T-18 sink tips, versileaders, polyleaders, running line, scandi and skagit shooting heads, and the inordinate number of different spey casting techniques are virtually guaranteed to cause confusion for anyone getting into spey fishing. Gawesworth explains that one of the most significant differences traditional fly casters will notice is that they’ll no longer need to lift and accelerate to begin their casts. That category of Spey caster are however few and far between so stop Spey casting like a 'race horse with blinkers on' and pay attention to the shape, distance and timing 'off the water' at the critical anchor point moment which provides the 'pulling power' that makes the entire forward delivery possible and effortless if executed perfectly. As far as making the transition from single-handed to Spey casting and picking up enough of the principles of the technique to effectively begin chasing Alaska’s Chinook, it’s not as hard as it might sound. Spey fishing for king salmon is not for the light hearted. “In the last five years, the caliber of Spey lines in sink-tip variation and adaptation, coupled with the next generation of stinger-style flies, has created a tackle matrix for the Spey-casting enthusiast, who can now approach favored fisheries with the best possible chances for success. “It’s the fastest growing segment of the fly-fishing industry today,” says Gawesworth about the current revival of Spey interest in North America. If I can see salmon when fishing dry flies (as opposed to blind casting for salmon), I use a Sage 9-foot for a 7-weight rod with an 8-weight line. Spey Casting Schools and Instructions are are available on the Deerfield River, Salmon River, Miramichi Rivers and others throughout North America by Walt Geryk. That and more has made the technique popular everywhere from its birthplace on the rivers of the British Isles to the Atlantic salmon fisheries of Northern Europe, Iceland, and eastern Canada. All of these situations require the angler to cast larger flies, over … As two-handed Spey casting has exploded in popularity over the last 20 years so, too, has the technology available in the manufacture of two-handed (Spey) rods. If you're Spey casting and hearing a continual 'slooshing' sound as the line lifts off the water then you've given the line too much time on the surface of the river. Working from principles of rod loading that are in opposition to those of contact Spey casting, the sustained-anchor concept uses the unsticking of a thoroughly stuckfly line from the river’s surface as the mechanism for creating casting energy and loading the rod. On the other hand if you're hearing a frequent 'wooshing' sound it means the anchor point has been missed completely or you're a millisecond too quick with the power application. It’s enough of a difference to cause problems initially, as is the need to now deliver power to the forward stroke with the bottom, not top hand. You can also see why they’re so alluring to fly fishers looking for a challenge. While beginners might be in awe of big water like the Nushagak, Alagnak, or Kanektok—those classic-type Spey waters—that 95% can put on a Skagit Line and a hunk of T-14, a Super Prawn or a Jumbo Critter, and be casting 45 to 70 feet on Willow Creek, the Kasilof River, or a similar road-system king fishery and be catching fish the evening after a morning class.” As that begins to happen and other anglers get a chance to see the effectiveness of the Spey rod for Alaska king fishing, we can only expect their popularity to continue to grow. This div height required for enabling the sticky sidebar. With over 40 years experience, Ian is one of the most respected people in the Salmon Fishing business. Spey casting tips and fine tuning from one of Scotland's top professional casting instructors and salmon guides. Advantages of spey casting and why you should learn to cast a two-handed rod and how to apply these casts to a single hand fly rod. … Thus, the advantages in learning to Spey cast are legion. Spey casting is used for fishing large rivers for salmonand large troutsuch as steelheadand sea trout. In contrast, the majority of Alaska’s steelhead streams don’t require the longer two-handed rods, primarily due to their short coastal nature, with anglers more apt to be prospecting pocket water with standard nymphing techniques than laying out long casts and swinging flies through extended runs. The single Spey cast involves the formation of a single loop of line over the water, to one side of the angler, prior to the forward cast. For normal fishing this positioning should be approx 1 rod length from whichever shoulder you're casting off and this positioning will give you reasonable loading for the majority of casting ranges. The traditional Scottish Spey cast has to be fully understood to be conducted effectively and part of that is watching the Spey cast… Spey casting is a fly-casting technique that evolved in Scotland in the mid 1800's. See for yourself why spey casting and fly fishing has grown in popularity throughout the North America. It puts rods, reels, lines, knots, and mental toughness to the test. George Cook has much the same advice to give. Spey casting is a fly-casting technique that most likely developed during the mid-1800s on Scotland’s River Spey, where bankside trees and other obstructive foliage makes overhead casting unlikely if not impossible. Spey Casting is easy to learn and is effective for Rainbow … Spey casts are also ideal for handling and fishing extremely heavy sink-tips on the swing, a definite boon for down-and-across salmon anglers. Spey technique is also used in saltwater surf casting. “In most instances, there aren’t a lot of trees and bushes making backcasts impossible near the prime Chinook water on these rivers.”, Recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on Spey casting, Gawesworth was elected captain of the England team for the 2003 World Fly Fishing Championships and has been promoting and teaching Spey casting professionally since he was 16 years-old. But ever since the advent of lead-core shooting lines in the 1950s, technological advances in the manufacture of fly-fishing equipment has made all water—and all species—fair game. Steelhead Spey Fishing, located on the Salmon River New York, also include spey and switch rod casting and fly fishing lessons for trout, salmon and Atlantic Salmon. Spey fishing for steelhead, salmon, trout and atlantic salmon with Walt Geryk. British Columbia based fly fishing guide and Simms Rep. Todd Scharf talks about Spey casting for Salmon and Steelhead in BC. Spey casting is a method of fly fishing used to create longer casts without the overhead backcast. Spey technique is also used in saltwater surf casting. It’s not uncommon for one (or more) of the aforementioned