Getting sucked into the switch rod craze: Redington gear review

I’ve fallen prey to the switch rod craze. Full disclosure: Redington Fly Fishing sent me a 7-weight 11’3″ CPX Switch Rod to review. So of course, it’s the best switch rod I’ve ever cast. Ok, it’s the only switch rod I’ve ever cast.

But it’s a great rod. I can fish the surf with it, chuck heavy nymphs with beach ball-sized indicators like nothing’s even there. I think it actually casts better with a few split shot on the leader. I can joust bears with this rod.

And therein lies my only complaint. This thing is heavier than He-man’s sword. One day of winter steelheading and it felt like Karl had spend the whole day punching me in the shoulder. 11’3″ is a lot of rod to handle single-handed, especially for a short and spastic guy like me.

Despite that, I could put two weighted flies and a thingamabobber anywhere I wanted on a mid-sized steelhead river. I got better, longer drifts, mending easier and keeping my rig in the feeding zone longer. As for fighting fish, the one steelhead I had on decided to dive under the boat and break off immediately, so there’s not much to go on.

I paired this rod up with a Bauer Rogue Five (because it’s made in Oregon and is a great looking reel), and a 290-grain Sage Indicator Taper line. And I think it’s the perfect set-up for a big indicator rig.

As soon as I come up with the cash, I’m going to get a Bauer spool and string this rod up for spey casting. In these economic times, it’s nice to have a rod that can pull double duty. I’ll be loading it up with a Scandi Compact 390 grain head, and a Skagit compact 420-grain and testing the Redington CPX Switch Rod’s spey casting abilities soon.

For more Switch Rods, check out the CaddisFlyShop.com: Winston, Sage, Echo and Redington.

-MS