Spring is always a fun time on the water for some fishing. As nature shrugs off the cold and wakes up for a new year, the crisp waters and fresh air are just the embrace we need to get out of hibernation and into the wild. We took out a great setup from Redington, Sage and RIO for some water-based fun. While this 8 setup may be overkill for smaller streams, the large pools and distance reaches were made easier with the medium action and big line. Having the freedom to reach out and get the fly where the fish are lurking made for many enjoyable trips to our local waters.

Sage Evoke 8 Series $575

www.sageflyfish.com

The Evoke Series reels are exceptionally designed large arbors to allow for a smooth connection with the quarry. The exposed palming rim can be pressured by palms or fingers to get a feel for the drag needed to land that trophy fish. The large dial with 39 unique settings allows for the sealed carbon drag to be easily adjusted from featherlight to heavyweight resistance for a perfectly tuned fight. With durable rigid construction and quick retrieve,  the fight can stay out in the water where it belongs.

We tested the Evoke 8 along with the Dually Switch 8 and it performed flawlessly. The large arbor handled bulky exaggerated weight forward line with ease, and retrieval was fast and controlled. With fish on the line, the large drag dial made for easy adjustments and fine tuning on the open rim kept consistent pressure on the line while preserving sensitive rigs.

Easy to see indicator dots

Quality Construction

Full Cork Handle

Redington Dually 4 Piece Switch $250

www.redington.com

The Redington Dually Switch has plenty of versatility when it comes to playing in a variety of waters. The medium action two handed rod features a full-cork handle with reel seat, and alignment dots for easy set up of the compact 4 piece rod. The Switch series comes in 4 lengths from 10’9″ to 11’9″, which combined with forward weighted line can reach far with great accuracy. Matte finish and clean construction come together for a clean rod worth a good look.

We tested the Dually Switch 8, 11’9″ length on Northern California waters including the Sacramento River. The medium action combined with the length really allowed for dead-on accuracy and a casting distance that got the rig where it needed to be. The 4 piece rod came together quickly with reference dots for alignment, so more time was spend actually fishing. The rod was light enough for good strike feedback, but had the strength to fight once the fish was hooked. A problem we noticed with the cork handle, a few chips fell out while testing resulting in a bit of a rough touch after a few uses.

RIO Switch Chucker 8 $90

www.rioproducts.com

RIO’s Switch chucker is a floating weight forward line with a long front taper and short back taper for a smooth long-casting line. The line works great for sink tips and indicator rigs.

Out on the water, this line was easy to cast and made distance work easy. The line changes from white to green at the ideal casting location which made length reference fast and easy.  While running an indicator rig, the forward weight added to control and really made loading the rod a fluid motion.