TFO Drift Rod Review 2

TFO Drift fly rod review. This post is a continuation of my earlier blog post review of the TFO Drift fly rod.  After my earlier post a week ago, another YouTube video has popped up showing clear detail of this rod including closeup on how the innovative stripper guide system works. I have opted to include this very good video in my blog to give reader a clearer view of this rod system. Near the end of this video, recommendation is also made on what line weight / grain weight is suited for this rod.

TFO Drift Rod Review

https://youtu.be/VcUVemnuxf4

TFO Drift rod review. Finally TFO is getting into the Microspey game. Their new 3wt Drift rod is certainly a game changer. It is 4 rod in one covering 9ft dry fly fishing to 10' Euro nymphing to 11'3" or 12'3" micro spey / trout spey. 

After my recent Bosnia trip fishing in river Una, I can certainly appreciate the versatility of having such a rod in my arsenal. In the morning with no hatch happening, I could be Euro nymphing with 10' configuration. Later as the trout and grayling warms up to slurping dry fly, I could easily shorten to 9ft by removing the 1' extension without needing to re-string, how sweet is that! Next day, if I fancy prospecting for big trout tossing wooly bugger across the stream, this same rod can be rigged as a 11'3" microspey casting sink tips on Skagit line... how neat is that :)

I recently got a chance to test cast this rod for a few hours, thanks to my friend, Nick, owner of Tackle Box Adventures Fly Shop in Subang Jaya. Here is my initial impression review of this TFO Drift fly rod.

I first strung up the 9ft configuration to cast a 3wt RIO intermediate line (It happens that I don't have a 3wt floating line). I must say that I initially  struggled to get a good cast because the tip felt really soft. After taking a step back I realized the problem. I was pushing the rod too hard for distance. This 3wt 9ft configuration is supposedly designed for close in dry fly action, so I started working on 30 - 40 ft cast and the rod begins to perform. It excels in loading with minimal line out for delicate presentation cast meant for dry fly.

Next I wanted to know if this rod has the guts to handle distance. I extended the rod to 10' and hauled away.  Immediately I can feel a change in character. The rod came alive with more power. The tippy action encountered earlier seems to have dissapeared. The rod now loads lower down with more power at my disposal as I made longer hauls. In the end I was gratified. I managed to clear the 90ft RIO Aqualux line. So if you meet stiff wind and need to punch for distance, set it up to 10'. At 10', the rod did not feel too tip heavy and I would be perfectly happy using it Euro nymphing the whole day.

Next and more importantly I wanted to know if this rod can Spey cast well. Since I can't test on water, I did the next best thing... which is to set up my anchored grass leader system to cast on grass. For those who are not familiar with my anchored grass leader system please follow the link to see how it works.

I set up the rod at 11'3 microspey configuration and put on a 235 grain Wulff Ambush line with 15ft RIO versi leader. After making a few cast, I can feel that 235 grain is in the right ball park. The rod is not overly fast but it does load smoothly and dish out the cast with unhurried pace. I suspect that it will cast even better  with Ambush 195 grain. Since this is casting on grass, I will not put to much judgement on how it will perform on water. Do take this as my very initial impression of the rod.

Next, just for curiosity, I set it up at 12'3" Spey. At this length, the rod slowed down tremendously and also very tip heavy. I can't imagine anyone wanting to use it at this length for Spey fishing. My advice is to stick to 11'3" for microspey and you should be happy. Hopefully I will get to test the rod on water eventually and provide a more thorough review.

Who should get this rod or why should you buy it? If you are new to the Microspey game or want to get into single hand Spey, this is a good way to start because you get a dry fly presentation rod and a Euro nymphing rod as bonus. Or if you want a 10ft nymphing rod and not sure if you would eventually venture into Microspey then this rod will do it.

Trout Spey Rod

Finally Sage will be coming out with 11′ 2wt & 3wt (200-250gr) true trout spey! When I first acquired my Sage ONE 4wt Switch, I did secretly wish that they would produce a lower weight double hand rod that I can enjoy for smaller fish. Now they are finally doing it.

