Meiser´s Switch Into a 20Lb Umba Chromer in Golden Pool / Umba 2014
In general I always try to fish as light as possible, but no lighter than I feel is trustworthy when playing for salmon responsibly. For many years my favourite Spey rods for Salmon and Steelhead have been small at around 12’5’’ for a 7 to 8 weight. These modern short Spey rods can do the same job as 14 to 15 footer did just a few years back.
This season I was given the opportunity to test a Bob Meiser Switch four pieces 11´7” for a 6/7/8 line over eight weeks at the River Umba. The rod comes with a 27 gram shooting head designed by Steve Godshall, which makes you feel that Bob Meiser really cares for his customers. You don´t need to waste money and time fiddling around trying to find “the right line”. A really awesome service in my humble opinion.
Okay let us move onto the detail. Meiser´s S2H11768C-4 has a smooth action that loads deep into the rod without leaving you with a feeling that you are ‘under gunned’. One other nice benefit of this ‘easy load with lots of power’ combination is that you can make a bunch of different kinds of casts work with the same shooting head.
As always with Meiser rods the handmade finish is second to none with a thorough attention to every details. The blank is the usual “No Mumbo-Jumbo” Black. In general Meiser blanks have a reputation for being some of the most durable on the market. The windings and hardware are top notch and the rod comes with one of the funkiest handles, which suited my small hands very well.
Meiser´s S2H11768C-4 is not for those who want an ultra-fast rod where only one third of it bends when playing a fish. The rod casts a fair distance despite its light and delicate build. I was able to push it hard in head-on winds without feeling the need for something faster. Every day I was putting out cast after cast over the Umba River and I didn’t feel like I was having to push too hard. Overall I found the Meiser Switch rod an absolute pleasure and wasn’t left worn-out even over long days fishing. The rod is very light, but incredibly powerful and in a very cool way.
I manage to land a couple of salmon in the 20lb range and a bunch of salmon around 15 to 19lb without any problem. It was still great fun to play smaller fish between 7 and 14lb, and let´s face it guys, that size of fish is what most of us are catching on day-to-day basis, so why not enjoy the fun.
Meiser´s S2H11768C-4 is a workhorse that won’t let you down. I will use this rod hard in the years to come when Salmon and Steelhead fishing. This is a rod built with tons of love and cool Karma and for the Spey geek who spends tons of hours on the river, an awesome tool for daily fishing. I love it.
For more info please check out: www.meiserflyrods.com
