ogilvie

Toolman is right! If you want to see this in action try some distance casts,instead of the double haul with you lefthand simply engage your hand on the butt end of your rod and see the dynamics happen. Tighter loops ,greater distance and less physical demand...However,if you want to become proficient with Spey casts with a single hand rod then the fly needs to be appropriate. Normal floating fly lines can perform Spey casts but just OK...of course this depends completely on your needs. If you are fishing small creeks then the line you have will likely do,but if you are wanting better results I would suggest you think about a better line. There are some good ones on the Market. We began to work with the Loop Opti stream line (that is till produced) 7or 8 years ago that seemed to open up Single Hand Spey Casts. Fot the floating line fishers this is One great Line...in all line weights from 2-9, but if you want to fish varios depths then I think the best Line I have used to date is actually a Switch Rod line called the Elixir ,from Beulah. This line needs to be used on a minimum of a 7wt.,but opens the whole world of possibilities for most single hand rod users..combined with the various POLYTIPS you can fish different depths or on top(floating dry fly work). Of course some of the other line manufacturers havae in recent years seen the light and are making efforts to accomodate this same need and market. In this Picture I have landed a Pink Salmon off the beach while using an elixir line on a #7 Snowbee 9'6" rod...like the Bow this situation demanded tight loops and easy casting C

Well,they have the right idea and service is what they talk...There will be a larger Spey focus and different brands available. I will be there for their soft opening,maybe not their grand Opening . Will do casting of course and fly tying...and other things to assist fly fishers . Looking forward to actually catching a FISH on the BOW! C

Hi Al...I don't know about that but the shop is located on the South Bow...and it's going to very good for all fly fishers to have wonderful alternatives to mainstream North American products . North American products are fine but there is so much more out there.

Finally there will be a presence of Snowbee products for all you Single and Two handed fly fishers. The new shop will be carrying the Snowbee Brand .I will be there for several days during their opening ,do a few casting clinics ,help casters,tie some great flies,tell a few tales and fish if there isn't too much ICE. Will post the dates when approved C

Another colour Purple wit a bit of Blue Crystal Flash.. Nice Trout and Cutthroat

Fishing lakes is not One of the things I do too often...but with the winter Steelhead here on the Island being in somewhat difficulty with the low waters I have resorted to fish a few lakes until the water rises.. This time of year instead of approaching Lake fishing with small insects and minnows,which can be very effective,I have simply altered my retreive a bit and use my steelhead flies from my already over stuffed fly boxes. Here is a nice trout from today...One of 10...all in the same size range...and 6 were on this Chartreuse /Olive small intruderwith a stinger(trailer) hook. A very good colour C

The Snowbee back pack is made of heavier material,a few more pockets and less expensive. At less than $100 CDn compared to $150 for the Simms. nevertheless both are fine packs and it is always nice to see other products especially those from Europe. C

For years we have been yacking about the need for a 100% waterproof Back Pack for our trips down Rivers and in general fishing. Last fall I was chatting to a couple of friends about this need ...having spent a day on the River in the rains and getting my flies and reel cases really wet. My Camera is waterproof so it is cool. Well several weeks ago Snowbee notified me that indeed they have come up with a true waterproof Back pack and BumBag as well. I have just received these and I can tell you they are dry,even if everything is wet on the outside. Great idea and design...AND they float! Here are a few pic's C

Now Scirroco....only from a good fly tyer would you hear that...these tube flies are fast becoming the way to fish Steelhead and big trout...will definitely target big Lakers this coming Summer in the Yukon with them and of course Steelhead from now to then... What I really like is the way they can work the water columns effectively without having to cast tons of T14...By using small diameter leaders/tippets off a good floating or Elixir line we can get these small weighted flies well down if necessary...the key here is we have the ability to almost select the depths we want to work at.. even in faster water there is less impact on the fly and line from mending and loose line tactics... C

The new Snowbee Tube Fly Boxes are available in North America now...finally a tube fly box that is effective....I really like the way it can handle about 20 flies...comes in Two sizes Small and Large Here you see about a dozen Steelhead and Trout Flies with spots to spare

Thats actually a good plan Gordo..we unfortunately had a foot of snow ...what a year..! ANd to add frusration to this winter we are about to have heavy rains on Sunday..meaning floods...so much for my days off. Jmasson..glad you like that big stick(ZR2)...it should be a fantastic Skagit rod for those big Skeena rivers...on another note;Val has had the Torridge for several years now and never let me fish it so this fall we were fishing for Coho on One of the North Island Rivers and she had a floating line on her rod...but couldn't get down to the fish..so,me being the wise guy,I suggested she use my rod and I would play with the Torridge...she hooked a fish,I dropped her rod(on the rocks),helped her land the fish,went back to playing with her rod and snapped the tip about 6" from the top.The other people with us saw this but I put my finger to my lips before they could say a thing..She never found out,replaced the tip in a sneaky way and ordered a rod for myself...very light in hand,fast,powerful and a delight to use. And at 12' is a great stick to travel down rivers in my kickboats with. C

