I salmon fish so am adequate, no more, with a double hander. I have seen the use of double handed rods for salt water fly fishing championed on more than one occasion on this and other forums. Personally I am very dubious. How would you manage to create an anchor in choppy seas or in the surf? Never having tried it I may be wrong and it indeed may be possible. I suspect that a lot of overhead casting is employed, a bit like using a switch rod. I find that in most cases I can cast far enough with a #9 single handed rod and a suitable line such as an AirFlo 40+ in conjunction with double hauling. If the wind hampers my casting on occasions then I imagine it would be harder using a double hander, again I may be wrong. If anybody on this forum does use a double hander for salt water fly fishing I would love to know how you manage with it. Who knows, you may persuade me to try mine out in the surf.

Only time i have used d/h in salt is from back of a boat when wahoo fishing!
Was just for the crack, no distance casting involved, but you are right, must be overhead casting or switch from beach/rocks.
regards
bert

Spruce -
if you can borrow or indeed choose to buy Rich Murphy - Fly Fishing for Striped Bass (masters on the fly series) he has a chapter dedicated to spey casting in the salt - the issues he discusses are similar to yours and he seems to have dealt with them by using a Skagit style cast (i am not a DH caster) -

The book is a VERY worthwhile read, but for one chapter it may be a little expensive - I could photocopy and post if you needed the pages.

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Jim

I use a two hander in the surf, but I only cast it 2 handed overhead style, I think if you practice you will find you can add at least another 20 feet to what you can cast double hauling with a single hand rod and it is of course much easier. As a bonus a shooting head for a two hander is heavier than a single hand shooting head and this really helps when the fly size is starting to get a bit big and bulky.
In the Harbours and estuaries I use it with a 40 plus line so I can cast overhead or Scandi style and it works very well.
One spot I fish is sheltered from swell but has Mangroves right behind the best spots so a switch cast works well, as does a single spey once the current is ripping through.
All the best.
Mike

There is an Aussie guy called max Garth who champions the use of DH rods from the shore over there. He reckons it makes long distance casting much easier.

But quite what happens when you hook a really big fish Im not sure.....

I remember once watching an English guy trying to land lure hooked GT's on a 12 ft beachcasting rod - he couldn't. On a 9ft 12 wt fly rod it was possible.

Hope this helps.

Couldnt land something on a 12ft beachcaster?????
I'm not sure what a GT is but unless its a Grea Twhite.................. What a load o cobblers



Seriously though, are you saying that a 12ft beachcaster (generally designed for 3-6oz weights) has a lighter test curve than a 9ft 12wt single handed fly rod designed to cast (load) less than 1oz

Rod

---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:34 PM ----------

To answer the original question......... For double handed casting where long distance is required and your "white mouse" wont scare your quarry have a look at the perry poke cast.

Tight lines

Rod

Gt - Giant trevally

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Cobblers it is then!!

Rod

Clearly you've never hooked one

I'm with Roders on the rod issue. NO WAY can a single handed fly rod be a more effective weapon than a beach caster for landing large fish from the surf. Getting back to my original point....still don't see how using a double hander in the surf can be more effective than a single hander. I know about the Perry poke cast but as with all Spey casts/variations it depends on creating an anchor point. How can this be achieved easily in a choppy sea? Most people advocate the overhead cast when using a double hander from the beach. Obviously with both hands on the rod they are unable to impart a "haul" into the cast. Sure, if using a shooting head then they will be able to shoot some line but more than anybody double hauling with a single handed rod? I would doubt it. Using a single handed rod and a line such as a 40+ it is easy to shoot most of the backing with just one haul. How can it be easier with a double hander? Surely the wind must also play a part? At least with a single hander you can shoot later/lower to try and negate the effects of a head wind, got to be harder with a double hander I would have thought. Not trying to be argumentative but I just don't see the logic of double handers in the surf.