6wt beach rod........

[SKYKO]

Do the guys that fish 2 handers have a problem with getting hung up in the salad on the anchor? I'm not that good of a SH beach caster, average at best, after 2 weeks of daily 2ish hour sessions I'm starting to feel it in my casting forearm and elbow. Typically I strip all the way in, 1 false off the pickup, 1 more to get set up and cast off the third. On the rivers for swinging I use an OPST Rod/line it's short and very light with a fully integrated line (no hinge or connection bump) and short, heavy front end I could strip in close do a right or left circle c and launch with no strain on my tendons to give them a break for a while but I wonder about hanging up in the weeds?

May have to try it or get some SH beach casting lessons or both!

 

[Jake Watrous]

One thing that

Do the guys that fish 2 handers have a problem with getting hung up in the salad on the anchor? I'm not that good of a SH beach caster, average at best, after 2 weeks of daily 2ish hour sessions I'm starting to feel it in my casting forearm and elbow. Typically I strip all the way in, 1 false off the pickup, 1 more to get set up and cast off the third. On the rivers for swinging I use an OPST Rod/line it's short and very light with a fully integrated line (no hinge or connection bump) and short, heavy front end I could strip in close do a right or left circle c and launch with no strain on my tendons to give them a break for a while but I wonder about hanging up in the weeds?

May have to try it or get some SH beach casting lessons or both!

I’m by no means an expert on the beach, or great at casting, but one thing that could help a little is to roll cast to get the fly up (especially useful if recasting a sinking line) and convert it to your first back cast. Give that a haul as you come forwards, haul as you come back, haul on the forward cast and let it shoot. 1 true false case and you’re good.

 

[fatbillybob]

A Spey rod doesn’t make up for a lack of skill, which is what I think the challenge is for most of the folks who give it more than a few false casts, but I agree that it would work well, especially for coho from the beach.

I would not use a spey rod although I have several and have used them on the beach. But once I got a spey length rod optimized for overhead casting by the builder it was a game changer for me. I'm not into a lot of technical but I think the spey rod by design loads deeply in the blank storing energy to launch the line. The optimized beach rod feels more like a fast action singlehand rod that you happen to use 2 hands.

 

[fatbillybob]

With folks using two handed rods, I see them giving up a ton of valuable fishing real estate at the rod tip to set-up their next cast, some of which is a pretty significant distance. They are missing opportunities in that area.
SF

I'm ignorant of this fact. Can you explain what you mean "giving up valuable fishing real estate"?

 

[fatbillybob]

Do the guys that fish 2 handers have a problem with getting hung up in the salad on the anchor? I'm not that good of a SH beach caster, average at best, after 2 weeks of daily 2ish hour sessions I'm starting to feel it in my casting forearm and elbow. Typically I strip all the way in, 1 false off the pickup, 1 more to get set up and cast off the third. On the rivers for swinging I use an OPST Rod/line it's short and very light with a fully integrated line (no hinge or connection bump) and short, heavy front end I could strip in close do a right or left circle c and launch with no strain on my tendons to give them a break for a while but I wonder about hanging up in the weeds?

May have to try it or get some SH beach casting lessons or both!

Lots of stuff it unpack here. On the beach it is hard to do water anchor casts in the washing machine but it can be done. It's great when people and dogs are behind you so no backcast room. That's just another reason to fish barbless. OPST is skagit made in head or integrated line. With a head it is "harder" (but doable) to strip to the leader because of the head to running line connection bump The opst integrated line you can easily strip right in to the fly.

If you wanted more spey technique on the beach then get a scandi head or intetegrated line which is about 50grns less than the skagit rating as a starting point. Then you can touch and go cast and worry less about being in the washing machine.

If you overhead cast which in theory you have plenty of room to cast you can use something line a Rio outbound short or SA titan sonar line with all the iterations from float to triple density to S7. Those lines are salt overhead casting optimized lines but very close to the scandi rating in grains.

The snake roll touch and go scandicast is great for changing directions on a river from hangdown to 90 degree cast for example. The surf rarely come in 90 degrees to the beach but often is dragging my fly left or right so the snakeroll is a fast way to cast back out in the right direction and with a longer rod easier to lift line off the water when wading deeper than I could with a single hand rod.

