Marc, that is exactly what my 9' #9 does
ok, but you're talking about girly 90' casts. i'm talking about 150' or more with less physical effort than the girly 90'er
anyhow, i'll continue. not to be telling you or anyone what to do
but just to get some info out for the group.
"I always thought that a switch rod was meant to overhead and spey with a line designed to do both so when you are on a rocky out crop and can only overhead cast why would an extra 2.5' and a lighter line be a benefit?"nobody serious (meaning, someone who really knows what they're talking about as opposed to those who play the Telephone Game) ever said that the same line would perform equally well for both both aerial and Speys. they can't, end of story. that's what extra spools and extra lines are for !
an experienced caster will get away with just about any line but optimum peformance won't happen with the same line.
"The other reason that I prefer a #9 is that it handles a big Clouser fairly easily, something that a #6 might not."yup, pretty obvious and couldn't agree more
a heavier fly will be a LOT easier to cast with a heavier line to pull it. it's just common sense.
since most here will relate to fresh water examples better, a good example of this is Skagit shooting head gear that very easily casts
very big and very heavy flies and super-fast sink tips. they shine at this because that's what they're designed to do.
take that same very big and heavy fly and attach it to a Skandi line and things won't go well at all...
and yes, longer rods will always outdistance shorter rods. when was the last time you saw a 9' beachcaster or carping gear rod ?
cheers,
marc