It has been described as evolution, but like most things preached in repetition the more I heard it the more aggressive I became with rejection efforts. At its core it is part of the genre of steelhead and salmon fishing, and at first (and second, and third) blush the idea of downsizing the product for alternative applications seemed like nothing more than marketing flight of fancy.

Finally, sick and tired of the bunk, I undertook the battle to shut the kook-aid drinkers up once and for all. The wallet was opened…

The Scott T3h 1106/4 with an Abel Switch reel

To handicap my effort, I used this preconceived blatant waste of my hard-earned dollars to indicator nymph a crowded, didymo-laden tailwater, the source of which had turned over and bled the flow St. Patrick’s Day green. The narrow passage, the thick brush, and the overhanging tree limbs would be my friends. Then, several unexpected things happened…

I chucked heavy rigs ridiculously long distances with next to zero effort. I changed direction mid-cast, with nary a single snag from behind. The rig never once tangled. Finally, I caught fish, albeit few, and yet walked back to the truck with a smile on my face usually reserved for trophy days.

Swinging fat streamers with sinking tips is a foregone conclusion, and while I don’t envision these spey/switch tactics being ultimately useful in pure sight-fishing situations, I do excogitate toting this rig for virtually every other.

Hence, I admit defeat. To those I fought, please accept my sincerest apologies.

MG signing off (because if you can’t beat ‘em, just pick up a two-handed fly rod)