Woke up this morning after a great day Steelhead fishing only to find more than 6" of fresh snow on the ground...however,these magnificant fish make up for all the crap we have to deal with...Like so many other fly fishers I am finding efficient ways to get to the fish without having to throw lead....so,this day the fly was a Eumer weighted tube fly body tied in a bright white/Pink and red with a slight amount of flash...After experimenting last year with these flies on a floating line it was a pleasant surprise to see the depth it was getting to ...especially on the faster and larger systems...a great way to go.Will be on the Skeena Tribs in March to further this method... And no I wasn't using a Skagit set-up...I was using the 7/8 Elixir Spey line with a Intermediate Poly tip and about 5 feet of Snowbee Magic line(14lb) ...the Magic line assist in getting down by it's thin diameter to strength quality. The two hander was the Snowbee 12' 6/7 Torridge...sweet little rod C

One of the nicest 2 wt lines on the world scene is Snowbee's Delicate presentation line...this line has a short front taper(16') , a fairly short belly(16') and a very long rear taper(43)...making accurate casts very fun and bang on... delivering small drys and nymphs has never been so easy.If anyone saw this line at last months show being cast on the pond...it was being cast on a 3 wt. 7' rod delivering bullet sized loops that always rolled out and met the target. What I really like about this line is that it always rolls out perfectly...and thats because of the rear taper. It does come in a 2wt to 6 wt. C

Now Gord///you must be talking about Scotland or should we say New Scotland/Nova Scotia! And the girls might be pretty even there.....!!??a lass at last!

Hey Gord.. have to get back to Canada just befoer that show...but will see you in SCotland C

Will be in wee ~Scotland in Late April ...make sure you leave a few Grilse for me...and of course Val C

Hi Murray, Will do and post more info this week C

Hey good going Gord... Written tests are a bitch...after guiding for many years the new gov.'t decided to have everyone do a written test to comply with insurance details...and requirements...so,the test was loaded with trick questions...I failed the first time and barely made the second attempt.. Ie..a non resident alien can fish with their children,which ones need to have licenses and if so,fish quotas apply to which license? Good luck anyway C

We are madly working at pinning down the date,location and costs.. Private lessons will be $150 /person in 2 groups of 3 only...one in the Morning and One in the afternoon... If you can make the in-store segment do so...it is well worth the time. C

A good choice Toolman

Again this year we are going to come to Calgary and help put on a Spey Casting Clinic for all levels. There will be an in-store interactive session to provide much info' for casters about rods/lines/reels/casts and so on. We will hold a clinic on the water the following day and conduct a private lessons period as well..open only to 6 persons. The location and date are still up in the air but it looks like the last week of March..however,that may change...to an earlier date...of course weather is a factor. Looking forward to working with you all again C

Unfortunately,if all you have cast and fished with is a Skagit type set-up then you are really missing a much larger segment of Spey Casting and Spey Fishing... when fishing in close the Flick is a good bet..What did we do before the Skagit was popularized in the market??we fished of course with mid to long belly lines,like the old double tapers. My point being that do broaden your experiences... My favorite line for in close situations is actually an agressive mid-belly line like the Hardy Mach 2 Salmon or the Snowbee 2D , both available with integrated intermediate tip and both a blast to roll cast,underhand Scandi cast , traditional cast or any of the modern casts. Another good line for in close is the CND GPS line.. These lines can be more stealth as well...in Ontario there is a trend to cast Scandi heads and Mid Belly lines...I mentioned Ontario because there you can Nymph Fish with multiple flies as well... An advantage of a longer bellied line is the pick-up can be done with less or more line.Manage your stroke with less demand. We are again this year going to be doing a spey clinic in Calgary ,in March late. Location yet to be announced but it will be a good One. C

That must give you a ROSEY complexion! C

I certainly understand the comments here and respect all fly casters, at times it can be a bit OFFF because of the hype and special interests. For me it has always been the proof is in the pudding. Fishing well,casting well and playing it forward. It is always,for me,about the fly fishing experience and the associations made along the way. The Alberta Spey Casters community is growing and needs to grow simply because of the great waters you have.....and fish. Now if only we can get the weather to co-operate....so we can fish C

This is a conversation that goes on constantly...and a good one for sure...however,IMO and my experiences over the years there are really few deals. When the going gets tough the tough get going!...what does that mean...????.....Well, there are many rods bought in this particular area of fly fishing and a great majority of those are sold or put away after a very short time. A good place to start is to find a rod that has enough balls to perform well and comfortably...light in hand and "tip Savy!" Line matches are critical to having fun and progressing adequately. Many times during casting clinics we notice that many rods are "empty"..simply not there when demanded. It is like trying to cast a 3wt rod with floating line into the head winds of a storm...you notice immediately that something is not right. So where does that leave us? well...to be safe go to the Middle....find a rod that will be friendly immediately in hand,with good backbone,not heavy, warranty is not really an issue because all rods are warrantied,$500 is a good point to aim for.....even if you have the money,big bucks doesn't guarantee success in a new field.Good rod,good line ,good understanding of your goal and fun will be had. C