Question about 5wt switches for trout...

[O.mykiss Hunter]

I noticed on the other thread that some of you are using 5wt and 6wt switch and speys to fish the Yuba so I was just curious as to whether or not you can still feel a significant enough amount of "fight" from a smaller fish on one of those rods? I realize that these rods are throwing +/-300 grain heads...well that's what I throw on my 8wt single-hander for winter steelhead and I can't imagine using the same rod to fish for trout and still feel a big enough tug to make it fun. This is just a general question, as the action on different rods will vary, but is a 5wt switch too big of a gun for trout in the 12"-15" range?

[golfish]

I know the feeling, I have used a Sage One 5wt. switch there and felt a little over gunned but not overly so, those Yuba fish fight hard!. I use the same 5wt. switch to swing for fall steel but there are no rules. Now I use a TFO 12'6" 4/5 or Meiser 11' 4/5 switch with a ~270 scandi, perfect little trout setup for that size river and swinging a couple of soft hackles. I've been dialing in a 9' 4/5 micro skagit rod for smaller rivers too in a few weeks. Had it made really light and it's awesome, 13-14ft skagit with up to around 7ft T8 is wicked fun...

[TaylerW]

I've been fishing a Meiser highlander 12'6" 3/4/5. Really fun stick for small valley rivers.

[BigKahuna]

I fish with 5 weight and 6 weight switch rods all the time on the Lower Yuba. You never know what you may have at the end of your line. It could be a 8" resident trout or a 16 inch one that you think is much bigger. You have to be gunned for the big one. I never feel like either is too big to use on this river. I would say I fish the two of these rods about equally. The 5 weight in the late summer and early fall and the 6 weight in the late fall and winter. It depends on what I'm trying to do, swing smaller soft hackles, throw emergers, cripples and dries I use the 5 weight. If I'm going to fish indicators, tight light nymph, throw lots of shot, or multiple files I usually pick the six weight. With that said the 5 weight fishes a lot more like a single hander and the 6 weight fishes more like a spey rod. Little gun vs. big gun. They both have their places so why not have both. Sorry but that's the way this game sometimes works.

I've an article on my blog that goes into depth as to why and when I choose to use a switch rod. You can take a look at it at http://flyfishingtraditions.blogspot.com/2014/03/why-do-i-use-switch-rod.htmlIt might give you a more in depth look as to why, when and how.

Big Kahuna

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think a 4 weight Switch rod with the exact right weight and type of line is perfect for swinging emergers/soft hackle in the surface and swinging sreamers/leeches/buggers with a sink tip for trout.

For more excitement I would have a click-n-pawl reel too.

The reality is that it is a little harder to learn Spey casting with a really light rod though.

__________________________________________________ _

If you want to do big trout and half-pounder steelhead I would try a 6 weight Switch.

.

[winxp_man]

I think a 4 weight Switch rod with the exact right weight and type of line is perfect for swinging emergers/soft hackle in the surface and swinging sreamers/leeches/buggers with a sink tip for trout.

For more excitement I would have a click-n-pawl reel too.

The reality is that it is a little harder to learn Spey casting with a really light rod though.

__________________________________________________ _

If you want to do big trout and half-pounder steelhead I would try a 6 weight Switch.

.



Spot on Bill. I use a #4 Sage One and have fished with it on the American, Yuba and the Truckee river.

[troutless]

If I am fishing for trout in the 12" range I prefer my ACR 3-wt. A 5-wt is a lot of rod for such fish. Much less a 6-wt.

Having said that, when targeting large trout with tips and big flies, i.e. bunny stuff, articulated streamers, in high flows and windy conditions, I have used up to a 7wt without feeling like a complete nut, though some of my fishing partners may disagree on this last point. With a short 7wt spey, it can be hard to even know when there is a small fish on. Yes, it is possible to snake-roll a trout.

[Jed Peters]

Yes, any switch rod is too big for 12-15" trout.

That said, Two hand fishing is not about the fight. It's about the cast, presentation, tug, and method.

[BigKahuna]

In light of the topic of this thread. I believe that the question is "feeling a significant amount of fight when fishing on the Yuba and hooking smaller resident rainbows".

If feel is what you are after, a smaller switch rod is probably the right way to go. A 4 weight sounds right to me.

With that said, I personally approach the Yuba with the thought that the next fish is going to be a Yuba Rocket. I am thinking and expecting that I am going to need some help in my fight with this larger hot fish and want to be able to land the fish as quickly as possible and release it with the least damage to the fish. This is why I personally choose to use a 5 weight and in the winter sometimes a six weight.

We all make personal decisions about what what gear we purchase, use and how we expect it to perform. We all have our own reasons and rational. More power to sharing of perspective.

Keep on fishin'!

