Carrying two rods

[Joe J]

I often find myself in positions while wade fishing that I would prefer to carry two rods. If I’m salmon/steel fishing I want a streamer/swing rod with associated line, and also find myself wanting a nymph or bead set up. If I’m trout fishing I may want a streamer rod, dry fly rod (sometimes this can also be used for smaller streamers), and I may want a nymph or euro rod depending on system and conditions. I usually just pick one rod/ tactics and go with it, but it burns me to pass over fishy looking water that is better served by another method. I’ve tried carrying a second rod in a tube lashed to my pack, but I often still pass over the water due to the time it would take to unpack and rig the rod. Not to mention transporting and dealing with a place to put the second rod once I’ve got it rigged up. Occasionally I’ll fish down (or up) stream with one method, break down that rod, rig the other, and fish back out with a new tactic. This is about the best method I’ve found, but surely someone out there does this better than I do. How do you do it? Or, do you not bother, and stick with one method? Maybe, you pick one rod and line that can do a few things ok, but nothing great?

 

[Zak]

When I'm on foot wading a trout stream, I only take one rod and use it for dries, dry dropper combos, nymphing, swinging wets, and small streamers. I carry a homemade sink tip made from piece of fast sinking line that I can insert between the floating line and leader, but I hardly ever use it.

 

[bhudda]

Have an extra spool instead...fish upriver dry, then switch out the spools and swing meat heading down river!

 

[jaredoconnor]

+1 for an extra spool. A normal fly line and a Skagit line is a great combo.

 

[MD]

I’ve thought the same thing before but after watching a fella with two rods on Friday, I won’t be doing it. Everything looked good while he was on a gravel bar....plenty of places to leave the extra rod.

He decided to fish a stretch as he was crossing upstream and it looked like a challenge to cast and swing a fly with only one free hand. And how he expected to land a fish, I have no idea. (Although it was the Nooksack so the likelihood of that happening is quite low)

Sure he could have gone back, set the spare down, and returned to fish but that in itself would be a PIA

Plus, I tend to bushwhack a lot and sometimes keeping one rod out of the puckerbrush can be a challenge....let alone two.

but that’s me....you do you.

Mike d

 

[MGTom]

I really think it depends on the water and how you like to fish, but I don't do it (often). On one river I do it occasionally but it's easy to get around and your limited to how much water you can cover (reduces breakage and chance of loss). For one rod versatility I like a 6 wt single hander. I have an older reel setup with float, sink tip spool and full sink spool, takes about 5 min to switch over. My next newer reels I have a float, 5' ghost tip (and w/ 5' s5/6 sink tip extension) because the full sink only gets used in stillwater. If I take a 4wt all I need is a DT floater. The ESN rod has a ESN line and the old 4DT on a spare spool.

 

[SinglehandJay]

I fish 2 sometimes 3 rods. I usually start things off with a dry then move below surface from there. When I approach a run I put my sling pack down and lean whatever extra rod is with me. From there I can effectively work from top to bottom. After I cover the run I pick up and move. Sometimes I cover it in reverse and use streamers back to a dry. It still amazes me that I can disturb the water with a 4" streamer but still raise a fish to a dry afterward. I tried using 1 rod and multiple reels but hate the down time/ change time. If I'm walking a stream with vegetation behind then I usually prop my extra rods on a few tree branches while I work the spot

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

Let me preface, I almost exclusively fish small streams, often in more secluded settings.

I just about always carry 2 fully strung rods (streamer/nymph and dry), sometimes 3 (streamer + nymph + dry). The unused rids are propped against a tree/bush, I wade in and fish. I rarely wade more than 50 yards(?) without retrieving and moving the unused rods. The pups alert me if others are coming, so I can keep an eye out to be sure my unused rods stay put.

cheers

 

[David Loy]

+1 for extra spool, for me w/Commando & tips for downstream, but something like a Streamer Max would work too.

 

[802flyfish]

 

[Clarkman]

Most of my trout fishing is on the lower Deschutes. I always carry 2 rods. Streamer + dry/nymph. On those occasions that it's dry + euro, I'll throw in an old reel with a streamer max short on it for fishing certain spots. Every time I've carried 3 rods, which in theory always sounds great, I end up hating it when I'm 2 miles in....so that's out the window.

Now, in my float tube for smallies or muskies, it's always 2 rigged rods plus an extra reel/spool packed in...I've tried 3 in those situations, but have never found it necessary.

Cheers!

edit: on the rare occasions I fish small streams, it's one rod with maybe an extra reel or spool, but often one line will cover everything on the smaller streams.

 

[Driftless Dan]

I've tried, but it's too much of a PITA to go back and retrieve one rod after I've fished upriver 50 yards.

 

[IveofIone]

In 70 years of fly fishing I have become aware that any 2 rods when placed adjacent to each other will immediately start to mate. In their lust they entwine each other with copious amounts of leader and fly line and at some point mandate that their tryst be terminated. This often results in exhausting ones full vocabulary of profanity while raising blood pressure and elevating frustration.

Being a calm peaceful sort I tend to avoid the angst of dealing with copulating fly rods and always try to keep them separated and isolate their temptation.

One rod is plenty in the puckerbrush with 2 spare spools in the vest.

 

[vader]

When fishing from a floating device, I bring 2 rods. 1 to fish and the other is a back up just incase I break rod or lose 1 chasing ducks with the boat. When walking I will just bring 1 with a versatile line to cover most situations.

 

[MGTom]

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My son has been looking at something like this thinking 2 rods would be handy. Most of our streams are like this, and l just think it would always be catching the brush above or behind you, and you would never get in or out. I think we're seeing water type and preferred techniques influence the choice.