The fish of course have led me here, not so much to a location but rather to a method and a technique. Its nothing new mind, the Americans have done it for many years for different species, but if I was to fish in no other way for bass then using the double handed fly rod would be my chosen method. In fact after several seasons using single handed fly rods the move to the double hander three seasons ago has seen me fish for bass with little else. The reasons are multiple, some pretty straightforward others are caught up in the vanity of doing something ‘different‘, its mostly to do with a large sense of personal satisfaction through challenge, extending the range of knowledge already gained from years of single handed bass fishing and a sense that the fish stand a chance here too!

Having fished for bass for many years with lures and flies along the Irish coast I’m a long ways off yet from realising the full potential of DH rods, lines and casting styles but I am happy to have learned a hell of a lot so far, I had a fantastic close of season last year here. One thing I know I didn’t want to do was use gear beyond the the ‘physical’ match of the fish in other words fifteen footers casting 700 grains wasn’t going to do it for me for Irish bass on the coast. What I currently use are DH’s of under 12′-0″ casting up to max of 450 grains or so – in fact they ‘switch’ to single handed casting if needed but essentially are used for overhead casting styles with OH lines or quick direction changing anchor casts and OH casting using skagit heads and various tips. I digress……

Let me put a few pieces together in relation to what I’ve experienced so far for bass fishing on the coast with the DH rod – who knows it might help

• Season one – learning to cast OH, turnover, line speed, line management, rod choices, first fish 
• Season two– improved casting, the benefits of TH, the fishing, the moment, coming together – better fishing
• Season three – skagit heads, leaders, drifting, angles, fishing the surf shore