Stocker Trout Fishing News

Decided to get the switch rod out in preparation for next Saturday’s TRWD Flyfest. Tend to use the switch rod while fishing for trout as longer cast are needed at times and like the ease of less and/or no false casting. Stopped at Towne Lake in McKinney and got a round of practice casts in. No trout but still good to bend the rod. Then, headed to City Complex Pond in Murphy and got lots of practice in… and even limited out on trout! Tandem-rigged Near Deere with a trailing nymph be it a GRHEN or Pheasant Tail Nymph worked this round. Fun times… hope to do a repeat next Saturday at TRWD Flyfest!

Video that shows the fly rod/reels we used, and what led us to using a Switch Rod and a Trout Rod for most of our fly fishing trips now. We learned about spey lines and Switch Rods after injuring a shoulder. Normal overhead and side casts was painful. We were doomed to waiting for the shoulder to heal. Then, we tried a Switch Rod and discovered several casting techniques that allowed the rod hand to stay below the shoulder and felt no pain when casting. Later, we saw a video of a fly fisherman using the OPST Commando Head with only 1/2 of a 9′ 5wt Fly Rod. In the video, he was getting incredible casts with only a “four and a half” foot rod! With that we decided to try the OPST Commando Head on our favorite fly rod… a 9′ 5wt Redington Classic Trout fly rod. This combination provided the same benefits as the Switch Rod but in a more compact package! Subsequently, we primarily use the 6wt Switch Rod and the 5wt Fly Rod for our fly fishing trips. Do check out t...

Here is a quick demo of the OPST Commando Head that we use with a 5wt flyrod for one-handed spey casting. Nothing fancy… Switch Cast and a modified “Perry Poke” gets an easy 21 yard cast. Lots of fun casting this rig; even more fun when a fish is on the line!     OPST Commando Head – 200 grain OPST LazarLine OPST 5′ Sink Tip Echo Ion Fly Reel 4/5 wt Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod (9′-4pc-5wt)