Sage ONE 4wt Switch is one of my all time favorite rod for its lightness and great response. When ONE 4116-4 first came out, it was labelled a trout Switch rod. I think Sage had big Alaskan Rainbow trout in mind when they did that. It is definitely not your typical small river trout rod as the power level is way too high for small river trout. Now that Winston came out with the 3wt MicroSpey, I think Sage is finally taking heed. Not sure if Sage will be putting these rods under the Sage ONE banner but I suspect so.

**22 June update: It's confirmed...these 2 & 3wt trout Spey will be under Sage ONE banner.

http://www.hatchmag.com/articles/sage-shakes-lineup-3-new-rod-series-expands-one-family/7712521

It seems Mike Mccune is testing the final version of these new rods. To boot, RIO is also coming up with "trout Skagit" line to match these rods. You can read all about it here.

http://www.headhuntersflyshop.com/new-trout-spey-stuff-video/

Fishing with Ultralight Switch Rod

I have been advocating ultralight switch rod since 2010 so when I did a web survey recently on 3wt switch rods, I was pleasantly surprised to see 3wt Switch offering by Echo and Mystic Rods. Echo came out with a new 3wt 10'6" SR Switch rod and Mystic has a 3wt M-series Switch rod at 11'3". Those interested can check out the Mystic 3wt review at 2handedtrout blog.

** May 2014 update: Here is another review of the Mystic 3wt Switch

** Feb 2015 update: Winston now has a 3wt Microspey rod and Echo has a 3wt Echo Glass Switch rod

** Aug 2015 update: Sage now has a 2wt & 3wt Sage ONE Trout Spey 

Being the adventurous pioneering sort, I was one of the very few who dabbled in a 3wt Switch rod in the early days. Back in 2010, there were non in the market and I had to fiddle around to get a set up working. When TFO came up with the BVK series of 10 ft Czech nymphing rod in 2011, I jumped at the opportunity. I took a 10ft BVK 3wt and converted it to a Switch rod by adding a 6" removable bottom handle making it a total of 10'6". This outfit gave me great pleasure when going after smallish fish in my local waters. This early blog post shows me taking my new toy out for a swing.

I started out this rod with a 235 grain Ambush line but found it a bit too heavy. Subsequently, I custom made an intermediate sink Skagit line for this rod by splicing 12 ft belly of an old Hardy type 2 line (approx 140 grain) to the tip 18ft section of 4wt SA Stillwater line. This turned out to be a great set-up for smallish Peacock bass and Tarpon.

Fast forward to 2013 and this rod has since seen great action with fish big and small. I found new respect for this rod recently when I went salt water pond fishing with it on 8lb tippet. Typically, a Barra will rub through the tippet in no time but this is when the Czech nymphing pedigree of this rod really shines. The forgiving tip really helps cushion and protect the tippet even when badly abraded. As long as you have a smooth drag and let the rod and reel combo do its magic, big fish can be landed in good time. Photos below show some of the fishes I successfully landed with this rod on light tippet.

I am also very impress with the butt power of this rod. When need be, and if the tippet strength allow, you can really yank the fish in, capitalizing on the butt power. So this rod is no longer a small fish rod in my book. I now have great confidence in this rod having tackle numerous big fish on it, including a Giant Trevally.

The key to really having fun with this rod is to keep the fly smallish and manageable. Surf candies, Charlies and small Clousers are very manageable with this rod. In case you need to cast heavier fly, this rod can single hand cast very well too as long as the line is not too heavy. My 140 grain line works great as a shooting head when single hand casting.

Here is a nice video of Ed Ward casting with a micro Skagit set up....essentially a 4/5 wt single hand rod converted to a double hand....great fun.

TFO BVK 3wt Switch Rod

I finally found a switch rod lower than a 4 wt to play with - the TFO BVK 3wt 10'6" Switch rod. Don't bother surfing the net looking for this rod because it is custom, or should I say semi-custom. The base for this rod is the TFO BVK 3wt with conversion kit. By adding a detachable lower grip to the set-up, I got myself an ultra lightweight Switch rod that is a real pleasure to cast and fish with. It is especially good for the juvenile peacock bass that over run some of the local ponds here. With the equally light Lamson Litespeed, it is a match made in heaven.