Double handers

Any SWFFisher using double handers for bass fishing out there?

We've feck all bass here Jim but if we had I'd probably give it a shot - got a Loop Greyline 14ft for salmon recently and reckon it would shoot a line out in any wind...

have tried i once jim with a buddy of mines 13ft 9 wt. found it very cumbersome, their not the best balanced rod in the world and because of this i found line control pretty awkward. while they did allow me to shoot line with less effort in the grand scale of things there was no real advantage over my 9ft 9wt. also it was rather windy the day i used it and the length was counterproductive as it caught the wind more than a shorter, slimmer rod...

Hi guys

I have only a little experience of DH's in the sea too. I have two CND Oceana's here both 11'-0" one is a #8/9 the other a #10/12 and as i say i have never really used them very much.

I have airflo running lines and short heads 38'-0" and also have Rio outbounds to match the rods. Im going to give them a shot this week with the tides as they pick up speed. Overhead casting only.

I am interested though in their ability to cast VERY BIG flies with what seems like a little effort, well.....

I can understand what you mean Neil about the wind etc - but would like to get more experience of surf fishing with the longer rod, tough i bet.

half finished posting deleted (blip on the net?)- see posting below

Last edited by BalticFlyFisher on Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

i can understand what you mean about the use of a long rod in the surf. have a small beach down here which has a very strong rip and tends to have 3-4 ft waves on a flat calm day where the extra reach would be useful.

i know lefty kreh designed a 10 ft 6 model for cabela's i think for fishing the surf beaches of the north east coast of the states which looks like a good comprimise and there is the beulah switch rods which seem similar. one point is that the rod i used was designed for salmon fishing on wide scotish rivers (daiwa model) where the norm is to cast across and down and thus the main line control involves following the line as it drifts in the current. purpose made rods may lend themselves better to line control.

out of interest jum what size flies are you looking to cast. was out 2 weeks ago and was just about managing 25 yds with 9 inch decievers although i did have a following wind

I've used a 2hand in the Baltic not for Bass but for Sea Trout and Pike. I use Tim Rajeffs ECHO2 Scandi Rods 12'4" #7 (approx 28g or 450 grain head) whilst fishing in the Baltic on very windy days. I have given up trying to do an underhand cast (find it very difficult to anchor the D-Loop in the surf) so like JimH I now overhead cast with Heads (self made and AirFlo) and occasionally RIO Outbounds. Even I can cast into the next post-code with a shooting head.

I Used my #7 weight on a recent trip to Kerry and managed to catch a couple of pollock on it.

I personally see the advantage of a 2Hander when its windy (cast all day with virtually no effort) but I agree with Lumpy that its a pain in the **** until you solve the line management problem.

Its great fun but very different.

The main reason i'm pursuing this is the 'accessibility' its seems to give people in a very short time to a number of things some of which both of you have already mentioned

Casting quite a long way with a nice overhead cast, fishing for a long time with minimum effort, casting big flies easily, line mending etc I think my CND #10/12 would outgun a lot of fish but i do have a sage TCR #8 - which is a different kettle of fish - i think the CND is much more progressive and easier to fish with so the #8/9 is the one i will use for introducing to customers i think with the option of the TCR which is much faster and 'tippier'.

I can imagine that the spey casting requirements in the surf are demanding and skillful - dont fancy finding point 'P' in a force 5!

Neil a 25 yard cast with a 9" fly is a great achievement - i have some 'slammer' type flies that are between 8" and 12" similar to the Marc Sedotti type - i can push these with my 9'-0" # 9 XL50 and an outbound but its not everyones cup of tea!

Have you seen Sedotti cast the 14" fly with the Scott #7 over 100 feet? Awesome ---

Casting quite a long way with a nice overhead cast, fishing for a long time with minimum effort, casting big flies easily,

yep thats it

i know what you mean about the larger flies. have some synthetic spreader flies which displace alot of water and fish very well in big surfs but are a pig to cast. think you have to get a comprimise between the size of the fly and the distance you can realistically achive without killing yourself.

as regards casting the 25 yards i had a bit of a following wind so i could cast a nice open loop (lazy cast with little stopping at 10 o clock) and leave the wind do some of the work..takes a while to figure out but works quite well where subtle presentation isnt essential

synthetic spreader flies .... but are a pig to cast

I tried some out (with a single handed rod) on a recent Pike trip. I thought that they would cast ok with a Pike-Taper (weight up front), in the end I gave up, went back to my trusted SH set up BUT reversed the head. ie thick end up front. Seemed to work ok

stuart

@JimH - I've been casting with a RIO AFS Head over the past week or so. I'm very impressed. If you can get hold of one for your 2hands I suggest that you give it a go.

Simon Gawesworth has also produced a comprehensive RIO Line Recommendation Document for 2Hand rods. If you would like a copy drop me a pm containing your mail adr and I'll send it.

stuart