Switch or Spey? What should I do?

Northwest steelheaders are obsessed with long rods, but that is not a bad thing. We all fish spey and switch rods more than single-hand ...

Northwest steelheaders are obsessed with long rods, but that is not a bad thing. We all fish spey and switch rods more than single-hand rods, especially if there is a chrome steelhead involved, but it can be confusing to decide what rod is right for you.

Switch and spey rods are both similar in that they are long rods, usually over 10'6", built to have a fairly deep flex and a stiff tip to throw lines far heavier than a traditional single hand line. There is a magic mark somewhere around 12' that signifies the difference between a spey and a switch rod. Most "full spey" rods are over 12'6" with the happy medium being around 13' on average. Two-handed rods have shortened significantly, and the action has slowed since they have gained popularity in the Northwest after their move from Scotland, England and Scandinavia, where rods were often 15' and stiff as a board.

Reaching the other side? No problem with a spey rod.

What is the advantage of a longer rod?
Since we are using a spey cast (fancy roll cast), the biggest advantage is consistency. Because we do not have to be too aware of trees in our backcasting lane, we can generally make the same cast at the same angle and distance as we work down a run. This provides confidence that any and every fish got the same look at the fly.

The second advantage is ease of distance. 100' casts are common, although 70' casts are more reasonable to expect and to manage. Now I know that we can all cast 100' with a single hand rod, but it sure wears you out... a whole lot more than a spey cast. Spey casts are far, far easier on worn out shoulders to perform all day. I can make that same 70' cast all day with no issues and little wear and tear on the shoulders.

The third advantage is line control. Longer rods mean better line control once the fly hits the water. I can move the rod tip several feet in any direction with little effort, allowing for maximum line control and proper tension with the fly. Line control is the single most important factor to catching a steelhead on the swing. If you aren't taut to the fly, a fish can easily grab and drop your fly and you will never know about it. If it is taut, you can feel the slightest bump. With little changes, anglers can speed up and slow down the fly easily.

Spey casting happens in beautiful places!

So what type of rod do I need?
Well... if you are going to get all hardcore into swinging for steelhead, then you will inevitably get both. A 13'9" spey rod is a bit too long for fishing the Hood River in the summer. It is flowing at about 350 cfs and is easily forded in most spots from July to October. A 40' cast will suffice and a shorter rod will do just fine. If I am headed to the Deschutes or the Klickitat I prefer a longer rod because 70' casts are normal and there are spots on the Deschutes where casting as far as possible is advantageous.

So anglers have to make that decision first. Do you fish mostly smaller streams or do you like the big water? Here are a couple more factors to consider.

Winter Steelhead: These are the droids that we are looking for. Big fish in big water means big rods. Flows are heavier in the winter and require bigger sink tips and heavier flies. Longer and heavier rods are a better choice. I have been on the water and regretted bringing my switch rod when I realize that I need a T-14 tip and a weighted Intruder, both of which are much harder to manage on a shorter rod.

Nymphing... now I can't condone nymphing for steelhead, especially with a long rod, but I know it happens. A 13' rod is a bit of a burden to work nymphs with. Why? Longer rods are less accurate. Try making an accurate 25' cast with a spey rod and 2 weighted nymphs, it's not easy. Long casts with indicators don't work out well either because of the incessant amount of mending that you must do to get a very short drift. Shorter rods are much easier to manage. I still use a 10' 8wt for nymphing when I get talked into doing it, but my 11' 7wt would be a manageable second choice.

So what is the rod of choice? If I had to use one rod for steelheading year-round in Oregon and Washington, it would be a 7wt in the 12'6" - 13'0" range. I feel confident that it can handle just about anything I run into, summer or winter. If I had to have just two (still sweating), I would have a longer 13'6" or so 8wt and then a 7 wt switch rod. This allows me to fish the big winter water of the Olympic Peninsula and Oregon Oregon Coast while still being able to hit the small streams with maximum efficiency, winter or summer.

Chrome. Why we have these long rods.

What about a 6wt? There are plenty of sweet 6wt spey rods out there as well. These are light in feel and action, and meant for A-run (smaller) summer steelhead, mostly using smaller flies and lighter lines, although some will handle some bigger flies and sink tips. I would only get a 6wt after securing a couple of other rods first. I am not a fan of playing fish to the point of exhaustion and worry that I will hook into something bigger than I intended, so I don't fish a 6wt spey or switch very often.

Trout spey and switch: The thing is that when you add the length to the rod, you gain leverage. So a 4wt trout spey rod really acts like a 6wt single hand rod with the way you can play fish and throw streamers. A 6wt spey is a bit overkill for most trout fishing. Look at 4 and 5 wt switch/spey rods for trout.

Ease of learning to cast. It is my opinion that it is easier to learn to spey cast on a 13' rod than an 11' rod, but each specific model has it's own challenges. At one point in time, I was adamant that new anglers should get a spey rod, not a switch. My opinion has changed, mostly due to advancements of good lines for switch rods as well as nicer switch rods on the market. This means get the rod that you will use the most.

Beulah's Platinum is a gorgeous rod and performs well too!

