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Funny how some things are just not mentioned anymore..Derek Brown is a master and the Square Cut is a cast that can be applied to almost any change of direction cast...what you are actually doing is positioning the line away from the bank and obstruction(sometimes) by deliberately moving the line first into the direction of the obstruction and then squaring away . This cast is suite more to the traditional casts and longer belly lines but can be managed quite well with Scandi and Skagit types lines.. WIll be doing a Spey Casting Clinic in April in Calgary and will demo that cast C

Here on the West Coast there is no real rule of thumb...yet the most consistent factor is that the rod needs to have some back-bone ...My personal favorite Off the beach rod is Beulah's 11' 7/8 Surf rod...designed specifically for just this thing...yet sweet on the fresh water... many of the surf fishers off the New England coast are using this rod for Stripers and other predatory fish.I would love to fish that rod off the north coast of Nova Scotia for BIG stripers! Yet this rod is supple enough to appreciate a small trout and able to handle a 30 lb Chinook or Atlantic with ease. The lightest Switch rod I recommend for off Beach Fishing is a 6/7 simply because when the winds decide to be a real factor- you need this...for sure. Lines can also cover a wide range...as Max says a Scandanavian Short head line is nice...usually with about a 45' head...shooting lines are also a good choice as are other lines with a farily agressive front taper able to deliver a fair size fly into the wind...don't over look full sinking lines especially if you are going after Stripers...sink rates from 2-5"/sec are often used.. Snowbee recently brought onto the market a Surf Line that absolutely blew me away...it has a 30' fast sinking head and a high bouyancy floating running line..>WOW ;one of the nicest Surf Lines I have ever worked with...and to boot I have used it here on the Island for Big Salmon in deep fast rivers with exceptional success.. Have fun C

thanks for the PM's everyone...let's have a greta week-end C

Well it's that time of year again,(fly fishing show) and as always we planeed to not take too much stuff...but we have some stands to put together and shelves to build..if anyone is available we could use a friendly face and hands.. Leaving today so will be at the building(Spruce Meadows ) around 1pm...tomorrow C my cell# is 250-228-1508 Thanks in advance

LOVE to be there ...it might be a bit tricky....will see if it works C

I am sitting here in Mexico all packed up for our return flight home tomorrow...my wife uses a small Surf rod 11' here in the sun for Bone fish ,Tarpon,Barracuda or any other fish willing to engage. The point is she needds this set-up to get the distance and speed because of physical issues with her joints. She also uses this on Vancouver Island for beach fishing and River fishing. The idea of a Two Hander for most fishing applications is a very good one even if you don't have body issues. Skagit casting is very limiting because of the nature of physical weight coupled with line speed. Skagit lines tend to be short and heavy..like 27 to 30' or so, these baloon type bodies really catch any winds and slow down the cast seriously...Scandi and elixir type lines are better for distance being more tapered and sleek.Mid belly lines are a good bet .. The distances typically needed off the beaches on Vancouver Island ,on difficult days,are in the 120' range..some single hand casters can accomplish these distances in good conditions easily; but not most... To answer your question well we would have to know what distance you are comfortable with...we are doing a presentation on Beach fishing off Vancouver Island on Saturday and will have all teh lines awith rods available to play with...as well we will be casting on the pond with single handed rods and switch rods on Friday and saturday...do drop by so we can help answer your questions... Skagit,Scandi and distance lines and match-ups C "nilecreekflyshop.com"

Say hi to Scott as well and take care...see you soon C PS..the wee wife sends her love and smiles about all the snow...she outfished me again at Pesca Maya for Bones this year...she has a real fine touch for light hook sets! I keep yanking./.............the hook out

Minus 16 what is that.....?? Just checking in from the Mayan Riveria...Permit on the fly.. miss those Steelhead Any snow there Gord?? C

BHURT is correct with his suggestions...you have some time ,perhaps, be wise...make sure the rod,Line and reel match your style and interests...check out the poll on favorite rods for your area to really get a few ideas...Big rods have similar characteristics to Single handers,slow,fast,moderate,and so on.. C

MAX!!??no brand names...whatsup...or could that be...'sup?edit edit

A bit of research for sure but more importantly to see where this has gone. I really like the longer light weight rods myself...for Trout Rivers like you lucky people have... If we are lucky this winter won't be too crazy so we can fish a bit when we are there... For me the lightest I fish is a 11'6" 5wt..love those little rods

I remember the first Calgary Fly Fishing show when we had likely 10 Two Handers leaning against the racks, rarely picked up and often Questioned"whats that for?" or "is that a fly rod?". At that time I recall just a flicker of interest from those attending the show. On the wall we had Hardy,Lamiglas,Loop,Winston and a few custom rods. My thoughts at the time were that many of these big rods were too much for Bow and other Southern Alberta rivers as Two Handers and that True "Trouters and Switch rods" were the ticket for the majority of local needs. The obvious was that once caught on to it would blossom. My question to you is this,without mentioning brand names,"What are the most functional Switch or Two handers for those Rivers,or the majority of the fishing stiuations?" Purely Interest that may assist everyone

