[henderson]

I will bet 75% of the single hand rods sold are 9'ers, but when it comes to
switch rods there is a great variety in lengths even for each rod weight.You
can almost find them in one inch increments if you searched among different brands. Why haven't switch rod lengths standardized like their single handed
cousins?

 

[glcaddis]

While you're at it...

What makes an 11' rod a switch or a spey? I've seen rods at or slightly longer than 11' listed as either. Not the same rod, the same rod length.

 

[Back Eddy]

My Guess

Corporate Profit and Cosumerism..

That tactic works on Me LOL

 

[Jason]

Corporate Profit and Cosumerism..

That tactic works on Me LOL

Apparently on me as well. I was just thinking that if they "standardized" switch or spey rod length we'd not be able to acquire nearly as large of a quiver...
JB

 

[SLSS]

First off, what difference does it make?

And I think if you look at it from the design end, maybe you'd find that standardization has nothing to do with getting the feel a rod designer want.

In a single hand, for a good share of applications, especially throwing dries, 8'3" is my favorite. Find me more than a couple of those. 9'? Meh….

 

[troutless]

Why haven't switch rod lengths standardized like their single handed cousins?

My guesses would be:

1. Market maturity and networking effects. Spey tackle is still in a rapid evolutionary phase in the US, whereas the single-hand market is pretty mature. If all your friends bought 9' rods, likely you will too.

2. Difference in market segment preferences. Single-hand rod sales are dominated by trout fisherman. What percentage of those 9' rods sold are 5-wts? Two-handed rod sales I'd guess are still dominated (in the US) by steelheaders, who, on average, are more experienced, more sophisticated about tackle, more prone to muck with their tackle, and therefore more susceptible to be sold on fine technical distinctions.

3. Sample stratification, similar to the previous. The same guys who are buying 9'6" rods for swinging or nymphing and 8' 3" rods for trout-dry-fly are more likely to branch out to two-handed casting. If you look at it from the view that there are two sub-populations, one consisting of the neophytes, dabblers, and two-month-a-year fishermen, the other, the addicts, the difference may not be as large.

4. Physics. Fine distinctions in rod action are more noticeable when speycasting. And two-handed casters are usually working with a fixed-length head, not shooting line in the false cast, not hauling, so there are fewer levers (pun intended) to impact performance.

 

[David1123]

David1123

To me they are all spey rods. Some are just made short enough to cast single hand style.

 

[bender]

To me they are all spey rods. Some are just made short enough to cast single hand style.

To me they are fly rods. Lighter Switch rods can be single hand cast and overhead cast but I like to use lighter line when SH cast.

Esa

 

[roballen]

a spey rod is designed to cast line off the water. switch rods are designed to do cast both overhead and off the water

 

[glcaddis]

Back Eddy and Jason Hit the Nail on the Head

at least as far as I'm concerned. Free enterprise saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. I have a 10'8" 5 wt rod that I use for trout, is it a switch rod or a spey? And, do I really care? Not really. On smaller rivers and streams, it works nicely for an indicator rod, a streamer rod, and for swinging wet flies. So what, if the rod maker decided to call it a switch or a spey?

 

[Speyducer]

My guesses would be:

1. Market maturity and networking effects. Spey tackle is still in a rapid evolutionary phase in the US, whereas the single-hand market is pretty mature. If all your friends bought 9' rods, likely you will too.

2. Difference in market segment preferences. Single-hand rod sales are dominated by trout fisherman. What percentage of those 9' rods sold are 5-wts? Two-handed rod sales I'd guess are still dominated (in the US) by steelheaders, who, on average, are more experienced, more sophisticated about tackle, more prone to muck with their tackle, and therefore more susceptible to be sold on fine technical distinctions.

3. Sample stratification, similar to the previous. The same guys who are buying 9'6" rods for swinging or nymphing and 8' 3" rods for trout-dry-fly are more likely to branch out to two-handed casting. If you look at it from the view that there are two sub-populations, one consisting of the neophytes, dabblers, and two-month-a-year fishermen, the other, the addicts, the difference may not be as large.

4. Physics. Fine distinctions in rod action are more noticeable when speycasting. And two-handed casters are usually working with a fixed-length head, not shooting line in the false cast, not hauling, so there are fewer levers (pun intended) to impact performance.

and then, of course, whilst we are all still "confused" about what is a switch rod (certainly in terms of how they are used), there comes to the marketplace the "micro-spey".....what's that all about if it's not another marketing ploy by the manufacturers to get some to buy yet another "class" of rod!?

It should be simple...rods with a 2 segment handle are 2-handed rods, and those with only a single hand grip are single handers.

ANY of these rods can be cast overhead if you so wish, and, to confuse things further, whilst a single-hander cannot be cast with a 2-handed grip (there just ain't no place for your second hand), a rod with a 2-handed grip assembly, to up to about 12 feet in length anyway, can still be cast as a single hander (with one hand), but not for very long unless you've got a forearm grip like a tennis pro.

You pays your money & take your choice! : just get out there & fish ... there are far two many people who seem to want to overthink things ... and the "market" is only too willing to fill all those micro-niches of fly fishing.


Mike