I wasn't crazy about the rod. Other people may say differently though. I'm not so sure about its use either. There are spey tapered fly rods from Burkheimer etc. that are all in 11ft and would probably perform better

 

I've never cast a Loop, so I've no opinion there.

I prefer slightly longer, 11' 1/2 ft and up, but have a couple 10 1/2 that are nice when things are tight. I prefer them to 10' sh rods, but that's just my preference.

 

I don't actually own that particular rod, nor any specifically made switch rods, but I've made my own mini switches out of single hand glass rods by adding a lower grip to them. To me the shorter rods are definitely an asset on small waters. It's easier to maneuver in tight quarters and easier to manage the shorter casts used on small water. These rods also come in handy in larger water where you are up against bankside brush and other obstructions and in runs where long casts are not needed. I find myself addicted to the lightweight feel of using the shorter rods and the fight of a fish seems magnified as well. As a result, I don't use my full grown spey rods very often these days, regardless of where I'm fishing.

Todd

 

Todd's pretty well nailed it down. Smaller waters AND where you don't need to make long casts. Many places here on the upper Rogue River where a 30 foot cast is 'over kill' for where the fish would travel/hold. Regardless of casting room, a 40' cast puts you beyond the fish.

The short rods with either a short head Scandi or Skagit is the 'go to gear.'

fae

 

I think you have it covered. Your 10' single hander probably has an extended butt so you can spey cast it. Both your rods are short in spey terms but will cover most any "switch rod" situation you might encounter.

 

Loop Cross S1 7107-4 MC-MF Switch Rod

Got a chance to demo this rod last June for a couple of days.Single speyed and Snap T the Airflo Compact Scandi 360 and Rio Steelhead Scandi 350 very well.Also overheaded a single handed WF9 well.From the Loop Web site the ideal grain weight is 16.5 -20.5g [ 255-316gr ],however i did not find the 350 and 360 gr lines heavy on this rod.The only thing I did not like about the rod was the short back handle,would have prefered about 3.75in.Would have liked to purchase this rod but at $1000.00 was a little too rich for my taste.
Tight Lines
Copsamps

 

I haven't found the need for a switch rod yet . If I'm fishing smaller water and my 9' or 10'6" single handers can't do the job , my 12'6" can . Maybe it's just me and the water that I fish .
Usually , I'm fishing water that I feel needs to be covered by my longer rods of 13' to 15' .



Mike

 

Mike, its definately not just you. Im exactly the same. I go from a 9 foot single hander right up to a 12 ft. 6" model ---and feel i have it all covered.

 

started with an 11' 7 weight, then got a 13'3'' 7/8 and am ready to part with the 11' er and replace it with a 12'6 or longer 6 weight......basically due to the fact that the exact use for the 'switch' is not common and prefer the longer rod for control.

 

No experience with the Loop but I have switch rods from 10' to 11'9". Use them all depending on the situation.

Majority of my spey rods are between 11'5" and 12'7". My single handers gather dust...lonelier than a Maytag repairman.

 

All a switch is is a shorter two hand rod. You either have a use for one..or you don't.
Horses for courses.
Most of the rivers I fish are perfectly suited to an 11'-12' rod...if I fished bigger water..I would use something longer. Smaller water..I use something shorter.

Don't over think it....switch rods receive a lot of press, but they are not some kind of magic solution.

 

My question back



If you drop the ball let me know LOL

 

thanks for the input guys, it seems that most of you are thinking along the same lines as I am.

I think I'll take the deal though - I've tried a few of the Cross S1 and really liked the feel and action. Besides, when has anyone passed up a good deal on a quality rod?

 

all personal preference for sure. for me i like rods of 12' or less the vast majority of the time. i fish smaller water or big water with tight wading and limited backcast. short rods make perfect sense for those situations. i never switch, they are compact two handers for me.

last week i fished the most popular trib in NY and fished a 13' 7 wt one day and an 11'7" the next in the same areas. the 13' rod was better for reaching way out and line control from there but not that much better. the smaller rod was way better in the tight to the bank situation. one other note is that the smaller outfit physically weighs half of the bigger. smaller rod and much smaller reel. i was surprised how little i missed the bigger rod and felt it was only a benefit over about 70' and where i had backcast room which was one small spot.

if you haven't fished your water with a smaller rod you should. that's all i'm saying, try it for yourself and you may be surprised.

 

I too questioned the value of a switch rod. I finally decided to get a TCX 8 wt. switch for BC. At 11'9" it is more of a mini spey rod. My primary spey rod was a Zaxis 8129, so length isn't much of a difference. What I like about the TCX switch is its weight (very light), and it is slightly better in tight situations - certainly over a 13'6" rod (which is why I used the 8129 more than my 8136 to begin with).

