Flyline Stripper For Spey Casting

Flyline Stripper Clip for Spey Casting from Bintoro on Vimeo.

Being a gadget guy myself, I'm not so sure on this one...  Post your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Big Water Swinging

                    Nothing beats swinging from a boat during high water.

Swinging flies from a boat is a great way to fish high water, Why??
You can position yourself to work water effectively. 
Greater line control.
Set yourself up for a great hang down.
Greater casting distance since your standing higher off the water.

Wade Deep To Cast Farther??

Wading Deep to cast farther??  Not so fast -

Wading deeper to gain distance isn't the answer to gain a few extra feet. Wading deep decreases the height from the water to your rod tip to the bottom of your D loop. The few extra feet you my gain by wading deeper, will most likely be lost in the cast. Wading deeper reduces the height of your D loop and it becomes smaller.

Wade Softly, Carry a Big Stick

             In low clear water remember to wade softly and quietly.

Friday Casting Lessons

                      This will get your blood pumping at the office today!

Circle C Spey Cast

The "Circle Spey" or "Circle "C" as it is sometimes called can be used as an alternative cast to the single Spey cast, as it is another cast that is much safer then a Snap T when using a fly like a lead eye intruder. This cast should be used in an upstream wind or no wind . It is also a cast that can assist you with your anchor placement if having difficulty with the single Spey.

•A very good cast for consistent anchor placement.

•It can be very useful to raise a sink tip to the surface.


•Can be used to good effect when making a variety of angle changes.





Start with the line downstream and rod tip toward the water.




Lift the rod tip up and draw a "C"




The Anchor will land consistently in the right spot.  This shows how safe the rod tip is compared to a Snap T



Come right back to where you started, rod tip facing downstream.




Sweep around just like a single spey cast.




 



Then let it fly.



Mending

One of the common mistakes I see while guiding spey anglers is how they mend.  Every mend is the same after each cast and after each step.  With each step you take down thru a run the current changes, so should your mend(s).   To use the quote in Skagit Master II,"Steelhead are a fish of a thousand casts, but not the same thousand casts."

Oh Mother Nature

Spey Rod, Check....Sinktip Wallets, Check....Large weighted flies, Check......Plenty of water, Check....Blow off a sick day at work, Check...

It's time to swing it deep, Swing it slow and hold the hell on!!!

White Mouse

"The White Mouse"

                    That spray of water is called "The White Mouse" it's a big part of Spey casting.

Spey Nation - June 25, 2011

                                                           
 
Spey Nation offers the unique opportunity for enthusiasts and manufacturers of 2 handed rods to gather in a streamside setting. The Location is the Pineville Boat Launch on the Salmon River in Pineville, NY. And yes, the rumors are true; we are sending one of you to British Columbia again in April of 2012 courtesy of The Spey Lodge!

Spey Nation features a full BBQ sponsored by the Oak Orchard Flyshop, raffles, “On the water” demonstrations, and interaction with some of the biggest names in 2 handed casting from the East and West Coasts. Mixing styles, knowledge, and backgrounds, Great Lakes anglers finally have the opportunity to learn Traditional Spey, Scandinavian, and Skagit techniques from the experts, try specialized equipment on the water and talk with other fishermen in an atmosphere dedicated exclusively to 2-handed casting while enjoying a burger and a brew. Please visit and support our supporters.


The Spey Lodge, Frank Swarner III, Paul’s Guide Service, The West Branch Angler,Scott, Guideline, CND, CF Burkheimer, Airflo, Wild Water Fly Rods, Orvis, The Spey Company, Hardy, Temple Forks Outfitters, Echo, JP Ross, Buelah, Sage, Thomas And Thomas, Ross Reels, No Float Stix, Castle Arms/Heritage Fly Rods, Hatch Reels, Loop Fly Fishing, DTX Mackenzie, Mad River Dubbing Company, The Red Shed Fly Shop, Malindas Fly Shop, Isle-Fish Guide Service, Snake River Oufitters, Tight Lines Fly Shop, The Oak Orchard Fly Shop, River Time Guide Service, Cattaraugus Creek Outfitters, Neversink River Fly Fishing Guide Service.

- Paul

Welding Lines

Welding your own lines and making new streamlined welded loops at home is incredibly simple. If you can tie a fly, you can weld lines. I bought my welding kit from Poppy at The RedShed Fly shop. It includes a heat gun, some thin running line for loops, and a bunch of different sized shrink tubing. It was $30, a heck of a deal. Here are a few photos of the process.

First, cut a length of tubing material, enough to cover the thin running line and the fly line being welded. Then cut a length of running line to make

a loop. I like to have about 2-3" of over lap for added security.

Next, slide the fly line, and running line material into the plastic shrink tubing and align the running line on either side of the fly line....

Next is the fun part, actually welding the lines together. Set the heat gun to the LOW setting. Let it heat up for about 1 minute. Then put the heat to the line, and make sure to keep the heat gun nozzle about an 1" away from the line. Too close and you will burn the line, creating a weak point in your line that can and will break. You can watch the lines melt together as you go. Do about a 1" section until it's good and melted. Roll it between your fingers or on a hard surface to combine the two lines well. Once the entire weld is completed this way, let it cool and cut off the plastic tubing. Now you have a sweet factory like weld on your loop to loop.

The possibilities are endless with welding. Plus welded loops are much smoother in the guides when a fish is yanking out line than braided loops gooped up with Aquaseal.

Skagit Master Volume 2 Featuring Scott Howell

The long awaited Volume 2 is almost out, checkout the new trailer.

Managing Running Line - Simple Tips

When using Skagit spey lines – short, heavy heads connected to a running line of one type or another – casting far means stripping off and managing 40' - 70' of running line.

Managing your running line well helps prevent tangles and allows for easier long casts. Here are a few tips to help with tangle-free and long casts. 

Make Loops in Descending Size - When making long casts you need to be able to hold multiple loops on line - you wont be able to cast far with 45' of line in a downstream loop in the current. On a cast that shoots 7 strips of line, count 4 strips, hold a loop, count 3 strips, hold a loop, and then make a cast. Holding a couple of the same length is OK, but for some reason that our brains are too small to figure out, loops of the same size tend to tangle.

Mono Running lines - Berkley 25lb - 40lb mono works very well, but the downside it is very slippery when wet. Try pinching the mono running line under your thumb on the top of the cork instead of under with your fingers, I found this works great (thanks Ed).  On the Salmon River during those guide freezing days mono running line saves the day when stripping in line all day.

Skagit Expo

Hey All, I wanted to make an official announcement that May 1 and 2, 2010 Spey nation will be hosting the Skagiteers on the Salmon River in NY. Pineville parking lot, same as our June clave. Kind of a mini Skagit Clave if you will. Saturday will be demos, hanging out talking rods, lines, flies with Ed Ward, Scott O'Donnell, and Mike McCune. We are also trying to line up a few more demonstrators for Saturday.

Classes will be held on Sunday. There will be a Beginner Skagit class, and an intermediate/advanced class as well. Max 5 people per instructor and at $165 per person, a fantastic deal. Please pm me or email me at zmbrooks@gmail.com to sign up for the class. I already have 3 spots spoken for.

We are still working on rods, lines to play with on Saturday. I will update this post as things progress. Thank and hope to see you there for this rare opportunity!

- Zach