by Fred Telleen
I remember watching Sage Fly Rod representative George Cook some years ago, bombing casts across the Kenai. While the casting was impressive, I did not see the need for that style of fishing. True, it was a good way for a shore-bound angler to cover lots of water, but really, the rods were just too big and made too much commotion. I understood the usage for searching out steelhead, but honestly, it was no mystery as to where the rainbows were.
As the years have gone on, I’ve had a few guiding clients show up with Spey rods as well. We’d usually monkey around with them for awhile and then go back to fishing my standard single-hand sticks. Occasionally, I’d find a use for them running mega-long drifts with indicators, but it was just as easy to fish the same water from the boat. [emember_protected custom_msg=’This content is available for subscribers only.’]
In the last several years, however, my opinions have changed. Equipment choices are almost limitless. Rods have gotten lighter. Line options are almost overwhelming. I finally decided to learn to Spey cast and put in a little bit of practice. I’ve always been a streamer junky, so I figured Spey fishing would be fine for cold-water swinging. If nothing else, the casting looked fun.
I had no idea how much learning to Spey cast would change my trout fishing. I can now say that I’m in love with two-handed rods for trout fishing; thanks, George.
Why Learn to Spey?
I have always been a fan of longer rods. When I was a kid, I built my own 9- to 12-foot noodle rods for fishing Great Lakes tributaries. When I began to fly fish, I started with a little 7-foot, 6-inch pack rod, but soon added 9-, then 9 feet, 6 inches and eventually 10-footers. I found that by over-lining the rods one or even two line weights, I could achieve better roll casts and cast heavy streamers with ease. I was essentially setting up the perfect single-hand Spey rod without knowing it.
Learning to Spey cast will increase your efficiency as an angler. It’s also lots of fun. I remember the first time I got on a pair of fat shape skis at Alyeska on a powder day. It’s that kind of “wow.”
Learning Spey-style casting will also greatly enhance your use of the single-hand rod. This is because you don’t need a 13-foot rod to fish Spey-style. Even your standard 9-foot trout rod will do, once you learn the proper casting techniques. You will be amazed by the efficiency and the casting distance you can achieve.
Line Control
You can manage more line with a longer rod. It is simple physics. Everything from short-line nymphing to 100-foot swings can be directed more effectively. You can cast farther, faster and with less effort. You can fish near banks and cover without back-casting, fish longer leaders to cover deeper water, hook fish at greater distances, and simply have more fun.
Switch vs. Spey
Most switch rods are over 10- and less than 12 feet in length and feature two-handed casting style handles. I look at switch rods more as short Spey rods and generally use them in that fashion. You, the angler, get to decide which way to cast. Single-hand casts may still be desired for short range and stealth. For distance, Spey casting is generally preferred. One of the versatile things about switch rods is that they can be fished with either conventional fly lines or Spey-specific lines. Right now, the industry is rapidly catching up with fly line options for switch rods, including switch-specific lines and short Spey heads to match up with the many switch rod offerings.
Spey rods are generally longer and slightly more powerful than switch rods. Traditional Spey rods were often 14- to 18 feet in length. Lighter and more powerful materials have spawned a generation of Spey rods between 12- and 14 feet that are a pleasure to cast and won’t wear you down. A light 4- or 5-weight Spey rod might be less than 12 feet, but is still designed for a two-handed cast with a Spey-specific line. When it comes to trout fishing, a 7-weight Spey rod would be considered heavy duty for the largest Alaska trout and double well for steelhead and salmon.
Lines
As I mentioned, there are lots of options for rods, reels and lines. That’s the exciting part. It can also be a bit intimidating when trying to get started.
When it comes to Spey casting, the line is probably the most important element. Any rod will cast when matched up with the correct line, but there are several line choices that are often referred to. The Skagit is probably the most popular for Alaska anglers. A Skagit line is basically a short, heavy floating head attached to a running line. To the Skagit head are added a variety of tips from floating to intermediate to all manner of sinking combinations. The versatility and ease of casting the Skagit lines are what make the system so popular.
