MidCurrent Tested and Trusted: Redington Dually Spey and Switch Rods

Photo courtesy Redington

Over the years, I’ve become a bit of a Spey-rod addict. When I’m about to go on a trip to chase anadromous fish, or see that a new rod model has gone on the market, or when I just see a cool-looking rod in a fly shop, I usually can’t help but buy something. It’s gotten to the point where the corner of my living room, my closet, and my garage are absolutely full of extra-long rod tubes that are stacked in piles like firewood. Yet, there is still at least some flicker of method to my Spey-rod collecting madness.

Aside from the fact that I just love Spey casting and Spey rods, my massive rod collection assures that I have a rod for everything. From skating dry flies for summer-run steelhead, to dredging flashy intruders for Chinook salmon, to flipping small streamers and nymphs through pocket-sized runs on a trout stream, I’ve got a specific rod for it all. However, there are still plenty of times when I don’t know what kind of water or what kind of fish I’m going to run into and other times when I don’t want to think too hard about rod action, length, and size and just want to go fishing. When this happens, I leave all my fancy rods in their tubes and pick up one of my Redington Dually Spey rods.

There’s a Dually model for whatever kind of two-handed fishing you’re interested in. Photos: Kubie Brown

A Work Horse

I love Redington Dually Spey rods simply because they check all the boxes. With a flexible yet powerful medium-fast action, the Dually is a comfortable rod for me to use no matter what I’m getting into. I’ve taken my 7-weight Dually on Great Lakes tributaries for steelhead, brought it to Nova Scotia for Atlantic Salmon, and I’ve even swung it on the Hudson River for stripers. I’ve fished it with heavy sinking tips and giant weighted flies and swung it with floating lines and small nymphs, and the rod has always done everything I’ve needed it to do.

My 5-weight Dually switch rod has been similarly versatile. I’ve used it to swing big streamers on rivers filled with hungry brown trout and to skate mouse patterns for overly aggressive rainbows. I’ve even used the 5-weight as a nymphing rod for lakes, rigging it with a 14-foot leader, heavy nymphs, and a bobber. With the Dually, I can heave that heavy rig out into deep water without breaking a sweat.

Dually Options

Redington currently offers Dually rods in one Spey model, one Trout Spey model, and four Switch models:

Ruggedly Dependable

Many of my Spey rods are so delicate that I’m frankly afraid to fish with them in any sort of backcountry situation. However, Redington Dually rods hold up to whatever sort of punishment I put them through. Its anodized-aluminum reel seat keeps working despite being banged around on rocks and filled with grit and sand when I set or drop it on the bank. I’ve also smacked the tips on tree branches, smashed them with dumbbell-eye flies on errant casts, and bent them to the extreme while trying to tail fish in deep water and surprisingly they’ve never broken. Yet, despite its rugged exterior, the Redington Dually is still an extremely comfortable rod to fish.

The Redington Dually is a light rod that’s easy to hold and cast even on those long, cold days where the fish just won’t cooperate. The handle also comes with Soft-touch EVA pinch grip sections for better line control, letting you work your fly consistently and efficiently throughout the entire day. When it comes down to it, the Redington Dually is the kind of Spey rod you want to take on adventures because you know it’s just going to perform.

The author’s Dually set up for swinging. Photo: Kubie Brown

An Irresistible Price

Perhaps the best thing about the Redington Dually Spey rods is the price. Depending on the model you’re after, Dually Spey rods cost between $329.99 and $349.99, making them among the more affordable Spey rods on the market. In addition, the Dually also comes with a lifetime warranty meaning that any Redington Dually Spey rods you add to your own collection will be at the top of the pile for a long time.

Click here for more info on Dually Spey and Dually Trout Spey