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...witch-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.