Another common line choice is the Scandinavian. Scandi lines feature a longer front taper and are designed for casting both dry and wet flies, without added sinking tips. While Scandi lines are a joy to cast, they are less versatile than the Skagit.
Switch lines are relatively new. I’ve had good success with the Airflo Speydicator and the Rio Switch Line. These lines are your ideal for dead-drift nymphing or for fishing the occasional weighted fly. While these lines won’t work well with heavy tips, both companies offer sinking leader options that can add depth to your flies.
If you are just getting started and don’t want to break the bank, you can find success with your regular lines. The key is upsizing to match the rod. As a general rule, a 6-weight switch rod will work nicely with an 8-weight line, while a 6-weight Spey rod would do better with a 9-weight.
Experimentation is half the fun and you can often find some great combinations for your style of fishing.
Rods
Though they exist, you don’t need a special reel for Spey casting (just one that’s large enough to handle all that line), so I’ll jump right into some rods. There are many great choices, and prices range from under $200 to over $1,000.
To start with, you’ll do fine with any of them. Right now, I have four rods in my trout Spey arsenal. The lightest and most fun rod is an 11-foot, 7-inch Beulah Platinum Spey. The first time I cast it, I had to own one. It handles everything from 5X and dry flies to nymphing and even Skagit swings. It’s fun with a 10-inch rainbow and has withstood several fish over 30 inches with no problem.
In the middle, I’ve got an 11-foot, 9-inch Sage TCX 6-weight switch as the all-around trout rod. It’s new and I’m pretty sure it’s destined to become the favorite. Also in a 6-weight, I have the 12-foot, 6-inch Ross Reach for longer casts. The 12-foot, 6-inch Sage TCX “Deathstar” is my heavyweight for the biggest water and fish. George Cook nicknamed the “Deathstar” because in the right hands, it can fire casts to a far-off galaxy.
Trout Swinging
Trout, especially large Alaska trout, are perfect candidates for swung flies. Have you ever tried to fish all day with a 9-foot 8-weight while casting large, heavy flies on a sinking line? While it can be effective, it’s not much fun. At the end of your presentation, your line will be downstream. You’ll need to strip most of it back in to get your heavy line and fly to lift for the next cast. Then you’ll work the line back out while checking your back-cast against the bushes and trees, before ducking as your line and fly whizzes by your head. Try launching that same fly with a Skagit-style line and a perfectly matched sinking tip, and it’s a breeze. In fact, it’s rather fun. A Spey cast translates into picking up much of your line in one move and firing it right back out again after a couple easy steps. More fun translates into more effective fishing and chances are you will do it longer, resulting in even more success.
While there is some crossover between salmon/steelhead swinging tactics and trout Spey fishing, there are some key variables. Generally, trout are actively hunting food. At least this is true in the warmer waters of summer. The traditional down-and-across technique for steelhead is most effective in cold water for less active trout. Once waters warm a bit, a more dynamic approach is often needed to spark the trout into striking. By casting more across and less down, the line can achieve depth quickly and the speed of the swing will accelerate more during the drift. Swing speed is an important variable to focus on. Water temperature and fly choice will dictate the best speed. Adding some twitches or alternately stripping and feeding line will often provoke predatory trout to attack your fly.
The more you use them, the more versatile you will find your longer rods to be. In general, however, there are certain water types that are more conducive to a Spey approach for swinging flies. Broad sweeping runs on larger rivers are a prime example. Starting from the top of the run, begin casting from the shallows to the deeper and faster water. Work your swings back in, stepping down after each cast until you finish the run. This is a prime example of Spey water.
A less traditional tactic that works for trout is to pound the deeper bank. This works well on smaller rivers or within the side channels of larger ones. Cast straight across to the deeper bank and retrieve a few strips of line. The Spey rod excels again by providing easy distance and allowing the angler to recast the line without retrieving most of it back in. If fish are also holding off the banks in the mid-river zone, then after a couple strips, let the fly swing through. You never know where your fish will come. Right off the bank on the first strip, deep on the swing, on the hang down at the end of the swing, or on the strip back up. The anticipation of the tug becomes an addiction.
