1. Troutnut Forum
›
2. Fly Fishing Gear
›
3. switch rod time

I went to Rio's website and found a page titled 'making sense of switch rods and lines'; this was greatly helpful in sorting through the grain-weight and head-type process, and why I landed on the Switch Chucker line for my 7 wt rod.

The chucker is an integrated line (running line and head are all one piece) but there's information on shooting head selection, running lines, and sink-tips as well- this is the loop-to-loop stuff Matt's referring to. Scandi, Skagit, F/S heads, and running lines- lots of informative material to soak up.
It's Rio-specific but I think the weights and types transfer to other brands such as Airflo and so on.

It's a good place to start, IMHO.

Roguerat

Let me re-phrase my question - since it appears the switch lines have a bigger (thicker ) belly than conventional WF lines I think I could use a WF#8 on my #6 rod and maybe get an effect close to a real switch line. I just don't want to spend $80 on a line I use a couple of times a season.

Matt-

I'm not sure on this; I checked the AFFTA approved flyline weight specification just now and it looks like 8 wt conventional fly lines have a grain window of 202-218 grains for the first 30' of line, while a 12 wt is 368-392 grains and close to 350-425 required to load a 6 wt switch rod per the table Afishanado gave- and this jibes with the info on every site I've seen.

So it would take a 12 wt conventional line to properly load a 6 wt switch rod..?

Troutnuts, give a holler if this makes sense...

Roguerat

The confusion lies at the feet of the tackle industry. Line designations for single handed rods are based on the weight of the first thirty feet of line as established by AFTMA using the number system we are all now familiar with. Spey lines also use a number system, but it's based on use - not weight. Confusing, I know...

Before the ascendency of the Spey rod in NA Salmon/steelhead circles, anadromous salmonid fishers described their single handed rods according to AFTMA weight standards. A six weight designation was looked at as a light rod, 8 wt. rods as medium, while the ten weight rods were the heavyweights for throwing big 1/0 irons and up. When the Spey rod revolution took off it was decided by "those that be" (in a remarkably mysterious example of simultaneous group think) that the best way to promote the new tackle was to poach the AFTMA line numbers of the popular outfits. The belief was that this would be a better way to promote the new tackle as using the real AFTMA weight system would have a hard time blowing through entrenched standards of proper use. Trying to convince anglers that a 12 wt outfit was actually a light rod was considered too hard a hill to climb, I guess. Using AFTMA standards wasn't practical anyway as the weight of the first thirty feet of line is irrelevant for describing lines (and the rods they were designed to load) with bellies of 60 ft. or more.

True single handed lines are not meant for proper Spey casting anyway. Even with enough weight in their short heads to load the rods, their transitions are way to short and their running sections are much too small in diameter for effective use.

So if I expect to have any successes I need to suck it up and buy a line specifically designed for my 10' 6" #6 rod.

Well, you're good enough to catch fish with string tied to broomstick if need be. Proper tackle is certainly more pleasant and efficient, though. As for the 8 wt AFTMA line, it won't come close to loading a 6 Spey. Even a 10 wt would be on the light side.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of switch lines & rods. While they are capable of impressive shooting and are generally easier to master for beginners, there's too damn much line handling. The same distance can be achieved with a mid Spey line and longer rod without a half dozen coils in the hand. Once mastered, the casting is much more pleasant and graceful. Stripping in that extra 20 to 30 ft of line every cast gets tiresome and tangles are much more frequent. The longer rods are also much better at drift control. The distance per cast is also less consistent with switch outfits. The latter is very important for properly swinging through a run.

Hey Matt,

That short rod (relative to spey/switch rods) can work for you as a single hand, two hand or spey casting.

I suggest you get a integrated switch line for it. I have the Rio Versi-tip and it works well for me for TH salt water fishing, but an integrated line (without loop attachment) should work best for what you want to do with the rod.

Rio and SA make switch lines, but I'm most familiar with Orvis (made by SA). The Orvis Access Switch line should work for you and it's only $59. Most times I suggest anglers choose a line heavier with this switch line, but it depends on the rod. Try a 7wt Switch line (380gr) for your rod. Give it a fling...good luck.

Here is the link: http://www.orvis.com/p/access-switch-line/6t8y

Afishinado,



My buddy gets the Orvis Pro Guide discount so that line will cost me $$35 + tax. At that kind of discount I'll see if they have any upgrade lines.

I'm leaving for 2-3 days on the Cattaruagus Creek in NYS in a few hours. I'm going to try that 10' 6" rod. I've used it often before and mostly as a single hand rod. I can roll cast with a WF#7 40' easily and overhead casting, with just one haul shoot it out 65'-70', two hauls close to 85'. How much more do you need? One issue I don't like single handing overhead is that big ass fly (#2 with a bead head) is zipping back and forth pretty close to my head.