[baldmountain]

We all know that a 2 handed rod is a great tool for swinging a fly on big water for Steelhead and Salmon. But what about other fishing situations? How do you fish a 2 handed rod beyong Steelhead and Salmon fishing? Saltwater? Stillwater? Small trout streams? Warmwater?

Do you forgo the 15' rod and long belly line for a switch rod and standard WF line?

Let's hear using a 2 handed rod in other fishing situations.

 

[Jamey McLeod]

Small water

I use 11ft 2 handers on small water the majority of the time. LGL9116 in the fall and spring, T&T DH1107 in the winter. I use 7/8/9WC with the middle section removed on the 7wt and a 7/8 Skagit on the 9wt. I have some smaller water pretty close to me that is really ideal during the week, it gets a bit packed on the weekends. On the weekends I usually get the big sticks out and hit the big water thats a bit further of a drive and has room to spread out.


I also use my DH1107 for carp in the harbor near my home, and use the LGL in the surf and off the piers, both cast over head.

 

[sean]

I use a two handed a lot in the salt but that is not spey casting. You can use some spey movements to set up your cast but the rod is only used overhead.

-sean

 

[o_clarki_clarki]

when i fish the salt at the purdy spit, on any minus tide, the water is moving swiftly enough so that one can definitely fish spey casts. on a -2 to -4 foot tide, the water looks like a white water rapid and produces fish on either side of the seam. when fishing other than minus tides, overhead is definitely in order.

off the beaches on the narrows, mostly overhead, with a few spey casts with the scandinavian head.

i use a switch rod and a 13' 5/6 for the salt with any of the three following lines: scandinavian, loop adapted or guideline hover.

vinnie

 

[SSPey]

more salt

on the striper flats last week, if my first presentation was ignored by the cruising shadows (nah, that never happened!) and the fish kept moving laterally, I would quickly spey cast to change direction and get a second shot before the shadows moved out of range. Usually a doublespey or snake. It worked well.

There was also a place with a steep bluff that set up a strong rip spreading onto flats. At that spot, we were swinging flies in 3-5' of flowing water, targeting fish that were feeding while swimming slowly upcurrent. The situation was very river-like. Much of the time I took up position with the bluff immediately behind me, speycasting.

Mostly though, it was an overhead game.

 

[sean]

There was also a place with a steep bluff that set up a strong rip spreading onto flats. At that spot, we were swinging flies in 3-5' of flowing water, targeting fish that were feeding while swimming slowly upcurrent. The situation was very river-like. Much of the time I took up position with the bluff immediately behind me, speycasting.

Been waiting for this situation. Found a place in Rhode Island where this will hopefully occur. At the very least it will be a place to practice my spey casting when the tide is ripping.

-sean

 

[Jamey McLeod]

I use a two handed a lot in the salt but that is not spey casting. You can use some spey movements to set up your cast but the rod is only used overhead.

-sean

Sean, not disagree with you, but I just got in from a carp session in the local harbor here in MI. I was using my T&T DH1107 with the front 36ft of an Orvis 12wt mid head spey line looped to amnesia. There is no current in this spot, just blind casting into muddy water on a flat on the edge of the channel going out to Lake MI. When I stripped into the junction. I made a motion like I would if I was making a snap-T (line straight out from the start of the motion), except bringing my rod tip way around to the left (right hand high, as if the current was going from right to left), it would set my fly down about 8-10ft to my right and about 3-5ft out, then go into the motion as if I was making the second half of a double, white mouse and all, fly stays anchored the whole time. I use this cast to recover from mistakes on the river, but it seems to work well in still water with a shooting head also, was easily making 70-80ft casts with a bit of a tail wind. The fly never leaves the anchor, not that that alone makes it a "spey" cast, but I wouldn't call it overhead either.

If anybody cares I went 1/2 on the golden bones, a much needed drag screaming experience!

 

[sean]

I was just relating my experience so far in the salt and did not mean to sound like it was the only way. I am sure there are lots of things one can do with a two hander I have not explored yet.

You can do lots of things with 2 handers in still water but if you have back cast room I have yet to see a time when over heading was not more efficient and accurate. Jamey reading your example unless you had no back cast room it seems like a lot of steps to go through to throw a fly 80' when you could probably do the same thing with one overhead back cast. Efficiency needs to should into the equation at some point.

-sean

 

[Jamey McLeod]

Jamey reading your example unless you had no back cast room it seems like a lot of steps to go through to throw a fly 80' when you could probably do the same thing with one overhead back cast. Efficiency needs to should into the equation at some point.

-sean

Good point, some places I do have room, others I don't. Part of my thing is that I know I need practice with timing, feel, and a good positive stop, and this helps.

 

[baldmountain]

I am sure there are lots of things one can do with a two hander I have not explored yet.

And this is exactly what I want to hear about and explore. I think there is some good stuff to discover here.

 

[MJC]

Hey Geoff...

While I will admit that most of us frequenting here are addicted to swinging flies for Chrome, or maybe Atlantics a search of the archives should yield some other ideas. The same statagy on Juro's board (the Forum) will bring some more.
Also I have some customers using two handers to nymph for trout, and fish Texas impoundments for largemouth bass. I know of a guy in Utah using a two hander to fish in lakes for trout. If you search the posts of Zach Matthews you will find some info on two handers for trout. Will (Prairiespey) is doing some neat fishing up there in Manitoba for the BIG cats and who knows what else. There are lots of stiper fishers both east and west fishing both fresh and salt that are using two handers. There are some two hander fishers in the Gulf states fishing the Gulf of Mexico. I've talked with some guys about tarpon fishing with two handers and it wouldn't surprise me to find out that Juro or some of his friends have caught some bones, or some of the other Carribian species using two handers.