ogilvie

I am really looking forward to getting back to the Calgary area after not being there for a few years now.. anybody wanting to get into these private lessons please email or PM ... so you know we will have with us the 14'7" Vision Cult Two hander that took best rod in the 15 foot range over all others...and it certainly deserves this recognition also along will be some new Vision Tank Reels, Renfors, Rulla ,,a complete range of new Beulah Aero ,Elixir and tonic heads, Vision Ace Clear Float Scandi heads and so on tight lines

My wife and I are currently returning from Sherbrooke Quebec (Waiting for the plane)and their very interactive and inviting Spey forum...I would like to see the Calgary/Alberta fly casters get into promoting these great events . I am still not sure where the clinic will be located but will soon. This week we will try to get the info up and into everyones hands. During the Saturday clinic and workshops we will have lots of gear available to try and play with...interactive instruction in all the modern Spey casts and rods. On Sunday we will have Private instruction available to 6 persons only....all youth under 17 are free.

Yes...we are excited to be coming back to Calgary this Spring to see you all and the many new casters wanting a few answers and tips. We have seen so many great newcomers showing such passion and interest. This year we will bring along the new Beulah Onyx Spey, Opal Surf rods,Platinum Spey and Switch rods along with an abundance of Vision products,Mystic Switch and Spey rods and of course for the very serious Steelhead or Atlantic Salmon fly fisher the just released Snowbee Geo Nano Spey and Switch rods...wow Of course we will also have along some new lines,heads and competition spey lines... It might also be a good time to announce that another Calgarian ,Tyler Gariepy has joined our Beulah team ..push these guys and find out why Beulah has such a strong and loyal following...nothing like them!

With so few fly fishers fishing the lakes here on the island these fish are free to hastle all those that dare.. C

Yes I agree ..it was a good store..and there is room for another store a bit closer to town...make sure you all support these guys during the closing down sales... C

a recent Steelhead on a Switch Rod

Where ar all the Spey casters?? There are some really exciting new products coming down the pipe We are having our annual Clear out of demos sale to make room for many of the new products..check out the web site for whats up..enjoy the weather all you folk..will see you in Late January at the Fly Fishing Show C

Drop by South Bow over the week-end and get first hand on the costs and the technique... C

Since we introduced Switch rods into the Calgary market back in the dark ages(pre-switch rod craze).everyone has jiumped on board and brought out their own version..some successfully and others not so.. there are some very nice switch rods now available but none quite as keen as the Beulah rods..whats in store for weee fly fishers in the future,more of the same but better. we will have on hand some of the Beulah Platinum Switch and Spey rods..Snowbee Switch rods and Mystic Switch rods....some great new lines and a special prize for the most accurate cast with a switch rod..and it doesn't have to be on mentioned .There is a fine line between being able to cast a rod and being able to cast a rod effectively.. Come on by to South Bow ..should be a blast

Picking up a box store combo is not a good idea..unless you are wealhy or know completely what you want...did you get to the Grand River Spey(Paris, Ontario) gathering last week? Where approx in Ontario are you..? There are a few good budding spey casters out that way that could help.. send me a PM if you are interested C

Hey Madpiper...sweet rod...your better options are to use a 10 Polytip likely floating and then about 9' of leader and more if you want...The elixirs are designed for using Polytips...another option is to lengthen the leader you are using to about 16',this way you can eliminate the need for a polytip...the Elixir cast beautifully with any of the Polytips from Floating thru super fast sink,but don't get these confused with Sink Tips;differnet animal altogether...Streamers are a breeze C

and a Chinook

Queen Charlottes...fantastic

Thats a big rod...both of those lines would work fine for any skagit type work...I would also recommend that you think about a more friendly mid-belly line for smoother casting and even some Dry Fly Work.. a Snowbee 2D,Air Flo Tactical and others..one of the nicest fly lines to learn on is Beulah's Elixir Spey line...it is one of those lines that always works and opens up many doors for casting C

Is that the 12' Ladies rod??? C

Waiting to see what the weather says...clinic will follow.. you don't have to re-invent anything when Dry Fly Fishing with Spey set-ups...the 13' is a good option,especially in the East...My favorite line for dry fly work with a small 2 hander is a Snowbee 2D followed closely by the Snake River outfitters Vector line...for Atlantic fishing I would likely go with the 2D... C

Make sure you all get a chance to get by and see the Protube accessories at the expo this week-end... These are the simplest and most efficient tube fly accessories I have seen...and tie a couple

Yes,I will have the Vision Cult and the Catapult along...the Vision Cult won best in test amongst 17 of the top rods...second was the Hardy Angel at nearly 3 times the cost. Burkenheimer,Meiser,Scott MAckenzies DTX,SAGGE(Sage),NRX and many others were well down the list...the Cult is actually very nice..light,through action,powerful,good looking,great Skagit mid belly rod,and so much more...These are keepers! C

