speyghillie

Hi Lonefisher, Will see you there on Friday at 10 am. Thanks Gordon.

Hi Tim, I'm sure some one will give you directions, i'm from way out of town. But this might help. I will be doing the Speycasting School on Sunday the 23rd Sept at Southland dog park, located at the end of Southland drive, on the east side of Deerfoot Trail. Hope this helps, see you there on Sunday morning at 9am. Thanks Gordon.

Hi Toolman, Not sure it's in Vernon, will have it send over with some of my other stuff (rod carriers for the car). At work right now, but went down the Spey last night and it's bouncing with Salmon only trouble is it snowed on the mountains yesterday, freeze the goolies off ya. See you soon . Gordon.

Hi Toolman, Got a 13ft B+W that will put those other rods in the shade and not that expensive, the B+W's are bullit proof with a lifetime warranty, should have it when i see you on Thurday. See ya soon Gordon.

Hi Lonefisher, Sent you a PM last night but for some reason it must have of gone into orbit around the world, sent you another one today, If Friday is good for you it's no problem for me, i have sent you the details in a PM, if for any reason you don't get it let me know . Thanks Gordon.

Hi Lonefisher, I have plenty time to fish, will be in BC for six weeks after the weekend, and this is trip number twenty for me, i might be back in the spring but not sure yet, if Toolman could drop me at southland dog park i would gladly spend the day teaching you. But just let me know, if you have other thing to do it's no problem, i will be there swinging a fly anyway and trying out some lines. Thanks Gordon.

Hi Lonefisher, I know the feeling, i will be arriving in Calgary this thursday, i was going to keep Fiday as a day's fishing but if Friday is any good i would teach that day too. Saturday is for the Bow river clean up. Anyway let me know about the Friday, thats all i can do. Thanks Gordon.

Hi Guy's, Just to say i will be doing the Speycasting School on Sunday the 23rd Sept at Southland dog park, located at the end of Southland drive, on the east side of Deerfoot Trail. Meet for 9am, Thanks to Dino, cheeler, Al and Tim for booking the Day, just waiting to here from a couple of guy's , but i guess there is still a couple of spots left if anyone is interested. Thanks Gordon.

Lonefisher, Thank you very much for correcting me, i never heard the word canuckish before, kinda like it, i never ever get enough time to pick up all the words and sayings, but working on it, will try my best when i get there, and i have never been in a nightclub in Calgary, so it was'nt me and you can't prove it. Thanks Gordon.

Like to thank Tim for booking the day with the little fat Scotsman (thats me). I will post the detail and time to meet for the Speycasting School as well as sending everyone a PM with the details, thanks Tim. Gordon .

oh thats enough with the Scottish thing , EH ? Well two weeks to go and i will be in Calgary EH ? , i do the Kilt wearing and the haggis eating, as for the cheap whisky, well everybody knows that goes to Canada and the US. I think it's about time i came to Calgary with the Kilt on for a night oot, then the Bow for some troot. So if you see Toolman in a Calgary nightclub saying he's not with the guy with the Kilt on, that will be me. Gordon Macleod (Clan Macleod rep for Calgary)

Hi Flyangler, A grass leader can be made with about six feet of mono just notted, or you can put little pieces of line like fishing with droppers, just get some heavy mono tie some knots in it and try it, it really is just to snag the grass enough than you can make an anchor without the line just sliding on the grass, this way you can form your D loop. Hope this helps. Gordon.

Hi Lonefisher, Sorry i have'nt got back to you sooner, but been so busy its not funny. If you can get along to the River clean up, there will be some guy's havin a cast after , so might be a good chance to try different rods, lines ect. I for one will have a couple of rods, loads of reels and lines for single and double handed rods. Gordon Macleod of the clan Macleod.

Hey Toolman, Good answer, and you only beat me too it because i type like a woodpecker, see ya soon. Gordon.

