Flyandfloatfishing.com Gear Review--Beulah 8/9 Switch Rod and Elixir Line

First Impression: As I opened up the box and got my first look at the Beulah 8/9 switch rod I was very impressed. Out of the box came the rod—a beautiful green blank and copper wraps complete with a custom-looking cork grip, all of which was very appealing to the eye. Immediately I put the rod together and wiggled it—the rod flexed in to the first piece. I had a feeling that this stick was going to be a real cannon once I got it on the water. Score: 9

Overall Design: The biggest problem I’ve with many switch rods is their second hand grip. Many manufacturers make this grip too small to have any use, or so big that it becomes cumbersome and gets in the way while casting. Beulah definitely got it right with this rod. The grip was just large enough for me to get my second hand on there—just enough to allow me to flick that second hand in order to get the torque and power needed for many spey casts or shooting line. I really do love the design of this stick—the only thing I would change (and this is very minor) is I wouldn't mind having a hook keep on the rod. Score: 9

Performance: For me this is probably the most important category we review—I take it very seriously and try to challenge products in every way I can. With that said, I put this rod through just about every “swinging” test I could come up with and it passed them all. In this department I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. I've fished it with a Rio 350 grain Skagit line with a 5 ft cheater, the same in 400 grains, and also Beulah’s Elixir line. It seemed like the 350 grain was a little bit light, but the 400 grain was perfect for loading the rod. With that said, being Skagit style it was a little clunky (due to the nature of the Skagit line/approach, not the rod) but still very effective. Lastly I used the rod with the line that Beulah had designed specifically for the rod. The Elixir switch line coupled with a 10. ft Poly Leader fished exactly how James at Beulah said it would. The line allowed me to turn over both weighted and unweighted flies without a problem. When I fished Beulah’s Elixir line (which weighs 420 grains over the 30 ft. head) I was very impressed—they have it designed perfectly for their product—the back loaded head and unique taper really makes a difference. Casting was a breeze, and that really slim diameter running line was really easy to shoot. I've had problems in the past with running line being too slick; in these cases I've had to put a few rubber bands on the upper part of my handle so the line doesn't slip when I'm casting, but Beulah’s was pretty much perfect: slick enough to shoot real well, but not slick enough to slip out of my grip.

As far as fish fighting goes I also have no complaints--the rod was whippy enough to serve as a great shock absorber even on some blistering runs by some hot steelhead, but also stiff enough to get a good solid hook set even when using some pretty big hooks. Being as it is the dead of winter here and our water temps are hovering just above freezing often takes can be very soft. The rod was sensitive enough for me to sense these strikes and allowed me to set up on these fish quickly and with great power. Swinging in 32-33 degree water for skittish and spread out fish isn't easy but the Beulah rod was a great tool to make this endeavor easier and more successful. Score: 10

Functionality: Perfectly functional for swinging on Great Lakes tributaries. This rod has the power to make the longer casts required on our bigger streams, but is a short enough length that it can be fished with overhead hazards and on the smaller streams and creeks as well. Combine this versatility with the knowledge of a couple of simple spey casts, and you’re looking at a very deadly swinging weapon that can excel all over the entire Great Lakes region. Score: 10

Durability: I have no reason to believe that this product will not weather the wear and tear put on it by an enormous amount of use. In the time I’ve had it in my hands I’ve fished it more than the average fisherman will spend on the water in a year. Despite this enormous amount of use in extremely cold and windy weather the rod still looks good as new and functions the same as it did when I first took it out of its tube. Score: 10

Quality: Smaller companies don’t really have a choice when it comes to quality—they either do it real well or are eaten up by the competition. Beulah is no exception when it comes to this notion. Their product put up to some very tests, and the compliments given in this review are hard earned and well deserved. I fished it through a blizzard—sustained high winds, cold temperatures and snow blowing sideways--not once did I feel like the Beulah rod wasn’t up to the challenge. I was able to launch every cast I needed to make and dictate the fight to the steelhead which is essential when looking to land these powerful fish in higher flows. Score: 10

Additional Comments: Overall this product scored a 58/60 which dials in as a “must have” on F&F’s rating scale. Beulah really seems like an up and coming company. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see them really become a name in the fly rod industry. The individual who I interacted with—James—really look pride in the product they offered and stayed on top of everything throughout the review process. Although to my knowledge he hasn’t fished our Great Lakes streams for steelhead, through my description of what was required out of a rod for swinging around here we were able to decide on an appropriate switch rod—the fact that this rod performed so well under testing is not only a testament to the product itself, but also to the Beulah company for knowing the capabilities of their rod. That intimate knowledge of a product is very impressive and is definitely worth noting.

I also think that this rod can be used very successfully by both the experienced spey caster and beginner alike. This rod has a great deal of feel and is very forgiving and could certainly allow someone just getting in to swinging to have some great success early on in the learning process. The Elixir line, which is custom tailored to each rod (Beulah offers a corresponding one for each of their switch and spey rods) eliminates all of the guess work and confusion that beginners may encounter when looking to line their first two-hander appropriately.

Flyandfloatfishing.com and I personally would like to thank James and Beulah for allowing us to conduct this review of their products. If any of our readers have additional questions about this review, feel free to email me at Brett@flyandfloatfishing.com or get in touch with Beulah via the links provided here at flyandfloatfishing.com to their website: www.beulahflyrods.com

-Brett McCrae