Big Kahuna

[Dan Harrison]

Basically we run into two different problems one being the enjoyment of fighting the fish and the other the enjoyment of casting to the fish. Sometime they clash because grain weight and rod needed to present the flies hinder the enjoyment after hooking up. For the yuba the flies for swinging are mostly light so i would go as light as you can for a dedicated rod. Lot of people don’t realize that not only the size of the rod but the grains of the head take away from the enjoyment of fighting a fish. I personally realized this when out for shad with my z-axis 5 wt switch with a 325 skagit short and T-8. I had caught 15 or so shad one evening and my buddy who doesn’t fly fish want me to go to his spot for shad in the morning. I knew the spot and also the line up so being a friend I went and fished next to him. Let me tell you not the casting but the fighting of shad on 4 pound test with light 11ft rod is much more enjoyable that that same fish towing around 325 grains with 8ft of T-8. Noticed the same Tight line Nymphing the Truckee where I use a 30 ft mono leader so that no fly line is out of the reel. The lighter weight between rod and fish the more you feel the fight.

[Larry S]

O. My,
Some free (and maybe useless) advice from a 2H novice; if you're going to try a light weight spey/switch rod ( 5 and under,)
look at the higher priced rods. Lots of the rods available will suffice for steelhead, salmon, stripers, etc.
Best is to get to an expo or spey clave to try out various set-ups.
Hope you keep us informed.
Best,
Larry S

[O.mykiss Hunter]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and giving advice. There are some very good points made from everyone. Due to how subjective this subject is I guess the only real way for me to find out is to try it out first-hand.

[Gene S]

but is a 5wt switch too big of a gun for trout in the 12"-15" range?

Depends on the rod, but in normal conditions I would say yes. But when casting in strong winds or throwing tips and T-stuff with larger offerings the 5 weight is a better choice. Even then not all 5 weights are created equal. For example a Burkie 5115 is more of an Alaskan big trout rod compared to the Sage TCX 5119 or Beulah 117-5 weight. My preference for your targeted fish under normal conditions using trout poly's or mono with smaller wets/soft hackles would be an ACR 3 or 4 weight 11'7" trout spey which can handle 20" fish in short order. Most of my trout fishing with a two-hand rod is with scandi heads/lines in the 280 grns or less range. Strap on an Abel Switch clicker and it's off to the races....

[Mark Kranhold]

If I am fishing for trout in the 12" range I prefer my ACR 3-wt. A 5-wt is a lot of rod for such fish. Much less a 6-wt.

Having said that, when targeting large trout with tips and big flies, i.e. bunny stuff, articulated streamers, in high flows and windy conditions, I have used up to a 7wt without feeling like a complete nut, though some of my fishing partners may disagree on this last point. With a short 7wt spey, it can be hard to even know when there is a small fish on. Yes, it is possible to snake-roll a trout.
EXACTALY! Remember a 2 hander compared to a single hander is generally two line sizes up. Depending on your body of water you fish and know what you may tangle into is up to you, ive been taught and schooled my self! I will fish a ACR 2wt Spey for half pounders to Mt. Trout just like the old days of a 4wt single hander before the 2hand revolution. I will agree that there is nothing like fishing and casting a 2 hander all day ..Way more enjoyable. If you really are targeting 12-20" fish I would recommend a sub 250 grain rod like a Anderson 1172-1173, these will cast dryline to tips! You will not find to many true trout speys like Gary's!

[bigfly]

Fishing my 6wt switch all over.....(as long as flows support it....)
The T, Yuba, etc.....
I'm definitely not targeting 12-15" fish, but land them a lot, even when selectively seeking pigs.
Personally, I want my stick to be rated to the biggest fish I will catch, not the littlest.
When I hook a big resident fish (or steel), I don't want to run around with my hair on fire.........
We enjoy the fight of a fish, but to me, the goal is to think of what's good for them too, not just extended play.....
I'm with Big Kahuna, use a bigger stick, land them fast......

Jim

[Don Powell]

Fishing my 6wt switch all over.....(as long as flows support it....)
The T, Yuba, etc.....
I'm definitely not targeting 12-15" fish, but land them a lot, even when selectively seeking pigs.
Personally, I want my stick to be rated to the biggest fish I will catch, not the littlest.
When I hook a big resident fish (or steel), I don't want to run around with my hair on fire.........
We enjoy the fight of a fish, but to me, the goal is to think of what's good for them too, not just extended play.....
I'm with Big Kahuna, use a bigger stick, land them fast......

Jim

Just back from the middle Trinity and Klamath at Orleans- sad to report that no adults were caught other than witnessing a guided boat indicator fishing taking a 27" steelhead at Pigeon Point; but, before that I hooked a 12" juvenile on my Ross Reach 11' 3" 6 wt switch with a Hardy Bougle 3 3/4, 350 grain Skagit head and 10' T-10 sink tip tip that ripped line off the screaming Hardy that gave me unadulterated pleasure! Several days later at Orleans Bar, it was windy and I was happy to be casting a Meiser Highlander Classic 12' 6" 4/5/6 with a Skagit 340 with a 12' floating tip which when I cast well lasered and when I didn't had the tip blow upstream from the wind- never mind, big mend and get it fishing... I landed 6 juveniles, most of which jumped twice when they felt the steel, then ripped off line, once again, Hardy songs... I landed 6 juvies that afternoon and respected what Nature gave me and was glad that I had brought a set-up that allowed me to fish/cast in demanding conditions and still enjoy a "fight" from each and every one!
In summary, one needs to not just match the set-up to the size/weight of the fish, but to bring a set-up that allows one to cast in challenging conditions and still enjoy the "fight".