 

[skyrise]

Lots of stuff it unpack here. On the beach it is hard to do water anchor casts in the washing machine but it can be done. It's great when people and dogs are behind you so no backcast room. That's just another reason to fish barbless. OPST is skagit made in head or integrated line. With a head it is "harder" (but doable) to strip to the leader because of the head to running line connection bump The opst integrated line you can easily strip right in to the fly.

If you wanted more spey technique on the beach then get a scandi head or intetegrated line which is about 50grns less than the skagit rating as a starting point. Then you can touch and go cast and worry less about being in the washing machine.

If you overhead cast which in theory you have plenty of room to cast you can use something line a Rio outbound short or SA titan sonar line with all the iterations from float to triple density to S7. Those lines are salt overhead casting optimized lines but very close to the scandi rating in grains.

The snake roll touch and go scandicast is great for changing directions on a river from hangdown to 90 degree cast for example. The surf rarely come in 90 degrees to the beach but often is dragging my fly left or right so the snakeroll is a fast way to cast back out in the right direction and with a longer rod easier to lift line off the water when wading deeper than I could with a single hand rod.

My 2 cents is with a switch like rod stripping the line back is a little more work and in the salt i do a bunch of stripping. Yes i get longer cast’s but as fatbilly said if you’re using a head type line stripping back can be a pain. Trouble with OBS is if it’s very windy it wont punch through unless you overline some. I do use the opst commando heads on both single and two handed rods but then you have the stripping problem. Going to get the commando integrated and try that. Then just add a intermediate tip or poly leader to get down in the water column.

 

[Nick Clayton]

I'm ignorant of this fact. Can you explain what you mean "giving up valuable fishing real estate"?

Puget Sound fish, especially coho, will follow and/or eat a fly right off your rod tip. I'd venture 30-40% or likely more of all the beach coho I've hooked have been within 10-15' from me, and often eat right when the leader knot is at the tip.

Because of various heads, loop to loop connections, and the ease of a quick recast when fishing a 2 hander it seems many folks using these setups will cast, strip fly back in until just the head is out, then pick up and re cast. Doing that, IMO, results in that last 15-30' of the cast being unfished and this results in a ton of missed opportunity. Integrated lines can help avoid the issue of having to deal with loop to loops coming through the guides, and you can certainly fish a 2 hander while stripping to the rod tip but it just seems that a high percentage of people using 2 handed rods don't do this and I and many others believe this is a serious missed opportunity.

Not to speak for Brian at all, just my two cents.

 

[Stonedfish]

I'm ignorant of this fact. Can you explain what you mean "giving up valuable fishing real estate"?

Puget Sound fish, especially coho, will follow and/or eat a fly right off your rod tip. I'd venture 30-40% or likely more of all the beach coho I've hooked have been within 10-15' from me, and often eat right when the leader knot is at the tip.

Because of various heads, loop to loop connections, and the ease of a quick recast when fishing a 2 hander it seems many folks using these setups will cast, strip fly back in until just the head is out, then pick up and re cast. Doing that, IMO, results in that last 15-30' of the cast being unfished and this results in a ton of missed opportunity. Integrated lines can help avoid the issue of having to deal with loop to loops coming through the guides, and you can certainly fish a 2 hander while stripping to the rod tip but it just seems that a high percentage of people using 2 handed rods don't do this and I and many others believe this is a serious missed opportunity.

Not to speak for Brian at all, just my two cents.

I think Nick pretty much covered it very well.
Maybe folks do it differently in Canada, but down here I see a lot of what he described from folks using two handers.
I know two fish I hooked today I was out of line to strip.
Our coho also aren’t afraid of wading boots making noise in the beach gravel.
SF

 

[Divad]

I’m a big sucker for integrated Skagit lines, the short head helps so much in tight quarters with various polyleaders. I even use mono running line 50% of the time I beach fish.

Not as accurate but no false casts is very nice.

 

[fatbillybob]

Puget Sound fish, especially coho, will follow and/or eat a fly right off your rod tip. I'd venture 30-40% or likely more of all the beach coho I've hooked have been within 10-15' from me, and often eat right when the leader knot is at the tip.

