Once you get over that, it’s real easy to learn.” He also states that while no one can likely learn to cast from a book or DVD, it’s usually a good idea to have one or the other handy for reference after an initial bout of lessons. Spey casting tips and fine tuning from one of Scotland's top professional casting instructors and salmon guides. He has sourced and personally fished some of the best Salmon Fishing … 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. We live and guide rivers in the Pacific Northwest and have tons of first hand experience setting anglers up with flies, leaders, sink tips, shooting heads, and rods for both salmon … Spey fishing for steelhead, salmon, trout and atlantic salmon with Walt Geryk. 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. 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. “The Skagit Line has truly upped the ante in terms of the ability to cast long and straight with T-14 setups and flies of the lead-eye, Intruder-style variety,” Cook continued. This logically minimises the energy loss by keeping perfect 'straight line' shape true to the intended delivery line angle instead of the line having to unravel a 'dog's breakfast' as it's lifting from the water. For lines, today’s fly anglers find their options similarly diverse. After the great success my young lad had at the casting clinic put on by the Perth club I’ve decided to take him with me on my annual trip up to Helmsdale to fish for the grilse. 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. www.upstreamadventures.com. 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. 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. 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. See for yourself why spey casting and fly fishing has grown in popularity throughout the North America. 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. 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. 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. Spey Casting is easy to learn and is effective for Rainbow … It is popular for salmon, steelhead and now many over species of fish around the world. It is named after the river Spey - one of Scotland's premier salmon rivers - and is most likely where the technique started to … … 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. Don’t wait for that one … They’re also most comfortable in power water, often preferring to travel and hold in the deepest, swiftest portions of a river system. The objective of any anchor point is to lay the front of the line down at the same angle it's to come off the water at. “The extra rod length is a major advantage for better control of the fly during the swing,” he continued. 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. George Cook, who teaches classes geared towards Spey fishing for Alaska’s kings as well as his regular casting clinics, explains that the recent advances in equipment design greatly aid the angler looking to make the transition to the two-hander. The Skagit Line is designed specifically for this method of Spey casting, utilizing a short, heavy head and accommodating heavy sink-tips like the T-14 and large, weighted flies. 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. Professional salmon fishing guide advice on the ever changing styles and rod actions that Scottish and global salmon fishing is subjected to and why nothing beats the traditional Spey action rod for ease of casting, salmon fly presentation and the enjoyment of using and playing a salmon … The casting method exercises one particular premise to accomplish a cast—the sustained-anchor concept. He maintains that the techniquewill open up more water to the angler in any situation, even though there may be a lack of bank obstructions in a typical southwest Alaska salmon fishery. Once the cast is made the degree of line control is astounding; with the longer rods anglers can place the fly and mend more efficiently, keeping it in the bucket longer than possible when fishing with a regular nine- to ten-foot fly rod. All of these situations require the angler to cast … That, he says, eventually results in increased chances to hook and land bright fish. Spey fishing, however, takes the cake for being the most ridiculous. If you haven't taken quality instruction you'll very likely develop bad habits or miss out on understanding the little pointers that make a huge difference to the delivery ease of the cast. It puts rods, reels, lines, knots, and mental toughness to the test. “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.”. 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. As Don Thomas illustrates elsewhere in this issue, kings require specialized gear and techniques, neither of which are particularly pleasant for the anglers involved. 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