vhawk12 Posted March 15, 2011 Posted March 15, 2011 Hey guys, So I've recently decided I'd like to get a switch rod for winter nymphing and streamer fishing. I don't have a ton of cash, and it likely won't be my main stick, so I'm looking at three rods: TFO Deer Creek Redington CPX St. Croix Imperial Anyone have experience with these three? or make other suggestions in the $250-$350 range? Thanks in advance. Quote
vhawk12 Posted March 16, 2011 Author Posted March 16, 2011 Wow, this post has been up for a day and no responses??? (Admittedly I did get a couple PMs, thanks guys) I haven't been here in a while but I thought if I mentioned rod suggestions, I'd get all kinds of opinions....seems things have changed around here a bit or something.....maybe just slow because it's still winter... Quote
chiasson Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 I don't have any personal experience with those particular rods but, assuming that your fishing trout, I would suggest a 5wt, maybe even a 4 depending on the particular rod and the weight of flies you fish, for the applications you mentioned. Quote
vhawk12 Posted March 16, 2011 Author Posted March 16, 2011 I don't have any personal experience with those particular rods but, assuming that your fishing trout, I would suggest a 5wt, maybe even a 4 depending on the particular rod and the weight of flies you fish, for the applications you mentioned. It will be used primarily in winter and runoff for nymphing and streamer fishing. I have a 6wt one hander, so I thought I would go with a 6wt switch, but I may just opt for a longer 6wt one hander and overline it or make a custom shooting line. Quote
lethfisher Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 I have a switch rod and found that it really wasn't that great for single handing and ended up doing spey casts with it whenever I took it out. Now it's in the trading post and I have a spey rod lol The extra length makes it difficult to cast with one hand all day. You might want to look into a shooting head system like a 40+ line as it will help turn over the bigger stuff with your current 6wt. Just an idea though... Quote
vhawk12 Posted March 16, 2011 Author Posted March 16, 2011 I have a switch rod and found that it really wasn't that great for single handing and ended up doing spey casts with it whenever I took it out. Now it's in the trading post and I have a spey rod lol The extra length makes it difficult to cast with one hand all day. You might want to look into a shooting head system like a 40+ line as it will help turn over the bigger stuff with your current 6wt. Just an idea though... I have heard that about Switch rods...I think I mainly want the extra length for getting the rod out past ice shelves and then a little more casting oopmph...which is why I was considering overlining the rod I have (at least for now) So with the 40+ would you overline the 6wt with a 7wt line still? Also with that line, is it just the head and you have to get your own running line? or is it all in one? Quote
regdunlop Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 If you can find someone to build a rod for you check out the rainshadow switch rods. I built one up on a 6wt blank, got the whole kit (blank, cork, guides, reel seet etc) online for under $175. Paired with a 6wt airflo 40+ line for nymphing and a short skagit head for streamers it's a killer bow river set up IMO. Quote
vhawk12 Posted March 16, 2011 Author Posted March 16, 2011 If you can find someone to build a rod for you check out the rainshadow switch rods. I built one up on a 6wt blank, got the whole kit (blank, cork, guides, reel seet etc) online for under $175. Paired with a 6wt airflo 40+ line for nymphing and a short skagit head for streamers it's a killer bow river set up IMO. Dude, that sounds pretty much like what's I'm looking for, is it fairly light?....Did you build it yourself then? or did you have someone build it for you? Quote
Jayhad Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 I have heard that about Switch rods...I think I mainly want the extra length for getting the rod out past ice shelves and then a little more casting oopmph...which is why I was considering overlining the rod I have (at least for now) So with the 40+ would you overline the 6wt with a 7wt line still? Also with that line, is it just the head and you have to get your own running line? or is it all in one? Don't get caught up on overlining a stick until you have cast it with the correct weight line....... the way it was designed. You want extra "oomph" but by overwieghting you slow down the setup and that may take the oomph you were seeking Quote
lethfisher Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 If you are going to build one you can buy the whole kit on eBay for about $170, that is a 7wt but I have seen 6wts. FishTales also carries that blank and all the bits you need to buy it. The blank is around $110 from FishTales. If you are going to build it yourself then I would recommend getting all your stuff from FishTales because you are going to have lots of questions and they will have lots of answers!! It really isn't that difficult to build them, plus at the end of it you get a custom rod that you can write your name on! PS. i'm not affiliated at all with fishtales lol I've built a rod before and they helped me a lot during the process. Quote
regdunlop Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 Dude, that sounds pretty much like what's I'm looking for, is it fairly light?....Did you build it yourself then? or did you have someone build it for you? Built it myself. It's quite easy once you get the hang of it. I took the course from Wayne down at FishTales a few years back. The rod is fairly light, I think its a blend of IM6, IM7, and IM8 graphite. Here's a link to the blank on the Batson website: http://www.batsonenterprises.com/rx7-switch-blanks Also check out www.rodbuildingforum.com and do a search for rainshadow switch to see some finished rods and some good reviews on the blank. Quote
Mikey Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 Check out the Pieroway Metal Detector 400 grain designed by Brian Niska. Throw a 400 Rio ASF Outbound on it and you have a deadly bow river stick. They can also be purchased in blanks if you prefer to build your own. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.