Hi Lonefisher, The five times rule is a guide for Speycasting a long belly line, set about 100yrs ago but still used today, its a lifting guide rather than a casting guide, a Spey casting rod should be able to lift five times it's length without shooting any line, this is usually used as a maximum guide. If you use more than the five times rule, you are in most cases forcing the rod to work and it won't load in the correct time or position. Different for shooting heads, as they are normally three times the rod length or there about, better then looking at a grain weight rather than the five times rule with them. This can help with deciding the rod and line for the river you fish, i would never go to a big river with a rod of 12ft 6in and expect to cover the same distance as a 16ft rod, also would'nt like to turn up at a stream with a 16ft rod. Don't get hung up on weights of lines , the best distance speycasters in the world never weigh lines or in some cases never check the length of the line, an example would be the XLT 9/10 was a great distance line but the 10/11 was rubbish. If your new to Speycasting, start of with a short head line, much easier to get the correct positions for the cast, better still get out with a couple of guy's that have been casting a while, save a lot of time. Don't do what a guy i met on the Fraser did, spent $150.00 on a rod and $500.00 on a reel, do it the other way round . Hope this helps. Gordon.

Thanks Dino for booking the Sunday Speycasting class. Gordon.

Hi Toolman, Thanks for the kind words, will see you soon, Thanks to Cheerler for signing up for the Speycasting class on Sunday, still some places available. Thanks Gordon.

Hi Dutchdryfly, Will be good to meet up, have an International Bow River clean up, just got my hands on some new fly reels and hope the rods will be here in time for me to take with me. I still have a couple of spaces for the Spey school because a couple of the guys can't make it on Sunday, so if anybody want to join in on Sunday please let me know. Thanks Gordon.

Hi Guy's, Because of the river clean up, i will just be having the one day Speycasting School on the Sunday, this way i can come along help with the clean up and meet all the guy's. I will send a PM to the guy's that are booked in for the Saturday and see if they can make it on the Sunday. So i hope to be in Calgary and stay for the clean up, and do a bit of fishing on the Friday and Saturday after the clean up, so if i'm coming over for the clean up all the way from Scotland, i hope to see all you guy's there. Thanks Gordon.

Hi Dutchdryfly, I can't change the dates, as a couple of guy's have already booked for the Saturday, i would be more than happy to help with the clean up after the School, but the dates have to be that weekend. Thanks Gordon.

Hi Guy's, I have now booked my flights to Calgary and will be able to do a Speycasting School on the Saturday and Sunday if there is enough interest. The dates are Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd of September, the classes will be for a maximum of 6 people per day and at a cost of $120.00 per person per day or $200.00 for both days. The day will cover Speycasting with single and double-handed rods , different applications and casts for different situations. I will have some new rods ,reels and lines with me for anybody that does not have a Spey set up, or just wants to try Speycasting for the first time. Please send me a PM if you would like to book a day. Thanks Gordon.

Hi Flyangler, A long belly line is as Loneangler decribes, Speycasting lines come in all shapes and sizes, just the same as single-handed lines or Trout lines, all short or long belly lines are tapered to what is call the head of the line , after that the line gets thinner to make it easier to shoot more line , most new lines have a colour change at the head so you can where the head or heaviest part of the line is, makes it easier to see while fishing , because heavier line will throw lighter line ( it can never be the other way round ) the idea is to draw the line until the head of the line is at the tip of the rod, this will maximum the line for a speycast. If you know the river you are fishing try and get a line to suit, i have sent you a PM and hope it will help with fishing the Skeena area. Gordon.

Hi Flyangler, Sorry no Minneapolis for me, but hopefully we can all help with questions, and there are Speycasters near you i'm sure, as there are Speycasters all over the world ( it's a terrible addiction). At the Spey right now, next stop Calgary. But if you have any questions, we all i'm sure will try and help out. Thanks Gordon.

Hi flyangler, If you can wait another wee while and come along to a little spey get together you will have the chance to try out different rods and lines and see what suits you, there is very little difference between 13ft 3in and 14ft for weight, line or distance for skating flies, a longer bell line will give you much more control over a skated fly , easier to manouver the fly and mend the line, running line has very little chance of doing this as the line is so thin, and at any sort of distance it can become useless at controlling the fly. Gordon.

Hi Bowbiker, Sounds good to me, i will be sorting out my flights very shortly, so should be able to give a date for the Speycasting School soon, i have to go do a spey school on Vancouver Island, and one on the Fraser at Chilliwack, but Calgary first Will get the dates sorted this week, and hope to see you when i get there. Just waiting on some new reels that have'nt even gone on sale in stores yet, will have around 15 new reels with spare spools, Trout and Salmon, got to give them a good test on the Spey next week. Speak to you soon. Gordon.