Switch line help

[PatrickM]

Hi guys,
I recently purchased a TFO Deer Creek 5 weight switch rod from another forum member. I was thinking I might try a Royal Wulff triangle taper line. TFO lists the grain window for this rod as 250-450 grains. That's a pretty big window, and goes from a 7 to an 11 weight in the ambush line. I was hoping someone may be able to help narrow it down. I was planning to swing anything from traditional wets on a floating leader to streamers on tips.
Thanks a lot,
Patrick

[rjt]

I have an 11' 6 weight switch rod and I've been using the rio Scandi short versitip. Its 370 grains and comes with 4 tips from floating to 3 different sink tips.Works great. for your 5 weight they have a 320 grain line, that might work for you.

[Rick J]

Might look here for some recommended lines for that rod. A Skagit line would allow you to go from floating tips to sink tips easily, a RAGE would still allow some sink tip work though perhaps with poly leaders rather than actual tips or you could go to some of the other longer belly lines out there that now come with tip options

http://flyshop.kiene.com/tfodeercreekswitch11054pc.aspx

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

http://flyshop.kiene.com/tfodeercreekswitch11054pc.aspx

These are the line recommendations on our Kiene's Online Store.




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[golfish]

I tried the SSVT and the Rage on my 5wt switch. Really didn't like the SSVT with the floating tip but sinking polys were great but it felt more like a skagit than scandi being a 23' head, confusing that they call it 33' because that is including 10' tip. Liked the Rage much better for what I was looking for. It throws floating to the fastest sinking polys great and will do shorter pieces of T8 although it's clunky. I prefer to have a rage and/or SH scandi as well as a skagit line on hand but you could get away with just a skagit + MOW floater and stick with skagit casts... it just doesn't look as cool, J/K Rick... LOL.

On my switch rod the 330 Rage comes out to a ~2.4 x rod length. For me personally this is the perfect length for skagit type casts as well as snakes and singles. When the sun was in the fishes face I decided to flail the water with the gopro running, try not to laugh to hard... https://vimeo.com/75116328

I also fished an Ambush during the trout opener quite a bit, I used a bobber and also swung with it. Did neither great but decent at both, good nymphing line in close quarters where lots of roll casting is needed out to about 25-30'. I was doing a little turbo double spey with a bobber, long leader and an a&%load of junk, no prob. Where I fished this was mandatory much of the time. Mending is only marginal with the thin integrated running line compared to its skagit like head. If I was only going to swing with it I would cut off the running line and tie on some 25lb trilene BG...solar green of course, YMMV

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

golfish

Thanks.

[troutless]

Really didn't like the SSVT with the floating tip but sinking polys were great but it felt more like a skagit than scandi being a 23' head, confusing that they call it 33' because that is including 10' tip.

This is why, sold separately, the SSVT back-section is sold as a "scandi body". You add a tip to form a full line. The Skagit heads as commonly sold are also arguably more properly referrred to as "bodies" or "bellies". Attaching a poly leader directly to the scandi body, for practical purposes you are pretty close to casting a skagit head, modulo some differences in taper, rio scandi body is more back-loaded.

[troutless]

Hi guys,
I recently purchased a TFO Deer Creek 5 weight switch rod from another forum member. I was thinking I might try a Royal Wulff triangle taper line. TFO lists the grain window for this rod as 250-450 grains. That's a pretty big window, and goes from a 7 to an 11 weight in the ambush line. I was hoping someone may be able to help narrow it down. I was planning to swing anything from traditional wets on a floating leader to streamers on tips.

In general, with the grain window listings like this, the Meiser and Deer Creek rods, they do not mean any line with that grain weight in that window. Most people will line up with a scandi a little above the bottom of the grain window, 40 gr or so. Lighter would be for people, often advanced casters, really casting off the rod tip. Skagit is usually a little further up in the grain window. If you look at the Kiene's recs you'll see they correspond to these general rules. The top end of the grain window is going to be occupied by the longer lines, taken within the rod context. On an 11' rod that is not very long, it would probably be a compact spey like a Rio Short Head Spey, NextCast Fall Favorite 45, or a Ballistic Vector in the light sizes.

Now, are you thinking the full, original Triangle Taper, or, the Ambush? Not at all the same. The Ambush is 20' or thereabouts, you line up like a Skagit head, probably around 330gr. Triangle taper is longer, 35-40', but I would look at the equivalent single-hand line rating.

[PatrickM]

Wow. Lots of good info there. Much appreciated.
Thanks, guys.

[Dan Harrison]

I have used the 7wt 266 grains Wulff Ambush line on a 5wt Redington switch mostly for shad great line in my opinion tossed 8ft T-8 ot T-11. Really felt like a rocket on that rod. Tried it on a 5wt z-axis switch and it didn't load. Z-axis likes a 325 Short. That being said if you really want the Ambush line i would suggest the 9wt 350 grains i have heard the TFO deer creek likes more grains.