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One Handed vrs. Two Handed Rods

5K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  juro 
#1 · (Edited)
I have been fly fishing for 22+ years and can place a #16 dry fly in a dixie cup at 20 yards with ease, I cast a 1-wt, 5-wt and 9-wt fly rods...
All one handed rods, ranging from 8.0' to 10.3' in lenght...

I have never used a two handed fly rod before, how hard would it be to convert over to a long, two handed fly rod...

Are there different machanics involved in casting?
Besides the added weight and length, do you have to pivit at the hips to cast this?

Does the two handed fly rod allow for longer, more powerful cast, or is it just a sales gimmic for "BIGGER" fish"?
It gets quite windy off the break walls at Lake Erie, would the two handed fly rod in 9 thru 12 weight cast well in windy conditions?

My brother wants me to cross over and buy a "NOODLE ROD & SPINNING REEL" for salmon and steelheads... EEEEEK!:eyecrazy:
I'd rather get a 17 foot, two handed fly rod.

Please help me answer these questions.
 
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#2 ·
two hand vs one hand

Two handed fly rods are really at their best on medium to large rivers although they are now being used to fish stripers off east coast jetties as well as in the surf.

"I can place a #16 dry fly in a dixie cup at 40 yards with ease" yards?

Having cast a one hander for 22+ years, you should have no trouble adapting to a two hander. A lot of the same rules apply, casting stroke/arc vs loop size, application of power. positive stop etc.

I cannot cast a two hander any further than I can a one hander. But I can cast a 9 wt and a big #2 fly further, more consistantly, in the wind, all day long, with a whole lot less effort with the two hander.

If you are going to be using the big rod for fishing rivers there are some advantages to "Spey" fishing but then again, the Great Lakes guys don't always "Spey " cast and swing flies.

Ask a whole lot more questions before you put your money on the table. Where will you fish? Big water, small water, moving or still water, swing flies or strip retrieve, overhead cast or "Spey " cast? Read Trey Combs book and Mat Supinsky's book to get a better idea of the different techniques.

Have fun:)
><///'> JD
 
#3 ·
I've been batteling the same question......

cohocola:

I think the main advantage to a 2 hander is handling the additional length. The spey casts are generally a very short stroke cast. Unless you are overhead casting the additional length of rod helps lengthen your stroke, and thus your control and distance.

Also, I guess one of the deciding factors is the line you use and water you fish. I can already throw and entire fly line with a 9' 7wt using a single spey. The problem would be fishing in deeper water, or with sinking tips or sinking lines. Add to that spey casting all day and you would wish for additional before your arm fell off.

Spey casting and long rods are not that popular here in Arkansas. I have invited Simon G here next fall to try to change some of that. I got some shots at some world record fish that no one else could take because of the ability to spey cast. When the water gets big here it's either spey cast of float the river in a boat. I'm just not much of a floater I guess.

John
 
#4 ·
"If you have to ask, when then maybe you just don't need one."

With all due respect these questions are not necessarily the questions to ask when deciding on two-handed verses single-handed (for instance it's not a means of resisting spinning gear, etc).

Let's start by talking about the application, then we can provide some meaningful information about whether you need one or not.

How do you plan to fish them? What species? Rivers? Lakes? Oceans? Streams?
 
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