If I was limited to 2 rods, a switch rod and a 13'6" rod cover everything I need to do. If I am limited to one rod, then it would be a 12'6"-13' spey rod. And like the previous posts said, if I fished small waters, then switch rods are all you need. Just find the one that works for you (action and length).

 

I love my 11'6" switch. I don't really care for the name "switch" because for me I NEVER over hand cast. It is a compact 2 hander, like Black Francis said. I rarely fish big waters & usually have very little room to backcast and I think that is where the advantage is for me.

 

This might be an interest to some...

BOB MEISER TALKS ABOUT SWITCH RODS
AN EXCERPT FROM WASHINGTON FLY FISHING


http://www.redshedflyshop.com/MEIZ.html

 

I'm actually hoping to be able to overhead cast this rod (with the right line) - I see it as tool for "hitching" (that's how I'm selling it to me anyway).

Riffle hitch requires a high rod tip - I will probably use it more as a sh than a dh. Riffling for a an Atlantic Salmon is the most fun anyone can have (by himself at least).

The rod is light enough to use as a sh - I messed about with it a little bit today - with a light enough reel and a suitable line, it might just work.

Maybe I'm way off, but that's nothing new.

 

I have a 14ft St Croix that I got to learn to spey cast with, great rod and had a blast with it, but Since I got my first switch rod the St Croix has not seen the water.
The switch is so good, I will fish it 2 handed swinging with a Skagit head, two handed floating with a scandi, two handed overhead and single handed overhead (for shortish periods). I have even used it in the Salt water and it is a blast.
As for matching the rod size to the water I prefer to match the rod to the fish! I fish the Tongariro, a good size river with some deep wading and some spots with a bank and trees right behind you, the 14ft is perfect for this water but way too much rod for a NZ rainbow trout. The switch is much more suited to the fish and even in the salt it handles the fish very well.
All the best.
Mike

 

I'm pretty sure that about 90% of the people who steelhead fish with switch rods use them as a compact spey rod with spey casting, not so much single handing.
Mike

 

Reading Meiz's 'definition' of a switch rod, this makes my 15' #10/11 B&W Norway, my Loomis GLX 15' #10, and a variety of 13 to 14' Meiser rods ALSO switch rods - ie, equally able to be used with anchored Spey casts, and then switching, as necessary, to cast shooting heads with overhead casts.

You don't need a 10'6" to 11'9" (short DH rod) rod to 'switch' casting methodologies


Mike

 

My thoughts exactly.

Reinventing the wheel if you like.

 

For me with my switch rod when I "switch" between sustained anchor casts and overhead casts is to gain more distance then I can achieve with the sustained anchor cast. When I use a Spey rod I see no need to overhead.

 

another tool

As mentioned above, I think switch rods are nice tools. I only have used the ones I've owned as short two-handed spey rods. I like them on smaller rivers, or medium to large rivers where you are stuck against the bank and have little to no room for a d-loop. Fun to fish for sure.

 

Switch rods

I have a 11ft 2in Greenheart double-hander from around the 1920's.
As for Switch casting, the original Switch cast was a change of direction cast that ran parallel to a Speycast, as did Switch rods, dated around the 1890's.

Auld Cruickshank of Aberlour was regarded as the best Speycaster in the world at the time with Alexander Grant the best Switch caster, (he never used a Speycast0 but could show the difference in the casts.
Switch rods started out longer rods than a rod used for Speycasting, but things soon changed with the people travelling north to fish the Highland rivers.
With a long history of Salmon and Trout fishing in the Highlands, nothing is new just the names but it's always been that way.
Soon we will see a rod with a curved top section, no its been done already.

Gordon.
DTX Pro Staff.

 

I too find an 11' two-hander a useful shaft in the quiver. Tight quarters, short to medium distance, that is an ideal configuration.

I think of my rod coverage as 7,9,11,13,15. Every one has a role.

 

short 2 handers make perfect sense. the intention of the marketing gurus with the term "switch rod" not so much. but i guess it does sell more rods to the bobber and nymph gang. just look at the rigging on most switch rods on the ronde this time of year. i love to see people sh casting 11+ footers.
when tendonitis eventually sets in, maybe some fish will get a break from the barrage of beads :razz:

 

My 11.5' rod weighs 5 ounce flat [there are some lighter] I've had 9' single hand rods that weighed that. Although very minor percentage, I occasionally fire off a few single handed.

I've watched one of my closest fishing friends single hand an 11' BIIx for a week straight, multiple trips, with no complaint [and his arm never fell off] He's now 70

First active use of the the term "Switch Rod" I noted was a decade ago when Bob Meiser offered rods with a removable lower grip. The "Switch" was from two handed to single hand.