toolman

You guys are always having a good time and that's what sucessfull flyfishing is all about. Thanks for the pics.

I would recomend that you sign up for one of the introductory flyfishing programs at this school. You will be glad you did. http://www.mclennanflyfishing.com/mclennan...hingschools.htm

Happy Birthday Clive...Thanks for your many contributions too our flyfishing community.

Hope you have a great day and a great year, Brian.

As for tuning a rod, it is in reference to setting up a proper line system that matches your rod and casting style. I will be hosting another Spey gathering very soon.

Hey Neil, I really like a Vision Ace 6/7 on that rod, which is 23 grams at 10m. The Vision Ace 7/8 at 25 grams works also, but the 6/7 was pretty sweet for me. You can try both of these lines and others as well, next time we get out.

We're working on it. Hopefully we will get it going very soon.

Neil, you may also want to give consideration to the Opti Peak 11' 4wt. Greater line control with a longer rod is a big advantage in my opinion, for the type of high stick nymphing you describe.

Rick is live "on air" right now if anyone wants to tune in and check it out.

Hey Gordon, are there any spots left for the Spey school? I've had a couple of people ask me about it recently.

It's been my experience that color is a vital strike feature...for example... I sometimes use chenille SJW's and have them in about 5-6 different colors. Most days, the trout will selectively choose a specific color, even a specific shade and ignore the other offerings of the same pattern. I have the same experience with verigated chenille Stoneflys, Midge Larva, Caddis Larva ect, where one color outproduced 3-4 other colors of the exact same pattern. As for fly size, +/- a hook size of the naturals and it's close enough in my opinion. Other features such as flash, rubber legs, bead color, ribbing, ect., enhance a profiles other potential strike triggers.

How are you tuning your guitar, by ear, electronic tuner, piano, tuning fork?

Yeah, the FishTales announcements sometimes don't seem to get much air time before someone bumps up another thread.

Lines that are used for Spey casting are quite different in design than normal single hand WF lines that are used for overhead casting. For Spey casting, more weight/mass is needed in the rear portion of the lines belly to load the rod when the "D Loop" is formed. Most Spey lines also need a longer front taper so that the front portion of the line that is lying on the water, creating an "Anchor", will lift off the surface easily or the forward cast will loose its energy from the stick of the line too the waters surface tension. The longer the line, the longer the front taper will usually need to be, or the cast will lose its forward energy. Skagit lines that have very little or no front taper, are made shorter and really heavy in the rear portion of the belly, to load the rod deeply and minimize the amount of line Anchoring on the water at the start of the forward cast, which allows for a powerfull turn over. The new Compact/Short Skagit heads, in both single hand and two hand sizes, have achieved a nice balance of mass/taper/length. For single hand Spey casting, it's equally as important to keep the rod/head length ratio in balance, as it is when two hand spey casting. Most regular WF lines have head lengths that are much too long for effective spey casts with single hand rods. Also, the weight/mass of single hand WF lines is too evenly distributed through the belly and front tapers, making the rear portion of the bellys too light to create a D Loop that will have sufficient mass to load the rod effectively. I really like the specs of the new SA Skagit Single Multi Tip line for Spey casting with single handers and switch rods. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_U...leHandMultiTip/

Chillin' in Chile...catching big frickin' Bows...Awesome! Thanks guys!

Fishing the Bow with a single hander is like playing hockey with only one hand on your stick... You might make the Oilers, but you will still suck...Welcome Boulderman and Sqfly.

Very effective for trout and a great summer presentation in the late evenings, using larger fly patterns.

I have heard good things about the G Loomis GLX Switch series. What line are you using on yours?

Those Caddis Larvae are looking good Keith. You may also want to consider tying the pattern in reverse (inverted), with the abdomen (underside) of the fly exposed too the outside of the hook bend. Many Hydro/Rhyco species are nomadic and will often move downstream to new locations in search of food, to evade predation by stoneflys, to migrate/colonize etc. When they drift in the current along the bottom, they will arch their body's back, with their heads pointing down too the stream bottom. A small tungsten bead will help keep the fly oriented through the drift. You can also tie Stonefly nymphs this way as well. It's always nice to add a little variety to the presentations.

Welcome fraaaki and topeti. Now if only we could convince Henrik to come over too Calgary and host a Zpey casting/fishing workshop. topeti, you're just teasing us with that avatar photo, are'nt you...hahaha. If you send it too me to play with, I promise I will send it back, but maybe not untill 2010...hahaha.

Sure you can and that's how I first started practising my spey casting. The rod might not perform real well but you can still get it out there and work on learning the different two hand casts with it.

Great vids and pics. Thanks guys.

Gordon, The long weekend in May, 16th-17th and Monday the 18th (holiday), would be a great time for you guys to come over. Weathers usually good and the water levels should still be reasonalbe. After that weekend, run off usually floods the banks.

Jay, Dino had a great tip about using rubber tape on the upper grip to help prevent the running line from slipping out of your fingers when wet. It's in one of the Spey threads or drop him a pm about it.