Its kind of Ironic that this thread is about at this time...for the past several days ,previous to yesterday the 24th of December,I have been fishing a New proto type 6 wt.,10'8" Snowbee Switch rod ...the water conditions are or at least were lowish and clear...a bit of Snow and yes several Steelhead...but most importantly,to me, is at how enjoyable this stick is..what I found is that I overhead cast it most of the time but in tight quarters I needed to Spey Cast to deliver an effective presentation. Also of note is the realization that the conditions were ideal and that this rod was just enough to land a 10 lb Steelhead...clearly a good option in conditions that suit. The key to its ability was definitely the line match and size of fly being fished..I was using the Beulah Tonic 320 head and 12' of T-14,short leader about 4' and a weighted ProTube fly

Overhead casting a Switch rod is quite natural...in fact it is underutilized! Here on the Island we have many opportunities to need an overhead cast especially off the beaches. Distance is quite easy with a simple combination roll cast/overhead cast style. If distance is what you are really after then the Skagit style line you might be using for River or moving waters isn't the ideal set-up. A longer head with a much smoother front taper is apt to give you much better results. One of my favorite overhead lines off the beaches is a Snowbee Short Head Scandanavian Spey line in the 320-350 range. The head is approx. 45',well tapered and bang on... For overhead casting the need for short heavy heads ,like a Skagit,isn't desireable...the need to master tight well formed and longish loops is the goal. When river fishing the need to overhead cast is also often overlooked...dropping a size 16 Stimulator at 100' isn't difficult if you have the room,combining a spey cast /overhead cast is an efective tool to get results often not possible C

Would love to see that rod,if you do get the reel post a pic for all us underlings here,all the best to you and yours over the holidays... C

Any hard water over there? You are correct about the Switch rod..I have several from the old country that I will be bringing to Calgary in January..One is a damn fine cane Rod from Sharpes...a Hardy Glass rod and may havae my hands on a Greenheart type...haven't seen it yet....but the same fellow has a Gold Perfect that he has had since the '60s dating back to 1890 or so...apparently near new...don't think I want to pay for it but would love to have it in the case at the show... C

I can remember doing the first Cdn Fly Fishing SHow in Calgary and bringing along about 8 Two Handers as well as spey casting on one of the ponds...it's a bit funny looking back now at the strange looks people offered when we displayed the techniques. However,the spey and switch lines available today are magnificant and in fact changing the entire fly fishing line range on the planet.FYI the same degree of interest was openly displayed in Ontario as well and even into the Maritimes where even today these stubborn individuals(of which I am one) are stuck in a time warp of necessity over function. For the past 3 years we have been doing small gatherings in the East and finally making an impact. I can remember a 16' Bruce and Walker got some serious looks and the 14' Loop Yellow,wonderful comments we got from show attendees when they looked at these long rods was"do you use these for Halibut?" or "those are long gear rods!?" of course these were even more rarely picked up...Today the storyhas completely changed and wisely so...using a small Two Hander is a brillinat affair on your larger rivers like the Bow...Switch Rods are ideal for that crossover . We are part of a great and passionate sport...during the upcoming show we are going to bring along lots of old Hardy gear and some new as well..I will have a Switch Rod from Hardy dating back to the '70s and maybe a Cane One if I can borrow it. enjoy the weather C

Actually Bob didn't introduce the Modern Switch rod into the market under his name,although he did make and design under his name but not for the general market or marketing,however,he ,in conjunction with Beulah did indeed work together to get the Beulah Switch Rods to the major market place , a first of course, under the Beulah banner. ANd we all can now see what that effort has accomplished for all to enjoy. Knowing what effort went into designing the modern switch rods is a real treat in ideas and pushing the limits on conceived norms. Bob makes a brilliant rod and understands better than any I have seen the needs of the Pacific North West fly fisher...but there is so much more on this planet. If you want to test drive a few rods then make sure you keep in mind the New Vision Cult Double Handers...the New Beulah Platinum 12'4" and 13'8" rods...the needs of the Two Handed fly fisher is getting much more universal with the developement of these great rods , these rods are crossing many boundaries once thought to be the realm of the 15 and 16' Spey Rods. we will have these when we attend the fly fishing show in January and all are welcome to play with them and even take them out to the water if it isn't too thick>>> C

Humppphhh...thought you were talking Switch rods??!! Since Beulah was the first company to introduce the Modern day Switch rod to the market place and now basically all major manufactureres have folled that path, you might want to see Generation 2,the Beulah Platinum Switch rods now released...elegant finishes, very well built,especially light in hand and responsive as you might expect.... We will have these at the Fly Fishing Show in January of course but have a stock of them on hand for those wanting such toys... C