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Should I make the switch?

1K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  BJay 
#1 ·
I need some help on a decision here. I've got two 7wt switch rods an 11' and an 11'6". I've been reading more about how the taper of a true Spey rod makes casting easier, smoother, and more user friendly overall. As I've come to understand because a switch rod has a different taper my stroke should be more compact and clean. The switch is less forgiving and everything needs to be much more on point. Being a decent caster I've made casting with my switch rod work, but I'm wondering if I should move to a 12-13'6" Spey rod in the 7wt range? The water I fish is good for that length and I'm thinking it might be better to acquire a true spey rod to help with casting and learning more. I don't really need two switch rods so I'm fine with getting one spey and keeping my other switch. Any help is appreciated thanks!

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#2 ·
Generally speaking there is no spesifig Spey or Switch rod taper! Longer rod does not make casting so much easier that you need to get one.

Have you cast Scandi taper using at least rod length mono leader? This lessen anchor blow and increase Spey cast efficiency when back cast roon allows a bigger D-loop

No need to worry fishing depth because if fly has some weight the fast sinking head sinks it very deep very fast when fly is tied to thin mono leader because its water drag is low.

Esa
 
#4 ·
in Regards to length choose the rod that works best for you. I have many different lengths of rods that each excel at what they were designed to do but my number one most versatile rod is a 10’ 4” 6 wt Beaulah Platinum. I can make nice casts up close, cast from awkward places with lots of tree branches all around, and crank some distance. A nice rod on the shorter end of the spectrum that has been lined correctly is hard to beat.
 
#5 ·
I have lots of multi tip lines but I don't use them much. I mostly cast floating head and use different weight fly and different leader length to adjust fishing depth. I match leader breaking strength to target fish. I occationally loose flyes but I have never lost floating head.

For high flow I cast short or shortish fast sinking heads which I have made from various cheap "grain" line which are sold in 30ft lengths because they get snagged to river bottom occacionallly. Usually they don't have taper and don't cast smooth but don't behave clunkier than typical Skagit head does. So called 3D heads I have bought didn't have taper in their mass either and they vere too expensive experiments :mad: Heads which have S-5 or less tip usually have nice tapers.

When leader is very long just be careful when setting Snap-T anchor so that fly does not collide with rod and using Circle-C is safer. Other Spey casts have no danger. For overhead and oval casting I use about 10ft leader.

Esa
 
#6 · (Edited)
fishfirst, You may mistakenly be conflating a couple of things here. When “switch” rods first came out they were marketed as rods you could cast overhead AND two-handed, and because of that gimmick many to most of these rods were a little faster and tippier that some spey rods - faster and tippier being more like current trends in single hand rods. All those long-time single hand fishermen who finally got up the nerve to get one figured out in the meantime that overhead casts with these rods were special cases and hardly ever did them.

Nowadays, especially in the last few years most switch rods are produced with a deeper flexing action more characteristic of a traditional spey rod, and arguably more useful for (certain styles of) spey casting, and you seldom hear people talk about how great they are to use both ways - not even salesmen. They are just short spey rods. That said, there are still some tippier “switch” rods made, but many of these, at least in NA, are now specifically targeted at people who intend to use them primarily or exclusively overhead, as with surf fishing, etc.

But as bender said above, there is no such thing as a “switch taper”. It is the added LENGTH of a spey rod, and the more relaxed tempo and margin of error that can make it easier to learn, not necessarily the taper. A deeper flexing taper on a spey rod can also make it a little easier to learn IMO, at least initially, but there are many spey rods with very fast, tippy tapers, and many people who love them.

So the real question related to all this is which specific switch rod do you have, and which spey rod are you thinking of trying, because there are ALL types of taper available for either length. If you just want something deeper flexing but in a switch rod maybe take a look at the TFO Deer Creek switch rods. But you should definitely take the plunge and try a spey rod regardless! :hihi:
 
#8 ·
it's a natural progression - me thinks. I started spey casting with 15'ers and longer, eventually purchased an 11'9'' 6-wt, and really mixing things up with different taper lengths , line styles, and different casting techniques.

I can tell you that the same technique works across all different types of tackle and you can also adjust your casting to suite the outfit.
 
#9 ·
I think learning with a 12 1/2 to 13 ft rod is much easier. I think it has to do with the rod length and line length, and the geometry of the d-loop and speed of movements. If you work on your casting with that length rod, I think you'll find it makes your switch rods easier to use.

I own rods from 10 1/2 to 15 ft. For me, the sweet spot for spey casting starts in the 11 1/2 ft length, so I'd probably get a 13 ft rod, keep the 11'9 and ditch the switch.

I do like the shorter switches for surf fishing, switching back and forth between two hand overhead and spey casts.
 
#10 ·
maybe a spey rod

Hi Fishfirst92
Definitely go to a longer rod. You will love it.
Here is a little info for you on a 12.5 ft 5/6 Deer Creek that I use. I use a 305 gr scandi head and a 55 or 65 grain tip and approx. 15 ft of leader and a 390 grain skagit head and a 90 grain tip and approx.15 ft of leader. I can cast both lines out to about 80 to 85 ft plus leader. On a good day or with a little wind a little more distance. (Actually a lot more distance.) The heavier head doesn't seam to add more distance, but I can just use a heavier fly.
So I believe
with light scandi line it is speed that gets distance as the rod unloads faster
with the skagit line weight gets the distance but the rod unloads slower
The scandi is much nicer to cast.
With the above info I hope it will help you decide what lines to use and where.
I walk and fish the shore line most of the time. I wear hiking boots. No wading.
I find the scandi much easier to fish off shore than the skagit.
PS If I was to go to a 7 weight rod I would go to a 13 footer. I had a 7/8 in a 12.5 footer and found it to stiff. A 14 inch fish hardly put a bend in the rod.

Anyone want to add to this ??????
 
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