Fast action or?... Because of the nature of the cast, deep load, nice and easy, a more moderate action rod is your friend. Even the "fast" spey rods are still fairly slow if compared to their single hand counterparts. I like to feel the rod load when I cast, but some guys like a faster rod. My friend Dan drinks about a gallon of coffee every day, listens to metal and can't sit still for more than a second. He loves his fast action spey rods, because he is a fast-action guy. It's a matter of preference, but I can tell you that it is easier to learn on a more moderate rod because it gives you the feedback that you need to tell you it's time to make the forward stroke once the rod loads.

Now something else to think about. There are two ways to load a spey rod: by generating line speed and by creating a deep load. Generating line speed happens when you move the tip (and line) quickly through the air. A deep load happens when you use a heavy line to flex the rod and unload it like a springboard.

Scandinavian and traditional style spey casting both use line speed to generate long casts. This is more advantageous with longer rods, lighter (relatively) lines and lighter flies. We use this method for summer steelhead that move towards the surface to eat small flies like the Silver Hilton or Green Butt Skunk. It is a faster cast and requires your timing to be better. Scandi-friendly rods tend to be faster action, or I should say that faster action rods are more Scandi-friendly. Fast action rods handle Skagit heads well, but the angler's timing must be dialed in more as the rods get faster. Three hours into Scandi casting with a fast rod and things fall apart for me.

With tips and running lines, spey lines are a whole different ballgame.

Skagit style casting uses a heavy line to create a deep rod load to generate the force that propels the line forward. The deeper the rod loads, the farther the line goes without much speed from the rod tip. This is how you can get a heavy sink tip and heavy fly to go so far. Slower rods flex more and therefore have more potential to unload a heavy setup. We use these setups in the winter, but deep loading rods work just fine in the summer. They do have a little harder time with Scandi Lines in the wind because you are not moving the rod tip as fast and the line can wander in the wind, but it's not as big of a deal as it might sound.

So that being said, a medium/fast action rod will do everything you need it to do, since the scale is now: medium, med/fast, and then fast... Medium/fast is the mama bear of spey rod actions.

The bottom line is that you should probably get a switch or spey rod. Whatever you choose to get, you will use the snot out of it and won't regret it. There may be drawbacks to a spey vs a switch or vise-versa, but we adapt and overcome, and fish the places that best reflect the gear and style that we have, right? So if you buy a switch, you'll look for small water to master and boulder gardens to pick apart, while spey rod owners long for hucking big casts on the big water with their big rods.... and eventually you will have both.

Which particular rods?

Loop Evotec rods are simple and sweet

I will only discuss the rods under $600, since this is aimed at those new and fresh to the steelhead game. The good news is that all of these rods are nicer than what I learned on 15 years ago. These are my favorite rods in the shop, not particularly in any order.

Loop's Evotec CAST is one heckuva rod. I really like the 7wt Medium Action, and the 7wt and 8wt in the Medium/Fast Action. The Medium Action is a wonderful Skagit Rod with summertime potential, and the Medium/Fast 7wt and 8wt great all-around rods. The Loop Evotec Medium/Fast Action 7wt would be my first choice in a spey rod under $610 for sure (It's $609 for those mentioned, but you get a free line).

Redington Dually is a sleeper!

But at half the price, the Redington Dually is really hard to beat. I have spent a lot of time fishing the Dually, and it has it's quirks, but the ease of fishing makes up for any cheap feeling or components that it has. In any line, there are some standouts, and the 11'9" 8wt switch is my favorite Dually, but the 13'0" 7wt spey is a fine choice. I have a friend that fishes the Dually in spite of owning several top end rods. He likes it that much.

While they last, we have some Loop XACT spey rods on sale... they are really freakin' sweet for the money. Very good, but we only have a couple, so no guarantees that they will still be here when you are reading this. I liked this rod when it was new and thought it was a great deal then...

Deer Creek Spey/Switch rods are wonderful to cast.

Temple Fork Outfitter's Deer Creek is another very nice choice. I find it to be more friendly towards Scandi casting and summer steelhead than sink tips in the winter. I really like Scandi fishing with it. The 11' 7wt is one of my favorite rods for summertime. I would call it fair for winter fish, but it doesn't have a very deep flex. I have been fishing the switch rod this summer and I think it is a great rod for summer steelheading. It is fast and doesn't load deeply, but it is still easy to cast. There isn't much feedback for new anglers to feel, but it is well constructed and is very much worth the money. I wouldn't say it is a bad rod to learn on, but I think that the slower-action Dually is better for learning.

Beulah's Platinum is similar to the Deer Creek in that it is fast and powerful, but flexes more. I think it has a nice finished look, and is very comfortable in hand. There is a lot of power in the butt section, which means that it is easy to push it to get that extra 30 feet out of it when you need to. I would fish this all year with no issues, especially the 13'2" 7wt and the 11' 8wt.

Redington Chromer is a medium/fast rod that is lightweight, very crisp and easy to cast. It looks good and is very comfortable in hand. A very nice all around choice, but maybe a little faster than I would like to learn on. Very nice overall though. I know at least two anglers that have several $1000+ rods and they fish the Chromer more than anything. Very much worth the $$$.

Temple Fork Outfitter's BVK Spey is a wonderful, powerful rod. I was quite impressed. I am not a huge fan of the BVK single hand rod, but this rod is very nice. While the Deer Creek is light, fast and a little on the stiffer side of things, the BVK is a nice and easy moderate action rod that can launch a cast a half mile.

As always, please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions.