Switch rod reel

[TayRaider]

I have been working my way through all my set ups this year and upgrading very pretty much all my tackle, I now have 15ft, 14ft, 13ft set ups which I am happy with and all the rods/reels/lines work together well.

The set up i am stuck on is my switch rod, a nice wee vision number I picked up on the forum. I have paired it with a airflo #6 switch line and it goes out lovely. The bit I am struggling with is the reel, I originally had a guideline favo 8/10 on it which I use on my 13ft, it held the line & decent amount of backing but felt too big for the rod, so I went to another guideline reel I have which is 7/8 but it fly line didn’t fit on it let alone any backing. Getting on a bit in the season and needing to fish the set up i ended up putting an old scierra 7/9 reel I had on it, it only just fit the fly line and with limited space I ended up putting 100yards of power pro as backing, not ideal but it got my on the small local for the last couple of weeks of the season. The scierra 7/9 is physically a good size (3.75in) but I wouldn’t want to rely on that backing and even then, the whole head doesn't fit on the reel. I have to take the spool off and store it off the cage when I break the rod down.

I have been looking at reels and was wondering if anyone had experience with them from a capacity & physical size point of view. It seems I am in the realms of bigger trout reels or very light salmon.

- Vision tank 7/9 (I had the 12+ of this and loved it, but it was a monster)
- Cascapedia 8/9
- Orvis battenkill IV (or the IV Spey, I am struggling on which one would be best suited

Anyone got any expierence with these reels on a 11ft switch?

 

[lefthandup]

I have been working my way through all my set ups this year and upgrading very pretty much all my tackle, I now have 15ft, 14ft, 13ft set ups which I am happy with and all the rods/reels/lines work together well.

The set up i am stuck on is my switch rod, a nice wee vision number I picked up on the forum. I have paired it with a airflo #6 switch line and it goes out lovely. The bit I am struggling with is the reel, I originally had a guideline favo 8/10 on it which I use on my 13ft, it held the line & decent amount of backing but felt too big for the rod, so I went to another guideline reel I have which is 7/8 but it fly line didn’t fit on it let alone any backing. Getting on a bit in the season and needing to fish the set up i ended up putting an old scierra 7/9 reel I had on it, it only just fit the fly line and with limited space I ended up putting 100yards of power pro as backing, not ideal but it got my on the small local for the last couple of weeks of the season. The scierra 7/9 is physically a good size (3.75in) but I wouldn’t want to rely on that backing and even then, the whole head doesn't fit on the reel. I have to take the spool off and store it off the cage when I break the rod down.

I have been looking at reels and was wondering if anyone had experience with them from a capacity & physical size point of view. It seems I am in the realms of bigger trout reels or very light salmon.

- Vision tank 7/9 (I had the 12+ of this and loved it, but it was a monster)
- Cascapedia 8/9
- Orvis battenkill IV (or the IV Spey, I am struggling on which one would be best suited

Anyone got any expierence with these reels on a 11ft switch?

Marquis salmon no 1 is a perfect fit on my switch, also a maxcatch 7-9 bought from their site is good on an 11 ft switch.

 

[TayRaider]

Marquis salmon no 1 is a perfect fit on my switch, also a maxcatch 7-9 bought from their site is good on an 11 ft switch.

I was playing with a Marquis no1 in angling active today, lovely reels. I am haunted though by a fish 20lbs+ that I lost on the Tay on a Marquis no3. I haven’t perfected palming a reel and locked up on the fish, it quickly proceeded to break my 20lb maxima and piss of with one of my finest GBWG.
If they made a Marquis with a disc drag, I’d be all over it

 

[lefthandup]

I was playing with a Marquis no1 in angling active today, lovely reels. I am haunted though by a fish 20lbs+ that I lost on the Tay on a Marquis no3. I haven’t perfected palming a reel and locked up on the fish, it quickly proceeded to break my 20lb maxima and piss of with one of my finest GBWG.
If they made a Marquis with a disc drag, I’d be all over it

Get yourself a 7/8 golden prince...they have the disc drag.

 

[Rrrr]

I was playing with a Marquis no1 in angling active today, lovely reels. I am haunted though by a fish 20lbs+ that I lost on the Tay on a Marquis no3. I haven’t perfected palming a reel and locked up on the fish, it quickly proceeded to break my 20lb maxima and piss of with one of my finest GBWG.
If they made a Marquis with a disc drag, I’d be all over it

The ultralite disc is pretty much a marquis with a disc drag.

Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk

 

[Meldon9]

Cascapedia 8/9 will be far too heavy, used to use on on 12 and 13 foot dh rods but was still bit heavy - great reel tho- mine was one of the original Alnwick made reels from years back. I currently use an Angel 7/8 or a Loop/Daniellson LW6-9 and prefer the latter.

 

[goodwin8288]

i use the vision koma 7-9 and as already said the maxcatch classic 7-9 both hold a similar amount of line and backing depending on your weight preference the koma is the lighter of the two both good reels!! and also the okuma sierra 10-11 is a very good switch reel it sits in the middle of these 2 weight and size wise and has more line capacity than both !!

