Spey Fishing

[clovisc]

anyone here into spey fishing? just received my first spey rod, and it is probably the most fun form of fishing i've ever tried! probably the most crazy, as well... 15 foot, two-handed fly rod with no back cast involved... does GIGANTIC roll casts! i took it out for a little practice casting tonight, and was surprised at how little effort it took to perform great casts!

i'm planning on getting a few salmon tomorrow morning before work... :D

[Mako109]

Welcome to the start of another addiction, the spey rod addiction:D I've been enjoying spey casting for about fours years now. IMHO one of the most elegant forms of fly fishing. I target steelhead exclusively with a Winston BIIX 13''3 7/8wt. That's probably considered "light" for your big Alaskan waters:)

Good luck and tight lines!

[Doc Pyres]

Wow, Spey fishing looks great. I love fishing, especially for salmon, but I've never tried this before. I'll have to give it a go. Thanks for the tip, Clovisc! :)

[clovisc]

had a blast doing it this morning before work, grey, foggy dawn, surrounded by bats (for some reason, the spey rod drives them crazy!)... got quite a few salmon -- mostly pinks.

i picked up a TFO pro series 15 foot 9/10 traditional rod (found one over 30% off retail!), and a long belly line to match... that will handle everything here, up to the big chums and kings that are too much for an 8 weight.

i don't mind using a little bit bigger of a rod to bring in the steelhead here a bit sooner... steelhead are pretty much all catch and release here, and i don't like fighting them to the point where they're stressed or injured. i know a couple fly fishermen who brag about getting them on 3-5 weights, and hour long battles... those same guys leave dead chrome in their wake. not cool.

[Dr. Snubnose]

Spey rod fishing...Wow, I have only heard the term used once by my father who was an avid fly fisherman, but I really didn't know what it was till I did an internet search for it...sounds and looks really cool....For me...I just stand in the river and snatch the Salmon with my hands when they are jumping in the air moving upstream...I use my Kung Fu Skills to do this and it drives the bats crazy!!!!....When that doesn't work (slippery little devils)...I go to the supermarket and just buy the damn fish!...LOL....Doc:p:D

[clovisc]

@ Doc -- :p

the more i mess around with spey fishing, the more i am amazed by what you can achieve with it! it definitely helps build more of an understanding / appreciation of the concepts and mechanics involved in regular ol' one-handed fly fishing... which i think is pretty cool.

there's a great coho hole that i could never reach properly with my one-handed fly rods, because of the distance, and minimal backcasting space... the spey rod lets me get right into the sweet spot... brought in a couple nice ones this morning!

[Dr. Snubnose]

@ Doc -- :p

the more i mess around with spey fishing, the more i am amazed by what you can achieve with it! it definitely helps build more of an understanding / appreciation of the concepts and mechanics involved in regular ol' one-handed fly fishing... which i think is pretty cool.

there's a great coho hole that i could never reach properly with my one-handed fly rods, because of the distance, and minimal backcasting space... the spey rod lets me get right into the sweet spot... brought in a couple nice ones this morning!

Ahhhhh...sounds like you are beginning to get in touch with the Tao of Fly Fishing....The spey rod is only a device but through it's flexibility you are learning to use your softness (Tai Chi Like) to project your chi...or in this case propel your bait to that sweet spot....seems like Martial Arts to me....Doc:D

[clovisc]

Ahhhhh...sounds like you are beginning to get in touch with the Tao of Fly Fishing....The spey rod is only a device but through it's flexibility you are learning to use your softness (Tai Chi Like) to project your chi...or in this case propel your bait to that sweet spot....seems like Martial Arts to me....Doc:D

i find that fly fishing is very much like martial arts in the sense that as you gain experience and learn new techniques, you are also strengthening your understanding of the basic concepts that have been a part of everything you've been doing all along... :D

there's definitely a lot of "softness" and restraint involved... in the casting itself, and in the way you present the fly to the fish, and move and act in the water.

lots of the physical concepts are the same... generating energy using your entire body, keeping everything closer to your core so that it is stronger...