Spey fishing, Steelhead Clinic 12/3/2016 Mike Spurlock – I am not an expert, largely self-taught, my casting sucks but spey is my favorite way to fish for steelhead. Have to admit, I don’t fish the Russian very much. What spey is used for: Rivers vs lakes Uncommon = surf (overhead casting with lots of stripping) Wading vs boat Swing vs indicator Good when little room to back cast Can cast farther and cover more water Can mend better (longer rod) Steelhead, Chinook, Atlantic salmon Landing fish is hard without a partner, need to tail them, no net w/o a guide. Typically catch fewer fish than indicator fishing, so why do it? To feel that tight line grab! Fun to cast. For the challenge. Cover more water. To not have to watch the fxxx-ing indicator, watch the scenery instead. To avoid having to fish in a line-up (can’t fish in a lineup). Rods: Spey weight is different from single hand standards. Examples: 6 wt 7 wt 8 wt 9 wt Spey gr wt 420 + tip 470 + tip 530 + tip 600 + tip Single hand 250 300 360 430 shooting heads Single hand gr wt 160 185 210 240 Typical rod lengths 12-15 ft, switch rod is a hybrid Traditional rod is slower and easier to learn on vs fast action. Bamboo is slower yet. My rods: 7136 Sage or 6126 Echo. I use for steelhead on Russian, Gualala, Garcia, Klamath, Trinity and smaller rivers in BC or Alaska. Fly Shop Signature 2 H2O 8 wt 13 ft. I use for BC steelhead. 9150 Sage for BC for big steelhead and for chinook. Lines: Confusing. Use Rio or Airflow website line selector to match lines to your rod. Skagit
Spey fishing, Steelhead Clinic 12/3/2016 – Mike Spurlock I am not an expert, largely self-taught, my casting sucks but spey is my favorite way to fish for steelhead. Have to admit, I don’t fish the Russian very much. What spey is used for: Rivers vs lakes Uncommon = surf (overhead casting with lots of stripping) Wading vs boat Swing vs indicator Good when little room to back cast Can cast farther and cover more water Can mend better (longer rod) Steelhead, Chinook, Atlantic salmon Landing fish is hard without a partner, need to tail them, no net w/o a guide. Typically catch fewer fish than indicator fishing, so why do it? To feel that tight line grab! Fun to cast. For the challenge. Cover more water. To not have to watch the fxxx-ing indicator, watch the scenery instead. To avoid having to fish in a line-up (can’t fish in a lineup). Rods: Spey weight is different from single hand standards. Examples: 6 wt 7 wt 8 wt 9 wt Spey gr wt 420 + tip 470 + tip 530 + tip 600 + tip Single hand shooting heads 250 300 360 430 Single hand gr wt 160 185 210 240 Typical rod lengths 12-15 ft, switch rod is a hybrid Traditional rod is slower and easier to learn on vs fast action. Bamboo is slower yet. My rods: 7136 Sage or 6126 Echo. I use for steelhead on Russian, Gualala, Garcia, Klamath, Trinity and smaller rivers in BC or Alaska. Fly Shop Signature 2 H2O 8 wt 13 ft. I use for BC steelhead. 9150 Sage for BC for big steelhead and for chinook. Lines: Confusing. Use Rio or Airflow website line selector to match lines to your rod. Skagit
mike_sh_clinic_spey_fishing_handout.docx