Switch rod IN the Great Lakes

[sjkirkpa]

Hi All,

I have never handled a spey or switch rod outside of the fly shop. They do intrigue me, but I've not found a need for one. Until now, maybe.

I live in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The spring steelhead run is on (but slow so far). A lot of guys drift egg sacks in Lake Superior proper at the mouths of the rivers. I have occasionally drifted streamers with an egg dropper fly in the big lake with my 9'6" Scott SAS on calm days, allowing the current of the river spilling into the lake to carry the fly. But I never quite have the range to get the fly where it needs to be when the fish are patrolling off shore a bit.

My question is this - would a switch (or spey) rod make sense to get me the extra distance I need when fishing the mouths of the rivers in Lake Superior? I should mention that I am wading from shore - not in a boat.

Thanks and I look forward to your thoughts.

 

[Ard]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

I've seen people who are good casters with a nine foot rod and back cast space put casts out to 70 - 80 feet one after another. I have also seen people who are not proficient with a Switch or Spey rod struggle to make the same distance.

Once you become skilled at casting various size payloads to desired distances the 2 hand rods do make it easier. However, while folks get up to speed it may not be as easy as the single hand rod.

I don't mean not to try, I mean to forewarn that things often are not instant in their arrival Unless your streams / rivers are of the medium variety I would just go to a 12'6" or 13' rod and be done with it. There is something to be said for learning a new skillset and this would qualify as one.

 

[sjkirkpa]

Hi Ard,

Thanks for the Welcome to the forum. I am not new to flyfishing, and I guess I would call myself an average caster. I certainly don't put out 70 - 80 ft regularly with my current 8Wt single hand rod, more like 50 -60 ft, when I have the room behind me.

I'm always up for learning new things and this sounds like a good one to learn.

Since I won't have a moving river to load the rod, I'm thinking that I should learn how to do a 2 handed overhead cast with a switch rod. Does this make sense?

I look forward to learning how to use these big rods. - Sean

 

[eastfly66]

My question is this - would a switch (or spey) rod make sense to get me the extra distance I need

What is this extra distance you are looking for ?

 

[ia_trouter]

Lack of moving water complicates it. Switch has some application on still water but presentation is a completely different game. There are vids on the net. I don't think I would ever use a spey on still water. It's cumbersome and the advantages a really long rod offers don't apply so much.

I have used my spey to fish bluegills from 70ft away, just to practice hitting a target. I'm sure I looked ridiculous.

 

[sjkirkpa]

Hi eastfly,

It's hard to say what the extra distance is I need - maybe 30 ft or so? I don't know exactly... All I know is that I'm looking for ideas to get to the fish in less than ideal conditions, usually...

I have no idea if a switch or spey rod is a potential solution or not. I know so little about them. I'm just seeking opinions. Thanks.

 

[eastfly66]

Hi eastfly,

It's hard to say what the extra distance is I need - maybe 30 ft or so? I don't know exactly... All I know is that I'm looking for ideas to get to the fish in less than ideal conditions, usually...

I have no idea if a switch or spey rod is a potential solution or not. I know so little about them. I'm just seeking opinions. Thanks.

I was just asking in case you had some thought of casting 80 yards or something with the 2 hander ....my guess is that rounds out about 70/80 feet , with a little practice you should have no problem reaching that with your 908 but do follow up with your interest in the 2 hander. I promise you will not regret it.

Cheers
Paul

 

[huronfly]

Are you drifting the streamers/eggs under an indicator or swinging? Do you know what type of line you would be using?

Unless you are swinging on a tight line, I would think line control at that distance would be near impossible... With practice and proper technique an overhead DH cast should give you more distance, but like Ard said, don't expect instant success. You don't need moving water to spey cast either. They are definitely more cumbersome for stripping flies or fishing from a boat but if you are wading and drifting/swinging I say go for it.

 

[sjkirkpa]

Hi Danny,

I have no idea what line I would be using.... I have no experience with 2 handed rods..

Not really swinging a fly, either... Picture standing in Lake Superior at the outlet of a small/medium sized river (some more like creeks), casting blindly into the largest freshwater lake (depending on how you measure, of course) in the world, letting the current from the small river/creek take the fly and hoping to run into a steelhead. That's the plan. Maybe.

Like I said, I'm an average - not great, not bad, either - caster with my single handed 9'6", 8wt Scott SAS, but I'm just exploring new options...

Probably, from what I can tell on-line, I need to learn a 2 handed overhead cast and pick up the right rod and line.

I am always willing to put in the time practicing...

Sean

 

[ia_trouter]

..Since I won't have a moving river to load the rod, I'm thinking that I should learn how to do a 2 handed overhead cast with a switch rod. Does this make sense?

I look forward to learning how to use these big rods. - Sean

That does sound like it makes sense Sean but despite the name "switch", in reality they are not very good overhand casting tools. I'm not aware of anyone on this forum that does that often. A 10ft singlehand rod is probably better for that application, because the rod and line are lighter. Overhead casting a spey line will cease to be pleasant in a short time. It not pleasant to me anyway. You can load a switch rod in still water, but it is different. The biggest challenge I have when using a two hander in still water is that you are not swinging and mending, which is where a long rod shines. You have to strip line to impart action. You have a lot of line and leader out of the tip and it's very ackward to fish close in. Which may or may not be a problem in your situation. I don't mean to discourage you but you will have to choose gear carefully.