 

[Oscar]

I have been working my way through all my set ups this year and upgrading very pretty much all my tackle, I now have 15ft, 14ft, 13ft set ups which I am happy with and all the rods/reels/lines work together well.

The set up i am stuck on is my switch rod, a nice wee vision number I picked up on the forum. I have paired it with a airflo #6 switch line and it goes out lovely. The bit I am struggling with is the reel, I originally had a guideline favo 8/10 on it which I use on my 13ft, it held the line & decent amount of backing but felt too big for the rod, so I went to another guideline reel I have which is 7/8 but it fly line didn’t fit on it let alone any backing. Getting on a bit in the season and needing to fish the set up i ended up putting an old scierra 7/9 reel I had on it, it only just fit the fly line and with limited space I ended up putting 100yards of power pro as backing, not ideal but it got my on the small local for the last couple of weeks of the season. The scierra 7/9 is physically a good size (3.75in) but I wouldn’t want to rely on that backing and even then, the whole head doesn't fit on the reel. I have to take the spool off and store it off the cage when I break the rod down.

I have been looking at reels and was wondering if anyone had experience with them from a capacity & physical size point of view. It seems I am in the realms of bigger trout reels or very light salmon.

- Vision tank 7/9 (I had the 12+ of this and loved it, but it was a monster)
- Cascapedia 8/9
- Orvis battenkill IV (or the IV Spey, I am struggling on which one would be best suited

Anyone got any expierence with these reels on a 11ft switch?

Not those, but I use a Loop Multi 6/9 with my Switch and it's cracking!

Oscar.

 

[E Fisher]

I put the Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor #7/9 on my Mackenzie G2 switch and it works a dream, well balanced and plenty of room for a Barrio switch line.

 

[bassfly]

Danielsson L5W 8twelve or if your feeling a bit flush the Control 7twelve.
Lamson Liquid or Remix.
Good value for money reels in price ranges to suite.

 

[christian roulleau]

I use a 6/9 multi loop on my vision switch the balance is good.

 

[sgellert]

I use a Danielsson L5W 6nine on a Guideline LXi 11.6 #7/8, perfect balance.

 

[TayRaider]

Thanks for all the input guys.
Looks like all the popular reels are well thought of, interesting range in reel wt ratings used as well.
I think it would be really useful if reel & line makers gave the volume of both reels & lines so you can calculate what size reel & how much baking you need for a given line

 

[RUSH]

Vosseler s2 if you can get one great on a switch rod

 

[zebraness]

Not those, but I use a Loop Multi 6/9 with my Switch and it's cracking!

Oscar.

Another vote for the multi 6/9 - paired with LTS switch - great combo for small/ medium rivers with msw fish present

Z

 

[SEDGY]

Orvis spey is a really nice looking reel with a well proven drag system .Solid back plate like the Tank, am currently air brushing one at the moment ? in case you’re interested?

 

[Icelander05]

I like and use a lot the Airflo V_Lite 7-9 for this purpose. Vision will bring out a special switch reel version of their XLV reels, however pricier than the aforementioned.

 

[Rennie]

The Cascapedia 8/9 is a bit too heavy for a switch rod, agreed with previous posts on that point.As I have 3 switch outfits from 6 to 8, perhaps a few of my observations may well help you.
1stly, what sort of rivers are you fishing and under what circumstances?.If its any of the big 4 you fish regular, you might have to factor in a reasonable amount of backing.But smaller rivers and you won't need owt like 200yds at all.
Now being reasonable, for most switch rod applications on average to small rivers 100yds of 20lb dacron will see you right enough.I rarely use more than 15lb cast material on any of my switch rods, so 20lb Dacrons perfectly reasonable.Secondly, with a shooting head and running line or a full line completely out of the rod tip, with a soft switch rod of 11ft ish you've sod all control if a fish starts to charge off further.It's probably round two bends and in another pool by then!, a further 100yds of 20lb Dacron will be more than enough for you.If you fish big rivers with 8/9 lines, heavier tips and bigger flee's then up everything accordingly more and heavier backing, thats sensible!..Being honest, it never hurts to have more backing, so err on the sensible side and you'll be just fine!.
Now, naming names, on my 6 weight Airflo switch I have a Mastery 10/11 reel by Scientific Anglers (made by Hardy!), sadly no longer available.Its the perfect switch rod reel!, a 7 weight 40+ Airflo 40yd floating line and upwards of 200yds of 20lb Dacron backing.Its actually a trout sized 10/11 not Salmon rated and its absolutely perfect size, weight, balance , job lot.Matt black finish Hardy Sovereign 2000 drag in it perfik!.
2nd Airflo, 7 weight switch, that has a Sierra Traxion 2, 8Ten reel on it, again perfik size, 8 weight 40+ floater in 40yds on it and 200yds of 20lb Dacron.Larger arbour, sealed w/proof drag system, bar stock ally. and sub £100 on t'web if you scout round, thats a clever reel for not a lot of brass!
Lastly, my Sage One 8 weight, has a Hardy DD MA reel on it in 8/9/10, again its trout rated lines, but its perf. for 8/9 Salmon lines.Mine holds an Airflo Scandi Compact 510-or similar Rage line!-, 30m 20lb running line and 150 yds 30lb dacron.Class reel for a class rod! (tackle tart I hear you all shout!).
Important thing is each rod n reel are balanced and work well together -that just takes a little thought before purchase!-, they take the lines needed for each rod and enough backing comfortably!.
Last thing you want is a reel thats too small, or one thats too big and takes squllions of yds of backing!. Also go for Dacron- fit n forget it!, either Airflo 20lb or 30lb in that nice fluro Orange, that'll do you nicely sir!.
Most of my fish these days fall to one or another of my switch rod outfits, so I've taken the time and advice in setting them up right and its worked perfik.
Best of luck and enjoy your new outfit and mucho tighto lineo's.
Pedro.

