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I need any assistance you can give me. I am new to Switch rods and am looking to build a couple Bamboo Switch rods to make up for starting a tupperware Sage "One" Switch build in a moment of weakness. I am looking for 10'6" or 11'6" taper capable of throwing somewhere around a grain window of less than 425 with a T-11 head for a Skagit. Something like a 5/6 weight feel. Anybody have a taper they could spare? I can tinker with it until I am not stealing your taper, but I need a starting point. You will like this, its not floppy and has had rather good reviews, UK side, to the point of nice people paying good money for rodmaker Luke Bannister to make one for them. 67 As put its a 12' three piece #8 (30') You can Hexrod it up or down safely, or just use it, but don't say you designed it! (Robin Haywood)
This may be a silly question. I know I'm not in the loop any longer. I have been hearing "switch rod" for some time but have never taken the time to get a clear understanding what one is and why or how someone would use one. I would be grateful if someone would fill the void here. Thanks! (Timothy Troester) I'll go out on a limb and say the graphite rod manufacturers came up with switch rods because they are running out of places to go in the marketplace... Think "0" weight rods! (Tom Vagell) There is truth in both Mike and Tom's answers. Switch rods are shorter than Spey rods and can be used as both a single or double-handed rod (switch between both?). They have now evolved from salmon and steelhead rods into long trout rods as well (use on bigger water or if you just prefer to Spey cast) .... they can be had in long 4 and 5wt. models now. I have heard they are kinder on your shoulders and arms and long rods generally = long range. Some people 'cheat' with the lines though, employing lines like Rio's Outbound lines in place of specialized Skagit or Scandi(navian) lines (because they're much cheaper). If you use ordinary fly lines on your Switch rod, the rule of thumb is go 3 line weights up........i.e. a 7wt. Switch would employ a 10wt. normal fly line......hope this isn't too much info. (Tom Lucas) As I see it, it's a name for a rod intended for two handed spey casting, but shorter than full dress spey rods. Length range say 9 1/2' to say 11 1/2'. The "switch" comes from the notion that it might be cast single handed--not advisable to do much of it if you value arm and shoulder joints. The most common use is fishing for steelhead and salmon on smaller rivers. They are generally lined with shooting head setups like skagit or scandi heads. I do quite a bit of my fishing with cane switch rods I have designed and made. (Mike McGuire) I am interested in switch rod tapers if anyone is willing to share a favorite. (Jim Miller) I see that there have been a few replies about switch rods but am I the only one wondering of they aren't just a marketing idea? Most casting as everybody knows is pretty short range so if you really want to cast long wouldn't you be better off with a dedicated double hander that's better balanced? Main reason I ask is I've made a few and always wonder what the real point is? (Tony Young) If you define most casting as "short range" why are we having this discussion? I spent a week last month floating the Arolik River in western Alaska fishing for silver salmon and very large rainbows. Adequately covering the water took typically 80 to 90 foot casts all day long. My 10 1/2' switch rods did this beautifully all week long. It's really my favorite kind of fishing. If I have been trying to do it with a single hand rods with my glass elbow, I wouldn't have lasted a day. The extra length of a full dress spey wouldn't have done much for me, being more awkward getting in and out of the rafts to say nothing of the greater difficulty of landing big hot fish with no help. Yes, but you're using the rod as a short double hander for medium long casts, not so much as a switch that is also intended a single which by definition means short casting is what I thought the idea of one was. If the rod's balanced for long casting what's it like for short one handed use? If it's graphite I guess it's reasonable enough but if the rod's made of bamboo that's a heavy rod for single handed use. You end up with the bad points about a Hardy snake beater with the added disadvantage of a handle well below the reel to foul the line. If it's that heavy it's really best as a small two hander. Also, it's pretty rare that you'll go from large river to stream or even small river without being able to get a different rod. On the subject of double handers I must say that if people have never given spey casting with a single hander a go it's worth learning. Very useful in many ways but especially so when you're short of back cast room. (Tony Young) You missed my point in my original post. I'll state it more clearly--the term "switch” and the idea that one might optionally cast one single or double handed is marketing B.S. Nobody I know who uses one casts them single handed, graphite or bamboo. Strip away the B.S. and you have some short two handers of some very useful lengths. (Mike McGuire) I get it now. They're small double handers, that's perfectly understandable and easy to see the advantages used that way. Another question though. Are these used mainly with wet flys? I own a graphite 15" double #10. I use it occasionally on salt water but it was originally for chasing sea runs to deal with the wind. Always used wets of course. Completely over kill for the sea runs even though some of the fish were reasonably big but it is fun casting an entire line plus backing with a single back or spey cast. There's a highland lake called Lake Ada in the Tasmanian highlands. Visited there one day shortly after arriving back from NZ where I'd seen more than a few really big browns and could not believe the size