 

[fredaevans]

Don't worry how far you can cast, most of the fish I've hooked were withing 30 feet of my boots.

fae

 

[sjkirkpa]

Yep. Most of the fish I've caught have been that close, too. But these fish are not patrolling that close to shore.... thus the need for new tactics

 

[huronfly]

I think I can picture what you're doing now... I fish the same way at a local river mouth, but instead of a long cast I throw 30-50 feet of line, and then feed line into it as the current takes it out to the lake. A stripping basket makes it easier.

 

[Ard]

Since I won't have a moving river to load the rod, I'm thinking that I should learn how to do a 2 handed overhead cast with a switch rod. Does this make sense?

That makes sense, I fish in tidal water for salmon occasionally and that is exactly what I do. With a beach to my rear I can get a 45' or longer head in the air along with a 13' leader and then shoot line behind it on the way out.

Even if you get the casting down quickly, in order to be hitting 60 feet it is harder than it may seem. Most people using a switch rod will end up with a line having somewhere in the neighborhood of a 20 - 23 foot head. When you think about it, depending on how long the leader is you need to shoot 30 foot of running line behind that head to reach 60 foot or better.

The key thing may be that if you learn how to cast your rod and line well, you may find many circumstances where the Spey style casts in 50 to 60 feet will serve you well and like I said earlier, it will be easier than a single hand cast. You'll enjoy the experience of learning this I'm sure.

 

[sjkirkpa]

Thanks, All.

I'm looking forward to learning about 2 handed rods. Thanks for you input. Now I need to go do some research on rods, lines, reels, etc.... Should be fun.

- Sean

 

[rockriver]

I suggest going for a 13 1/2 or 14 foot Spey rod. I fish Superior's shores a lot and it can produce some decent fish. Any water flow into the lake can be a productive area that attracts fish. I'm also in the U.P. and since I started 2 handing, I'm never bored. I have several suggestions and if your interested, P.M. me.

Welcome to a great forum.

 

[runningfish]

I fish both still and moving water with switch rods all the time. Moving water is the utopia for 2H but you don't always need moving water to cast double hand well. Stripping a lot of line is the game in still water streamer fishing with single or double hand rods, we can't avoid it. Double hand rods will make the distance casting with bigger payload easier while keeping the flexibility to cast to any directions in stillwater.

The casting mechanism isn't much different either, once you have the muscle memory and the stubbornness to learn it you'll be a Jedi. I am a stubborn Padawan and still learning the art.

Please Note. In stillwater, your sink tip will sink like a rock which good because now you can learn the right timing to compensate for the river current moving your anchor down river. Another good thing about learning 2H in stillwater is that you'll be force to load the rod without the tension from the current.

I think you will do very well with the latest integrated head to running line systems. Where there is no loop to loop connection to catch on your guides and they come both in Scandi and Skagit head types.

Here is what I do I am streamer fishing with an 11ft 5wt switch rod. I would strip the back of the shooting head up to 18" from the tip top. I'll stop stripping and I pinch the running line with my pinky finger to mark it and continue stripping the head all the way in until I can see the back of the leader/tip. I will then lift the tip of the rod slowly to give a chaser a chance to bite before perry poke or rolling cast the head out without releasing the pinched line go. This way, in 1~2 moves I can have all the shooting head out plus that 18" hang line (shoot...can't remember the right term) and ready to cast out again.

 

[smarty140]

Sean - you may want to contact John at the Great Lakes Fly Co in Duluth. He is very enthusiastic about Spey casting I would bet he fishes the mouths of the North Shore streams or has set up people for this. There are planted Kamloops available in Lake Superior near and in the rivers north of Duluth and I think a few people Spey fish for them (minority compared to spin fishermen with jigs or bait though).
ryan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Unknownflyman]

Sure you can cast on a lake shore and you can get good distance too.

The most distance I've achieved is with a long rod and a long belly spey line but short skagit heads work just fine and Scandinavian lines for light flies and calm days.

To cast far you have to practice and get good, there is no way around that.

I know people that are very successful catching steelhead and kamloops (our hatchery steelhead) off shore, maybe even more successful than swinging rivers on any given day. People catch large lake trout at the river mouths casting to the far flow on the lake and letting it sink and slowly swing across.

The very best time for shore fishing is to be there at the start of legal fishing a half hour before sunrise. The fish are close, very close so be aware. You never know what you might catch! I have seen 50 coaster Brook trout have been caught and released this year so far. That is great! 20 pound lakers, salmon...a lot of action and food near the river mouths in the spring on a very cold sterile lake, you know the fish are around.


Go to the superior fly angler in Superior Wisconsin.


Generally most spey guys on our end of the lake have one spey rod and one switch rod for smaller rivers.

Stripping streamers work, but tying up a large nymph and stripping that in works really well, looking to the fish as a hatch is starting out of the rocks.

You don't need moving water to cast, that is a myth, you just need water.

 

[sjkirkpa]

Thanks, All. Some great comments. Lots to learn and lots of practice ahead.

I've lived on Lake Superior for the past 7 years and pretty much never fished it. I think this will open up a lot of new water for me.


Rockriver - I'll send you a pm