 

[TayRaider]

The Cascapedia 8/9 is a bit too heavy for a switch rod, agreed with previous posts on that point.As I have 3 switch outfits from 6 to 8, perhaps a few of my observations may well help you.
1stly, what sort of rivers are you fishing and under what circumstances?.If its any of the big 4 you fish regular, you might have to factor in a reasonable amount of backing.But smaller rivers and you won't need owt like 200yds at all.
Now being reasonable, for most switch rod applications on average to small rivers 100yds of 20lb dacron will see you right enough.I rarely use more than 15lb cast material on any of my switch rods, so 20lb Dacrons perfectly reasonable.Secondly, with a shooting head and running line or a full line completely out of the rod tip, with a soft switch rod of 11ft ish you've sod all control if a fish starts to charge off further.It's probably round two bends and in another pool by then!, a further 100yds of 20lb Dacron will be more than enough for you.If you fish big rivers with 8/9 lines, heavier tips and bigger flee's then up everything accordingly more and heavier backing, thats sensible!..Being honest, it never hurts to have more backing, so err on the sensible side and you'll be just fine!.
Now, naming names, on my 6 weight Airflo switch I have a Mastery 10/11 reel by Scientific Anglers (made by Hardy!), sadly no longer available.Its the perfect switch rod reel!, a 7 weight 40+ Airflo 40yd floating line and upwards of 200yds of 20lb Dacron backing.Its actually a trout sized 10/11 not Salmon rated and its absolutely perfect size, weight, balance , job lot.Matt black finish Hardy Sovereign 2000 drag in it perfik!.
2nd Airflo, 7 weight switch, that has a Sierra Traxion 2, 8Ten reel on it, again perfik size, 8 weight 40+ floater in 40yds on it and 200yds of 20lb Dacron.Larger arbour, sealed w/proof drag system, bar stock ally. and sub £100 on t'web if you scout round, thats a clever reel for not a lot of brass!
Lastly, my Sage One 8 weight, has a Hardy DD MA reel on it in 8/9/10, again its trout rated lines, but its perf. for 8/9 Salmon lines.Mine holds an Airflo Scandi Compact 510-or similar Rage line!-, 30m 20lb running line and 150 yds 30lb dacron.Class reel for a class rod! (tackle tart I hear you all shout!).
Important thing is each rod n reel are balanced and work well together -that just takes a little thought before purchase!-, they take the lines needed for each rod and enough backing comfortably!.
Last thing you want is a reel thats too small, or one thats too big and takes squllions of yds of backing!. Also go for Dacron- fit n forget it!, either Airflo 20lb or 30lb in that nice fluro Orange, that'll do you nicely sir!.
Most of my fish these days fall to one or another of my switch rod outfits, so I've taken the time and advice in setting them up right and its worked perfik.
Best of luck and enjoy your new outfit and mucho tighto lineo's.
Pedro.

Super in depth

I think the most important thing you mention is trout rated vs salmon rated. I have tried to put a #6 airflo switch line on a 7-9 trout reel andthe line wouldn’t fit let alone the backing. Then on the flip side, I have put the same line on an 8-10 salmon reel and it was way too bik for the rod. I think the bigger trout reels you mention are what I am after, I have a Hardy ultralite in 9000 for my big rod, i think I will check GAC as I think the had 7000 with money off that could be a shout.
i used my switch setup on a small spate river so I am thinking 100yds of 20lb will be fine.

 

[Deleted member 945]

Get a Lamson 3.5 or 3.5+ size

 

[Salarspeycaster]

Get yourself a 7/8 golden prince...they have the disc drag.

I have that exact reel and it’s been great. I use it for sea trout fishing in the sea and it has been amazing considering the punishment it has had. It doesn’t hold a whole load of backing though.

 

[Salarspeycaster]

Danielsson. Best value for money reel on the market imo.

 

[lefthandup]

I have that exact reel and it’s been great. I use it for sea trout fishing in the sea and it has been amazing considering the punishment it has had. It doesn’t hold a whole load of backing though.

I'd have a guess that it must have much the same capacity as a Marquis 2 !

I've only ever saw them on a rod so never got into the guts of them.

 

[Marcus c]

I will second the Airflo v2 reel_sensitive drag ,takes plenty of line and is sealed up enough to even use in salt water

 

[chrishconnolly]

What about the old trusty magnum 140. Or 200d on a switch rod or am I going too old school. ??