TwoHandedFlyRods

FFN Currents & Eddies

TWO HANDED RODS

GREY FOX

If you angle for Salmon, Steelhead Saltwater and big fish you ought to look into 2 handed rods. They've come along way in the last 5 years. Long a favorite in Europe and the British Ilse, North American's have long shunned them, as being heavy, an overkill and not needed.

As for being heavy, if sheer weight is the criteria, they are heavier than single handled rods, but as new materials have been evolved, anglers have learned that weight only isn't the key factor. Single handed rods are light but to handle them for certain purposed may require more skill and energy than the average angler pocesses.

Basically 2 handed rods fall into 2 catagories: overhead and spey. Overhead actions are cast as the name indicates, overhead and as a normal single handed cast are made. Whatever the abilities of the angler, longer, less tiring casts can be made. Average casters with very little practice can consistently make 100' cast. Large and wind resistant flies and poppers can be driven out to distances that are impossible with single handed rods. Wind itself is not the factor it is with 1 handers. Women and anglers of slight build can angle all day with wind and large flies without fatigue.

These rods have two prime areas of useage: salmon-steelhead rivers and salt water. Historially, the salmon rivers of Europe and the Bristish Isles the have been used for generations, especially in the bamboo configuration. The steelhead rivers in the northwest have given a great deal of impetus to the renaissance in the US. Sage started producing some models afew years ago and the anglers in that area, who already were line experts, from their normal steelheading, have taken it from there.

Mike Maxwell, of Gold-N-West Flyfishers in Vancouver, who has written "The Art &: Science ofSpeyfishing with a Double-hand Flyrod" along with a video tape instruction, has been a leader in gathering diciples in speycasting. Mike has Kennedy-Fisher produce a full line of spey blanks exclusively for him.

Salt water 2 handed usage is just starting. Most flyfishers don't have the technique, correct equiptment, experience and strength to cover many salt water flyfishing conditions. Compensating for these inadaqucies is perfect for the 2 handed overhead rods. Timing is perhaps easier to adjust to with the 2 handers more positive stops and goes. Large wind resistant flies and poppers are kid's stuff to the powerful 2 handers. Casting a 1" popper 80' into a 15 knot wind can easily be done with about 1 days experience. Lifelong trout anglers with a 10 wt. 1 hander may do it,1 out of 10 cast, and with a week's practice, 3 out of 10, but it is still work and takes alot out of the angler. You will occasionally see a 2 hander in the surf or the flats with wading anglers but boats are another matter. I've yet to see or hear of any being tried. Capt.'s say with the long rods, 14' or better, it would be impossible to boat a fish. When asked how angler's on the Alta or other big rivers, fishing from boats net or gaff large salmon, they just shrug their shoulders.

In the three "S's", salmon, steelhead and salt water, the need to get the fly down occurs as much as the times when floating lines may be used. With either the spey or overhead 2 handers these situations are much more tolerable. The long, soft but powerful spey actions can easily handle 80' distances with custom 300 or 400 grain heads. In angling spey casting terms that means you can constantly fish and cast at 80' without retrieving any line. With an overhead 2 hander pick ups can be at 20-30', versus alot of effort on the single hander, you can pick up the 400 grain Teeny at 10'. The long 2 handers also keep the fly and the head further from your head, which is a comforting detail. The bottom line in heavy and/or deep water three "S"'s situations is two hander expand your options with less effort and offer many options that many anglers wouldn't have.

If two handers are so good why aren't many anglers using them? The two basic answers to this question are that they are expensive and there isn't enough answers and accessories readily available.

2 handed rods start about 350. and got to about 700. Reels with enoungh capacity and weight to balance them are not normally in the average anglers arsenal so one has to be purchase with that cost being a couple hundred more, minimium. Average 14' spey rods will normally handle a DT12 and in a floating model that is a very large line.

Many of the large and powerful spey rods can handle DT13 and DT14. At present these lines aren't even commercially made. If you need those weights you have to modify WF 13's & 14's. As the inovative north west steelheaders did years ago, avid spey casters are constantly modifying their lines. If you have the 14' 3P Sage spey model with thier rating of 9-10 line, the accepted practice is to use a DT12F on it. You cut the 120' line in halve giving you 2 60' sections and place loops on all ends. If conditions warrant a dry line, loop the heavy end on to the backing loop. The kicker comes when you want to get it down. Experience modern spey caster will have a head wallet with an assortment of sections from 4' to 30' in weights of 100 grains to 550 grains. These will all have loops on both ends. When you want to get your fly down, reverse the 60' half of the DT12F so that the thin or tapered end loops to the backing. On to the fat front end loop the head(s) needed to get the fly to the level you want to fish. Of course, with this system it is simple to add or subtract sinking head weight. There is one simple theory of spey casting that must always be applied: Whatever you are turning over must have something heavier behind it to give it the inertia to turn over.

Even learning to spey cast is a project. If you have to read descriptions on how to cast, you'll fall asleep before you make it. Spey casting is simple if you're on the water and some one shows you how to do it. Lacking that, if you can get hold of the video by Hugh Falkus on spey casting you'll not only get great instruction, but you'll see how artistic this cast can be, especially when preformed by an expert.

If you have the money available, give one of these 2 handers a try. Many anglers who have, wonder how they got along without them before.

If you have an interest in Spey Casting, Jim Rusher of Whitakers is extremely knowledgeable and runs classes and instruction on the art.