Our first babe of the Sales event today...he/she braved flood and huricane conditions just for the sale...girls are born to Shop ?? C

Here's your chance to get a few things on your Xmas list (early)...we are having a major Xmas sale for Ladies ...35% off everything Snowbee and others.. Sale starts next Wednesday November 18th thru Saturday the 24th... Call in,Come in or Email in...Shipping included.. Check out "nilecreekflyshop.com" for details

It is highly recommended that you balance your Switch rod with a reel in the 9/10 range...not only for capacity but also for weight balance and feel. Many of the lines we have today for Switch rods are not necessarily large capacity Lines but as said balance is a bigger need. The reels you mentioned are good reels... If you have a few bucks put aside spend it wisely...The Snowbee XS9/10 is an ideal size ...comes in Black or Titanium finish...Regular price is $320...but .. If you look at the Nile Creek Fly Shop website you will find a big sale there next week...it is a ladies sale ..get your girl to call... Here you see Val fishing the beaches for Pink Salmon and Cutties with her Switch rod lined with the Snowbee XD9/10 and Snowbee SaltWater Line...it is Salt water friendly and has a MAjor drag with NO bearings to mess up and rust!

There are a few feathers...the idea of these Intruder type flies is to have a big silouette and very mobile acting fly...fighting the fish with a relatively small hook

Hi Jeremy.. The Tube fly box is made by "Snowbee"...most of the tube accessories are Eumer box comes in 2 sizes...small and this one is the Large I tie very large Tube flies for Steelhead here on the Island and in the Skeena Region of BC...we also use these flies for Bull Ttrout and the Occasional Salmon in big water....and Tarpon...What is particularly effective with these types of tubes is their ability to get through the surface pressure and down into the zone for a much more effective presentation C

Ahhh..freed up some space...

Now that Steelhead season is about to really kick off here on the Island,I thought I would share some of my go-to patterns...these patterns are winners also for big trout on the Bow...some are weighted with eumer tube accessories .. I have to clean up my attachments on this site to send more pic's ...will do today

Your question is a good one and one that has changed dramatically over the past 5 years...IMO the better rods for the Bow are between 10'6" and 13'6"...there is no need to have any rod greater than a 6 weight for the size fish you have to manage and handle. That said,some of the manufacturers are designing lighter weight and longer "Trouters" for Rivers and Fish sizes like you have in SOuthern Alberta and the Eastern regions of BC. When you have such wide open and unobstructed casting lanes the longer rods are smoother and gentler on your being...without the need for Skagit and heavy types of lines. In areas where you have less openess you may want a shorter and more crisp tool for the job at hand. When choosing a good rod for the job you have to consider most of the obvious situations. "What rod do you want to have in your hands when you most need it and for the rest of the time still enjoy it?"...in other words an "ALLROUNDER!"...there are not too many of these classic rods in the market place. You have the Snowbee 12' Torridge,TnT 1206, Lamiglas CST(6),and a few others...now Winston,Sage,Loop,Snowbee Diamond,Guideline,even Hardy have similar and lighter rods to choose from. Switch Rods are also a good bet for the Bow...there was great interest in them several years back but got sidetracked with bigger and longer rods and has recently come back to some kind of better understanding of needs. Beulah has been there from Day One of the Modern resurgence in Switch rods and has taken this to a much higher and more efficient playing field than any other.Their new Platinum Spey series ;a 5,6 and 7 weight series, is unmatched for performance and agility,this has been co-ordinated with their new 11' Surf Rods in a 7/8,8/9,and 9/10 range.I have traded in all my Switch rods except my 4/5 simply because i can cross so many playing fields with the One tool...the Tropics,BC Steelhead,Vancouver Island Beach Fishing and more. Complicated?...not really...answer these question to yourself and the answer will be easier...where you fish,what you fish,how you fish ,when you fish and what you can really afford without compromise....Remember,you can have one of the best rods in the field but without a good line match it is a piece of crap!

The rod is a new Beulah Surf rod that is outstanding...the reel as you know is the Speedrunner...I am having a few issues with it...but really like it...The fish is also very sweet...will make some great Jerky What I really like about the Speedrunner is the control you have on a large fish when running...at first I didn't like the bling but with the Beuah Surf rod being a deep Blue...wellll...what can you say C

Just a little tease for you snowy folks...Today on the Puntledge was good ...Silver Chum...and there are Coho off the beaches... I did keep several Chum for my Jerky

Yeah...Brian is quite right about this...it is a real issue for fish that will or might be returning to the Ocean for their next Journey. With the technology we have today with Cameras there is no real need to lift the fish out of the water at all...and if you have to keep it partly in the water

There are lots of reasons to buy a new Two Hander but BoneFishing isn't One of them unless you are not able to muster up the distance to reach the Bones. However,forRoosters, Permit and Tarpon that is quite a different thing,depending on where you fish. Good tarpon lines are very heavy and well managed with Surf Rods and heavy weight Switch Rods. If you are working the tropic waters then a tropics line is almost a must. C

Who Won the distance and accuracy? C