Which switch rod?

[njflyfisher]

Whelp haven't been on this forum in years but remembered always learning helpful info on here.
I've been fishing for steelhead in the salmon river NY for about 7/8 years now and I think its finally time to upgrade to a switch rod. I'm looking for a entry level rod. I've been looking at the redington dually and i think it would suit my needs. Any other recommendations from you guys. Also what weight should I be looking at. I was thinking 11'6" 7wt. I think it would be ideal for steelhead. But how would this rod handle salmon(kings, coho). And if i were to get the redingotn dually what are some line recommendations. I mostly fish egg patterns. But last year I finally got steel on the swing and I loved it that why I would love a switch rod. 80 percent of my fishing would be drifting egg patterns and 20 would be swinging flies.THANKS ALOT!! Looking forward to answers.

 

[Ard]

Hi,

Last year I had a fellow out who had a brand new Redington Switch in #7 I believe it was. He had no line for it yet but I thought I had some that would work. I put one of my reels on with a Beulah Elixir 475 full integrated line and it worked great. For reference those lines have a 37 foot head and are 120 long. The length of the head worked well even for a guy who had never made a Spey style cast before.

About the rod...….My only complaint was that they didn't provide much in the way of a bottom cork / grip. I've found the same thing on much higher priced Hardy Zephrus switch rods too so it seem to be a trend. Other than the bottom cork the rod was fine, you can snap T a 60 foot cast with the line I had on it with ease.

Handling big fish? I managed to drag in a 50 pound king a few years ago using an 11 1/2 foot seven weight Hardy Swift. That rod does have a standard Spey rod lower grip which helped with levering the rod against my hip as this ordeal dragged on for a while.

If you want a line similar to what I described above look to Rio for the Outbound Long saltwater lines, I use one of them myself and I use it in cold weather as you might guess. The auction site should have some for bargain prices and they work fine far as I can see, almost identical to the Beulah Elixir in taper and length.

 

[huronfly]

A 7 weight switch should be good for your purposes, and shouldn't have much trouble with some kings mixed in. If it were purely for steelhead I would even go down to a 6 weight. Something like a rio switch chucker might be good for starting out, although not sure how good it will be for indi fishing... If you get a single line for indi nymphing and swinging then it will likely not be great at both, keep that in mind.

I bought my first switch with the same intentions as you, mostly indicator fishing, but a couple pulls on the swing was enough to make me ditch the indi rig completely, so just be aware... you may fall into the dark side lol.:starwars:

 

[flav]

The Dually is a nice rod, I have friends who fish them and like them.

If you're primarily drifting, with a little swinging, I recommend the rio switch line over the chucker.

 

[randyflycaster]

I think the Redington switch rods are great bangs for the buck. I use a Rio Chucker with mine.
Randy

 

[castoff]

I agree with Randy and use Ards leader system works very well

 

[njflyfisher]

Yea ill be primarily high stick nymph fishing with either stone flies or egg patterns. Fishing pockets and seam of water like I usually do for trout. I don't use indicators but i might try it out in the future. So im assuming rio switch line would be better than the chucker line.

One more question is it necessary for me to size up in reels. I have a behemoth 7/8 would a 9 wt reel suit the rod better?

Thansk for the info guy. I really appreciate it.

 

[Ard]

Your reel will be fine. I can fit 80 yards of backing - a 140 foot full Spey line at 600 grains and 45 foot Scandi head onto a Sage Spectrum Max 7/8 so you will have room to spare I'd guess.

I used to profess huge amounts of backing as being necessary but have learned through experience that if you allow them into backing on a 120 to 140 foot fly line with a 12 foot leader you are doing something wrong. Very seldom do fish that get that far out get landed. Many times one that peels the entire line is foul hooked, not always but many...….. If you can get 80 to 100 yards of back line on with your line you are good to go. Just always be sure that the tippet is the weakest link and you'll never lose your head

 

[mager]

Hi everyone, does anyone have any experience with Echo Swing Switch rods?

 

[flytie09]

Redington, Echo, Cabelas, Orvis, Hardy, TFO all make nice entry or mid level switch rods at a decent price. I would upgrade to an 8 WT switch rod in 11-12 ft range. Yes you can land a salmon with a 7 WT...but it definitely helps to have a little more backbone imho.

One of the best deals I've found is a 7/8 WT 11 ft Shakespeare Oracle switch rod from the UK for $50. Can't beat that deal. But you need to pay extra postage and know the sites and watch them like a hawk. Harris Sportsmail has them for $82 now - Shakespeare Oracle Switch DH Salmon Rod with USA Delivery

For a beginner...I would suggest a Rio, Airflo or SA Skagit Short line that matches to the rod you pick. It's what I use today on high water, tossing big conehead or dumbell eye streamers or swinging deep with sink tips in cold weather.

I started with a Switch Chucker type line and I just didn't like it. I swing or swymph jumbo stoneflies, egg suckling leeches and intruders and it was just challenging. When I made the switch to a Skagit Short....bing.....it started to come together quickly. There just is no do all line in my opinion. There are trade offs to all of them.

These are simply suggestions.

 

[mager]

I like the looks of the Echo Swing Switch and the purple version of the Dually.

 

[zonk1085]

I'm relatively new to spey fishing and even newer to the Salmon River NY but have found an 11'6" 7wt switch provides a lot of versatility.

In early October I spent a week steelheading the Klickitat in Washington. Originally I intended to fish Scandi lines on a 13' 7 wt, but as the pools were deep and not particularly long or wide I ended up using a Sage One 11'6" 7wt with a 475 Scandi Short and T-something heavy tip for the week. I purchased the Sage One when it was discontinued at a steep discount. Given the relationship with Sage and Redington I would not be surprised if the 11'6" 7wt Dually is very similar if not the same blank with a different paint job made overseas. The rod was great at throwing long but what really impressed me was the ability to fish short. I ended up catching several wild steelhead on the trip up to 10#'s. My first steelhead of the week hit on the swing with the MOW tip with only several feet of the Skagit head out.

A week after returning from the Klickitat I fished the same 11'6" 7wt in the the upper fly zone on the Salmon River. Got skunked although found this outfit with a Skagit head formed great D loops in the tight quarters I was fishing. The previous spring I'd used this rod around the 2A bridge with a 420 Scandi and 10" poly leader and found the rod performed great in this situation as well. I've never indicator nymphed the rod but have done enough overhead single hand casting with streamers and found it light enough not to be fatiguing.

Overall the 11'6" 7wt will enable you to make all the sustained anchor casts with a Skagit and touch and go casts with a Scandi.

Zonk