of the bulges of water and the speed and distance these bulges were traveling at, never saw the trout making them but they had to be serious. Trouble was they remained well out in the distance, seemed like the middle of the lake. Decided return some time to take the 15' double out and see if that would help. But in a river this wouldn't work, so if you're casting a long way (and using dry fly, perhaps you don’t) what about the fish you're casting over the top of between you and where the cast is going and how do you manage all of that line in a current? Even nymphing would be difficult because you'd be missing a lot of strikes? Wet flys not a problem, I see that. (Tony Young) Generally it is wet flies but there are a lot of variations there. If they are big heavy (sometimes soggy) flies and fast sinking tips, a skagit setup is preferred because the heavy landing of that fat skagit head isn't a problem. On the other hand, if a little more delicacy is wanted, a light fly or say something you want skate on the surface, a scandi setup would be better. of course if you are casting past the fish, you'll probably spook them. But this shouldn't be too much of a problem with the usual wet fly step and swing working your way down river. I don't see a switch rod as very suitable for dry flies or nymphing. (Mike McGuire) Thanks Mike. As you describe it that makes a lot of sense. I just had it in my head it was attempting to be more versatile than I could imagine it actually being, ie single handed as well as double, wet to dry and back again. (Tony Young) So, how about some tapers for switch rods? (Bret Reiter) I already posted one, but here are a couple more, both 4 piece. The one is a mild Powell A-taper style, ferrule sizes 12, 18, and 25. The second is strongly parabolic, ferrule sizes 13, 20, and 25. They both throw 400 grain lines pretty well. I find that weight line a sweet spot for the type of fishing I do.
(Mike McGuire) Here is one that I made and like a lot. I fish it with a 400 grain skagit head or a 350 grain scandi. The big issue you will have is the ferrules. It's a 4 piece and the sizes are 12/64, 18/64, and 26/64. You will have to make the 26'er or get someone to do it for you. I don't think they are generally available in that size. Not sure about the 18'er. I make my own so it's not a issue for me. Front grip ends 16" from the butt and is 8" long, rear grip is 4 1/2", reel seat is down locking. The may seem short, but good spey technique has the hands in relatively close together. Length beyond that some people may like for fighting fish, but I don't see it.
(Mike McGuire) I make the ferrules in any size you like. (Tony Young) Would you call that 350 to 400 grain an 8-wt? a 9-wt? And do I understand that is 10 foot 5"? (Casey ??) It's 10' 6". I have never seen much sense in using numbers for spey line weights, when specifying the grain weight tells you what you really want to know. I suggest you read Simon Gawesworth's articles here and here. Just take the stuff about switching between single and two handed casting with a grain of salt. (Mike McGuire) I haven't had a lot to do with the doubles but I was amazed at how easy it was to just pick up and use the rod I do have. I got a Loop line that I think would have been a Skandi type. First time I used it stripped out all the line, gave it a single overhead back cast and out it went. Once I learned to spey cast with it the casting was amazingly effortless all things considered but I've only used this setup less than a handful of times. There is a certain incongruity attached to walking about with a long heavy rod and reel compared to a single. (Tony Young) Do you make truncated ferrules? What material are they made of? (Bret Reiter) I do truncated and micro if you want to go to that extent too. The material is called AMS4640, it's a type of aluminium bronze that's stronger than Duronze which it's largely replaced in aeorspace. It's used at the place I work for things such as landing gear bushes and bearings among other things. (Tony Young) Just to agree with Tony here; I have made a couple of ferrules from this alloy, for special size requirements, and it does seem excellent. A friend in the metal supply trade was not finding duronze easy to get recently (he is mainly a ferrous metal supplier) but got me some of this stuff instead. It was actually very good to turn, and was easier to polish than I thought it would be. It would suit me very nicely never to have to make another ferrule set, but if I do, I guess I would use this alloy again. I kind of thought people were using splice ferrules in rods of the kind being discussed. Cheers, and the alloy is a good one. (Peter McKean) While some do use a splice I can tell you that the splice joint is not what it is cracked up to be. A good ferrule is a much better joint. But what the heck, if iit is on the internet about how good the splice is for spey/switch rods then it must be so. I make NS ferrules for these rods up to size 32. (Jerry Drake) Peter’s never steered me wrong! AND . . . a year ago, Tony made me a lovely half-set of 14/13 step-downs for a 7613 Dickerson. The ferrules lapped and annealed and crowned and thinned exactly as I would have expected a CSE set to do. The real giggle came when I looked at the tensile strength figures for the material. Tensile strength begins higher than the numbers for drawn nickel silver tubing. I’d sue them again, absolutely! (Steve Yasgur)
I am looking for a 6wt switch rod in the 11-12 foot length, something between a buggy whip and a tomato stake :<). I seem to remember someone posting such a taper several years ago. I would appreciate any help you could give. (Jon Holland (6/28/2016)) You might be interested in this Wara rod. I have never made it or cast it but it is the only one I could find that matched your specs. (JW Healy)
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