’t know you do – would be benficial.

Before you buy, try them out – some shops have Spey days, etc. or you can rent them. I would also say – watch the Rio Video Modern Spey Casting – to get some idea of what you will need to know to use a switch rod or spey rod.

As for the casts themselves, they are kind of a roll cast – kind of – but with way more involvement.

Hope my 2 cents helps some.

Orthoman
You post helped me a lot. Thanks. I bought my 13’ blank just to be able to drift a nymph further out on my stream. So I don’t think it would really function as a switch or spey rod. But having learned from this thread I think I will attempt to come up with a true switch rod and a true spey rod to play with.

Good information.

Gemrod

Tyro -

I haven’t tried a switch rod and probably won’t try one until at least after the coming year. I have done some two handed and spey casting with a 14’ 8/9 two handed rod that I won here on FAOL earlier this year.

Casting the two handed rod was a lot of fun, especially doing the spey type casts. Using the rod for overhead casts was also a lot of fun. And learning some of the things that spey casters do certainly improved my overall casting skills and helped me explore some new ways to use my single hand rods.

BUT spey rods are best used for change of direction casts, casting where there is little or no room for backcasts, and longer casts than most folks will get from a single handed rod. They are very efficient for picking up a swinging fly and in one or two fluid movements putting the fly back upstream to start another swing. My impression of switch rods is that they let you do a lot of the same things but with a more manageable length / line weight, in a rod that can be better managed by the “average bear” with one hand.

Fishing the long ( 14’ ) two handed rod was another matter. I don’t just swing flies. I like to strip streamers during the swing. Handling the longer / heavier rod was a lot less fun while actually fishing that way. Also, when setting up for long drifts with tandems of big nymphs, the overhead casting with the two handed rod was great and mending was a snap. But stripping line was less than enjoyable, to the extent it was required on a given drift.

After getting a fish on, the method you prefer to bring a fish in comes into the equation. If you put every fish on the reel, the longer rod is not a hindrance. But if you like to strip in line to bring the fish in, the length of the rod tends to be a negative, at least it was for me.

Getting down to 10’ to 11’ switch rods would eliminate or minimize some of the disadvantages I found in the longer two handed rod. And being able to manage it comfortably with one hand would be a real advantage. So it is definitely a style of rod that is worth serious consideration, to my way of thinking, for some types of fishing that some folks like to do. But it certainly doesn’t strike me as a perfect solution, in and of itself, except for someone who has a very limited way of approaching this huge thing that we call fly fishing.

I’ll just second what Orthoman said about finding an opportunity, if you can, to try both a spey and a switch rod. Barring that, watching several of the DVD’s that are available on spey / two handed rods would be a good place to start. Just watching the DVD’s opened my eyes to some things to try with my single hand rods, and made the casting part of fishing with a fly rod more interesting, and more effective.

John

Good morning,
There appears to be some confusion maybe,
with what is a SHFR, SR, Spey rod.

Generally…

Just because a FR has two grips and is ‘long’ish’.
DOES NOT mean that it is a Spey rod.

Because two handed rods are in three classes,
Spey, Overhead and the European types.

The Spey type,
will bend all the way to the butt and a single handed caster would consider this action to be soft, hence the form and cut of the graphite fabric is different, to enable this action.

The Two Handed Overhead casting rod,
This would be called a fast action by single handed casters today, the Double caster classes this a fast progressive action, and again the form and the cut of the fabric used to construct this rod is different to a beautiful Spey rod.

The European type of actioned two hander,
Generally this action is an attempt to capture all markets with a greater perforance towards overhead castiong.

To break down the casting actions further,
the S rod can perform a Spey cast 100% and overhead cast 20%
the Overhead casting/designed rod, 100% overhead cast and 20% Spey cast

And now the SR enters the casting.
Generally the SR will be designed to enable the rod to be cast with one or both hands.
Casting, Spey and overhead 75% each.

Which results in a very useful casting tool that enables a fly caster to fish almost all locations with a change of casting action.

Generally the rod length is under 11feet, this is keep the casting load on the anglers/casters hand, arm and or body at a level that does not cause damage to it, or should do.

Trust I have not confused anyone,
Kindest regards,
UB

Thanks to everyone for the great information. Sorry about the slow reply, I’m in the process of moving.

Steve