to break, and more … Sizes for Spey rods vary almost as much as they do for single-handed rods, but for kings the most popular are nine- through 12-weights in 14- to 16-foot models. This will give you a consistent forward delivery casting advantage and will counteract the depth adjustments often experienced while wading down through a salmon pool and allow every forward delivery to be an absolute peach! The good news is that there’s a better answer out there, a more effective way for fly fishers to reach Alaska’s state fish, to cover more water and stay comfortable doing it, a way to get down but not dirty. Kings are the least abundant of the Pacific salmon in North America, but they’re also the largest. As it specifically relates to fly-fishing for Alaska’s king salmon, Spey casting is only beginning to catch on, but advancements in equipment, along with casting styles that are tailored to North American waters and the Pacific’s anadromous fish, make it seem like the techniques are here to stay. Modern day line systems although easier to cast with (if no Spey casting tuition has been undertaken) come nowhere close to an elegantly tapered Spey line for casting and actual salmon fishing 'effectiveness' via total fly control at range which only a minority of salmon anglers understand or pay attention to these days. It is named after the river Spey - one of Scotland's premier salmon rivers - and is most likely where the technique started to … Searching for clemency from a winter spent locked away from the stream, many of Alaska’s fly anglers look to kings. They’re favored with tremendous size and almost unspeakable power and around them swirls just enough myth and mystery to keep everyone interested when the odds suggest we’d all be better off chucking fry patterns at Dolly Varden. “The extra rod length is a major advantage for better control of the fly during the swing,” he continued. “The efficiency and effectiveness of both casting and line control are absolutely maximized. “And I see it continuing to grow for the foreseeable future, especially in a place like Alaska where the big fish and the angling conditions are so ideally suited to it.”. Likewise, today’s high-end Spey rods are designed with the technique in mind, especially the Dredger series of G. Loomis RoaringRiver rods designed by Ed Ward. … It’s still difficult and a guy can still develop both tendonitis and tennis elbow in a single afternoon’s work with a 500-grain line, but it beats split-shot by a fiberglass mile. Like all the species of Pacific salmon, Chinook stop feeding after entering their natal streams. This one is for the steelhead bums out there. Spey rods are longer to accommodate the different … The true test again is 'visual' and you should be seeing a straight line ripple on the surface of the river the split second after the line has gone. There are numerous casts (and variations of those casts) designed to present your fly in situations which would be otherwise impossible with a traditional overhead cast. The first returnees of the state’s Pacific salmon, Chinook tote with them amnesty from a seasonal gulag that features heavy piles of snow, ice a foot thick on all our favorite waters, and increasingly vague memories of chrome sides and sea lice. The average beginning Spey class Cook teaches runs three and a half hours in length, and as he explains it, about 5% percent of his students come out of that initial class ready to get right in the game. It is popular for salmon, steelhead and now many over species of fish around the world. “With the previous setups available, this was challenging at best, if not debilitating.”. https://flyfishusa.com/blog/Spey-Rod-Steelhead-and-Salmon-Fishing Examples include the Sage TCR series rods or those offered by G. Loomis in their new RoaringRiver line. “In Alaska,” Cook concludes, “because of the range of rivers and water types between Southwest and Southcentral, it’s different than it is for other major Spey fisheries. As far as Salmon Rivers and fishing for salmon are concerned, The Spey is the one that ticks all the boxes. In 1949 a 126-pound Chinook was captured in a commercial fish trap near Petersburg, and unverified reports of fish up to 135 pounds have filtered down from the Cook Inlet commercial fleet. Learning spey and switch casts are essential to help you understand where, how, when and why you should be using this very effective style of fly casting. “Books and DVDs can be important learning tools to perfect your technique, but the best step to begin is to take some lessons, as there’s no substitute for on-the-shoulder help.”. Kings are definitely that, so challenging in fact an angler can wear himself out in a few hours without ever having come into contact with an actual strike, let alone having engaged in prolonged combat with a hooked fish. All of these situations require the angler to cast … The River Spey The River Spey is the most famous salmon river in the world and the one I measure all others against. There's nothing more elegant & satisfying than being able to perform the Spey cast off either shoulder with ease & grace so it's well worth learning. If your 'lift' has been high enough and your 'swing' smooth enough then you should be in total control of the positioning of the anchor point. “Plus, changing direction is so much easier with the Spey cast, and it’s a lot safer to make a cast with heavy sinking line and weighted flies if you don’t need to lift the fly from the water and bring it past your ear, especially in areas with lots of wind.”. Enroll in a Great Lakes Steelhead Spey Casting and Fishing School and learn the many techniques in becoming a more successful spey fisherman. Until recently, Alaska-bound Spey casters were limited to either building their own shooting heads or utilizing lines that incorporate interchangeable tip systems, like the RIO WindCutter or Scientific Anglers Tri-Tip Spey. This allowed for the development of lighter, … For one, once mastered they can produce consistent distances of 75 to 140 feet without a backcast, opening up water that was previously only within the realm of anglers utilizing conventional gear. “Perhaps Spey casting hasn’t been as popular in Alaska because many of the best salmon rivers for the fly angler are in the western region of the state,” he explained. For lines, today’s fly anglers find their options similarly diverse. If you're fishing with one of these modern day 'talent compensator' washing lines and a stiff broom pole action rod then this is going to be a tricky thing to achieve unless you're very gentle with your lift and swing. For Alaska and its kings, both Gawesworth and Cook recommend powerful rods with fast, progressive tapers that will deliver razor-sharp loops. 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