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2 hand trout arsenal

13K views 45 replies 24 participants last post by  Flycaster1977 
#1 ·
What's your 2 hand trout arsenal? Mine is...
ACR 1172 / Hardy princess/ 227gr SGS skandit
ACR 1214/ Hardy St. Aiden/ 327gr SGS skandit
ACR 1255/ Hardy Marquis #10/SGS 340gr scandi/airflo 360gr Skagit
Gary has the trout speys nailed!!
 
#2 ·
Fine collection of ACR rods there!

For two-handers for trout I use the following:

- 11'7" 3 weight Anderson Elite, with an Islander FR2

- 10'6" 4/5 weight Beulah Classic, also with an Islander FR2

Despite the different weight designations, I use the same lines on both, primarily in the 240-280 grain window. Love these rods; they are a lot of fun.

If I need a little more rod (big fish, big wind, big flies or big flows), then I jump up to 11'7" 6/7 rods with a 380-450 grain window.

Tom
 
#3 ·
You guys have some gorgeous sticks. I'm coming at this from the other side of the economic spectrum:

ARE 11' 3/4 IM6 with a Tioga Magnum 6 - 175 Grain SGS Scandit

ARE 12' 2/3 IM6 with a Tioga Magnum 8 - 225 Grain Rio Skagit
250 Grain SGS Skagit
208 Grain SGS Scandi
 
#10 ·
Here is mine.

-Cabela's Three Forks 7'6" 3-weight converted to two hander with Redington reel. Has a RIO replacement tip as a skandit/skagit at 166gr. A pic of the custom lower handle is in the "Crazy option for a micro skagit shooting??"

-Beulah Platinum 5117 with a 4" narrow Pridex and 325gr Skagit Max Short, 300gr Scandi switch.

-(For mixed trout/steelhead) Beulah Platinum switch 6104 with Allen Alpha III (size 3) with 360gr Skagit Switch.
 
#11 ·
My sticks

1) ECHO Glass Switch 3106/RIO Skagit Max Short 325
2) ECHO SR Switch 3106/RIO Skagit Max Short 325
3) ECHO Dec Hogan 4119/Airflo Scandi Compact 330/Airflo Rage 330
4) ECHO Dec Hogan 5122/Airflo Rage 360/Airflo Rage 390/Airflo Tactical Steelhead 390/Airflo Skagit Switch 390/Airflo Skagit Compact 390RIO Skagit iShort 350/Rio Skagit iShort 390
5) ECHO SR 61010/Airflo Skagit Switch 390/Airflo Skagit Compact 390/Rio Skagit iShort 400/SA Skagit Extreme Intermediate 400
6) Sage Z-Axis 5110/Airflo Skagit Switch 360/RIO Skagit iShort 350
7) Sage Z-Axis 6110/Airflo Skagit Switch 390/RIO Skagit iShort 400/SA Skagit Extreme 400
8) Sage Z-Axis5126/Airflo Skagit Compact 390/Airflo Tactical Steelhead 390
9) Sage ONE 6116/Airflo Skagit Switch 390/RIO Skagit iShort 400/SA Skagit Extreme 400

In case anyone's wonder what's up with all the heavy grainage I use these sticks: I chase my fish in the salt so anything from sea-run cutthroat to resident coho up to blackmouth and sea-run bulls find what's on the end of my line, which happens to be weighted and/or bulky flies. And then there's the wind. I hate the wind.
 
#17 ·
Really nice. Heavy enough that I don't have to use too fast a stroke but not so heavy that I can't gun it if I want to. I pair it with a 10' intermediate poly and depending on how far out in front I set up my line dump, I can use a fast, compact stroke or slow it down and open up a bit.
 
#13 ·
Just 2...........so far

Just got into 2HTrout middle of last summer. l was having a blast with a Rio Grand on my 690 Sage Launch.

So l now have

1) 10'6" Beulah 4/5 Classic dangling an lslander IR4-LA..still trying out lines on it. Right now l have a Wulff Ambush 7, but it feels a little clubby. I picked up a few Elixer heads. Would be nice to know what other people are chucking.

2) 11'0" Reddington Dually 6, with a no name reel off the net l got for $50. Have been working a 375gr Skagit short on it. I use it when l start hitting Bulls over 5lbs

Looking now for a nice still water unit l can use on my pontoon boat
 
#16 ·
That Beulah 4/5 is a great rod, although I consider it more of a 3/4 than a 4/5... I haven't used a Skagit on it. Mine loves a SGS 272 gr, Airflo 240 or 270 gr Scandi, or a Rio 280 gr steelhead scandi. For overhead work I really like a SA single hand 8wt wetcel type 3 sinking line that I got for super cheap. I believe it's around 210 grains.
 
#18 ·
It's great to see what works for people. I'll play:

Echo SR 4106 with #4 Speydicator (big dries & nymphs) and 275 skagit
Redington Dually 4109 with #8 Ambush
Redington Prospector 5110 with #9 Ambush

On order: Echo Glass 4106

On my mind: ARE 12' 2/3

I use either old SA 789 System Ones or Ocean City 36s for reels-
 
#19 ·
Hey FlankFeather2, what grainage is that Ambush 8 and how would you sum up the Dually in terms of flex profile (i.e., bendy or stiff) and recovery rate (fast/moderate fast/moderate)? Been looking at that particular rod as backup switch or possibly as a "tweener" rod for my Glass 3106 and 5110 Z-Axis.

Thanks!
 
#23 ·
One Dedicated Trouter and One Swing Rod

I have a Scott T2h 10'8" 5 Wt that I use a 275 gr Elixer and 330 gr Nextcast FF35. The 275 gr goes well with dries and swinging small wets. The FF35 handles nymphs and indicator rigs.

The Swing rod is a Scott ARC 11'9" 6 wt. I use a 360 gr NC FF35 for swinging flies and an AF 390 gr skagit for heavier stuff.

I also have a 85' Cortland DT 8 line that I'll be experimenting with this spring on one or both rods.
 
#38 ·
Well when you get to measure your troot in pounds ( as in the high teens) I wouldnt want to be using one of these lightweights and they certainly wouldnt get me anywhere near these bigun`s ;)
And who you calling an `old dog` hahaha
 
#44 ·
Well when you get to measure your troot in pounds ( as in the high teens) I wouldnt want to be using one of these lightweights and they certainly wouldnt get me anywhere near these bigun`s ;)
Whoa, some serious big trout! More like large steelhead than trout. If my targeted fish were anywhere close to that size of fish and if big casts were required to reach them I would definitely add a bigger longer stick to my trout arsenal. But my targeted fish are not even close. :( Most of the rivers that I fish require at most an 80' cast to reach the majority of productive spots in the river. The fish size on average is 14"- 18" with a few in the 20"+ range. Considering the size of fish/water my 3wt can handle these fish in short order, with that occasional bigum thrown in the mix. When using tips, bigger bugs, and dealing with wind the 5 weights are better suited.

Using a 2-hand trout spey has put a 'ton-of-fun' back into the swinging fly game for me. There are some tight water and big water situations where a different rod would be a better choice but for me these lighter weight 2-handers are the right tool in the right place the majority of time. Rod company sales and this new trout forum indicate a lot of interest and use with these newer lightweight rods. We're fortunate to have innovative rod builders who are willing to expand the envelope and provide these new tools. Good fishin to ya.... :)
 
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