Because of various heads, loop to loop connections, and the ease of a quick recast when fishing a 2 hander it seems many folks using these setups will cast, strip fly back in until just the head is out, then pick up and re cast. Doing that, IMO, results in that last 15-30' of the cast being unfished and this results in a ton of missed opportunity. Integrated lines can help avoid the issue of having to deal with loop to loops coming through the guides, and you can certainly fish a 2 hander while stripping to the rod tip but it just seems that a high percentage of people using 2 handed rods don't do this and I and many others believe this is a serious missed opportunity.

Not to speak for Brian at all, just my two cents.

Ah...now I understand....yes I have been guilty of this when I was trying to get spey heads on a speyrod to double duty. Once I went to a 2 hand rod optimized for overhead casting and an integrated line I strip all the way in. When I was in singlehand rod world I never knew about what 2 hand guys do with all the tips and heads. These guy go to the river with a wallet of heads and tips to suit varying depth conditions all along the river. It is freaking bump and hinge-city partly solved by the invention of the multi-density head and integrated multi-density speylines. There are so many ways to skin that cat it will make you dizzy.

Switch rods are an interesting animal. I wonder what you guys think? I have this Beulah 6wt. 11' switch that for a while was a real favorite because of incredible versatility, spey, overhead, 2hand, single hand, light steelhead in the rivers and on the beach. As my skills and knowledge got better I unconsciously fished it less and less. I'm thinking switch rods might be the fishing equivalent of swiss army knives but I pick up a real folding lock blade or fixed blade or screw driver when I really need a screw driver.

 

[Porter2]

Hey guys...new to the forum. Looking to retire my 25 year old Lamiglas g1298 6wt....Budget is not real high, want to stay $300.00 max. Interested in the Echo Boost Blue. Any one out there have any experience / thoughts on this rod for targeting beach cutthroat and coho...or any other suggestions for other rods in this price range ? thanks for any input.....Mark

TFO Pro II 4 piece for $109.00 or less. They were 79.99 at STP and I nabbed a 5 weight then but see they jacked the price up to $119.00… should have bought two. Have not fished it but have lawn casted it a couple of times and it is a nice smooth caster. Kinda a medium fast action but can lay out some good line. 75’ no problem. Don’t need much more than that for most 5 weight fishing. They are on sale for 109 at many retailers.

 

[cedarslug]

Hey guys... thanks for all of your responses and input.... all good reviews on the rod... ordered the Boost Blue today... hopefully I'll be throw'n some fly's next weekend !!!!! thanks again for all of your responses .... Mark

Awesome, and congrats on the new rod!

Sidenote: Anyone think we can petition, and request commission on Echo rod sales?

 

[Porter2]

Echo has an issue. They are building very good rods and at affordable prices. It’s an issue because you always have to consider them when buying a new rod now. To not test one out is a disservice to your fly rod shopping acumen.

 

[Aleforme]

Hey guys... thanks for all of your responses and input.... all good reviews on the rod... ordered the Boost Blue today... hopefully I'll be throw'n some fly's next weekend !!!!! thanks again for all of your responses .... Mark

Late to the party but I'm using a Boost Blue 6wt and love it. You made a good choice.

 

[mtskibum16]

I got a 7wt boost blue last year for an AK trip. Was looking forward to getting it in the salt a bit this year but unfortunately I broke my wrist right before beach salmon season started and will not be doing any fly casting. I really liked the rod though in my limited use last year. The main nitpick I had was the very narrow grip width. The action seemed about right for a beach rod.

 

[Greggor]

Another thumbs up for the boost blue 6wt. I've had it about a month now. I have a 7wt on order for these wild ocean coho, but I seem to be managing these bigger fish adequately with the 6wt.

The downside might be exhausting the largest wild fish that we are required to release right now in MA9, plus I can't 'easily' manage their parallel beach runs, and that might perturb a few diehard fishers to my right or left.

 

[Jake Watrous]

I played with my kid’s Boost Blue this past weekend. It’s a great rod out to about 70’, when it runs out of oomph. More than enough to get the job done.

 

[speedbird]

I went into a fly shop to get my waders checked out and decided to just try out a Boost Blue, not like I was gonna buy it or anything...

...I bought it