Flies to Swing
Smaller flies are often taken by fish without much examination. They are an easy target, non-threatening and frequently best for catching numbers of fish. For streamers, we are talking 2- to 3 ½ inches long. Salmon fry, parr, smolt and smaller sculpins fit this profile. Pick up any fly pattern catalog, and you will find dozens of choices in this size range. Casting these flies is a pleasure on a 5-weight Spey rod.
Smaller flies are often most effective in the early to mid-summer period when smolt are present. When imitating smolt, it’s important to realize they are seldom very far below the surface, and they will swim quickly to evade predation. I like to fish smolt patterns with either a floating line and weighted fly or a short 5-foot sink tip. Throughout the summer, salmon fry and parr are often grouped along the deeper channel edges in moderate currents. Experiment with depth and retrieve to imitate these guys.
Sculpins are always on the menu for trout. They are not strong swimmers and tend to stay on the bottom, moving when they must in quick little bursts. Heavier sink tips are needed to get down and stay down when imitating sculpins. I recommend adding some action to your swing in the form of twitches and short strips.
While many large fish have been taken on small and even tiny flies, the “big fly, big fish” approach is often the best way to target larger fish. Presenting 4- to 6-inch and even larger weighted monster flies is much easier to achieve with a Spey rod. Giant sculpins, Egg-sucking Leeches, eels, fleshy carcass creatures and attractors of the Intruder variety are easy to launch on Skagit heads with sink tips. These flies work best in the late fall after the fish have grown fat from the summer’s feasting. They are less likely to chase a quick-moving smaller target as the water begins to cool again. The big flies are also a solid choice for enticing lethargic fish throughout the winter and into the spring. Skagit heads, sink tips, and 6- to 7-weight rods are the way to go for launching and fishing the big stuff.
Versatile Spey
Spey rods are basically designed for swinging flies, but they can work equally well for dead-drifting. Traditional Spey casters might object to the use of Spey rods for nymphing-style presentations, but only because they are so effective. Longer is better when it comes to getting a natural drift. Spey rods can achieve this in several ways.
The first application is the tight line, Czech-style drift. A 12-foot rod is going to provide a longer drift than a 9-foot rod every time. The longer the drift, the longer the fly is in the strike zone and the more effective the presentation will be. It’s elementary, so I won’t go into great detail.
The second application is for indicator nymphing. A longer rod makes picking up a weighted leader and indicator rig a breeze. The added length increases the effective distance for mending and controlling the line, allowing for maximum drift extension. It’s also much easier to fish a 12-foot leader on a 12-foot, 6-inch rod than it is on a 9-foot rod if you need to go deep. Cast, mend, feed line until your indicator just about disappears from view, and then repeat. It’s sort of like using a center pin, but you’re still running a fly line and fly casting. If you are going to be nymphing anyway, then let the traditionalists grumble and do it better with a longer rod.
Another application for a light Spey rod is working active caddis pupa or other emerging insects. The added control and reach makes it easy to manipulate the speed and lift of your flies for a natural presentation. The long, softer tip of a light Spey rod also cushions the tippet from the often forceful grabs of quick accelerating rainbows.
The most fun way to use a Spey rod is for fishing dries. In many rivers, the added distance of a Spey cast makes hitting the banks with mouse patterns an easy prospect. Skating attractors in the evening can be a blast as well. In smaller rivers, high-sticking dries in pocket water is a great technique. Once again, the long rod excels at keeping the fly in the strike zone and drag free for a longer period of time.
Successful Launch
The first time I hit it just right with my casting stroke and launched a 70-foot loop that jerked on the reel with excess energy, I giggled out loud. Since that time, I’ve had numerous spontaneous giggle moments provoked by particular casts, swings and eats from great fish. Pick up a Spey rod and take a little time to learn how to use it. I guarantee you will never look at fly fishing the same way.
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Fred Telleen started chasing salmon transplants while growing up in the Midwest. His first Alaska king came seconds after dropping his line in to the Kenai River in 1989. Sometimes, it’s that easy. He owns and operates Mystic Waters Fly Fishing, which is based out of Cooper Landing, and he can be reached through his website.
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