toolman

zzzzzzzzzzzz.....edit...ZZZZZZZZZZZZ....hopperrrzzzzzzz... ps. GwassHoppah....Some species of hoppers can fly hundreds of miles...so flying 200' too the middle of the river, should'nt be much of a problem. Thing is though, they hate water and that's why you don't see them in the river and why I never fish Hoppers on the Bow. Stoneflys on the other hand, live for years in the river...

You're rebutals have been weak, ladies and gentlemen...truely without passion...kind of how you fish yer girlie rods... Next thing you know, that old bastard will have you all casting cane for 8" Brownies and insulting everyone... Well, at least he's got a pair too tell it like he see's it... ps. Where's fishead anyway?...I thought there was enough material here to bring him up from the depths of the swamp he lives in, to go a few rounds with the "King"... Maybe he's out on the Bow rippin' up the Redds with his jet... and fishin' the banks with hoppers...Hoppers...what a joke that thread was eh?...None of the Hopper/dropper crowd (including the guides), could even tell me the name of just one single Hopper species found along the Bow... What a bunch of clueless loudmouths...

Steelhead are just as dumb as the fisherman who chase them...Spey rods were designed for smart fisherman to catch smart fish, like Atlantic Salmon and trout...A Steelhead is about as bright as a whitie...The Skagiteers are slightly dumb'er... Bow river trout fight twice as hard, pound for pound, as any Steelhead...Even you and Bigbadbrent could catch one... Atlantic Salmon are the King of fishies...

What's really funny is seeing all those idiots trying to fish with a dinky 9' 6wt. rod on the Bow river. Guess they don't get the point that the river is 300'-400' wide on average and thus why most of them get skunked most days. Spey is for intelligent, superior flyfishers who know the difference between success and bieng a loser... Personally, I find it refreshing to only fish with my Spey brothers and sisters...I've had enough of the excuses from the girly rod crowd...Here's a tip for you one handed, one fly morons...take up golf... And too all those idiots in their drift boats, jets and toons, stop casting at the bank in low water...the fish are behind you in the middle of the river and you're drifting where I'm catching....so move to the far bank before I put a clouser through your eye from a 100 paces...Those Bow guides are the worst...take away their worms and they're sweatin'. I asked PGK and Birchy if they wanted to try Spey, but they refused, explaining that they still both wanted to have kids some day, but that they both had their dogs Spayed recently...

The Scierra HMS V2 13' 8/9 @ 25-27 grams... Also, the Loop Multi 12' 7wt. @ 23-26 grams, is an outstanding rod as well.

Rob, I would recommend the Scierra HMS V2 11'9, 7/8, (19-21grams), which is equivalent too our 5/6 wt. and the matching MWF V2 7/8 Scandi shooting heads, from floating to fast sink, which are designed specifically for these rods. An outstanding rod for the price and one of the nicest that I have casted this year in the mid-price range. http://www.scierra.com/?product=7

Awesome adventure guys...Thanks for the great story and pics...

hahaha...perfect...that does count too.

Never cancell Spey practise...and at least have a piece of cake.

Happy Birthday Marc...Now hopefully your boss lets you off the leash early today so you can go fishing...

I'm sure there is something to the science of Z Spey or we likely would not have seen so many big names endorse this product, putting their reputations on the block. Has it been a tough sell, of course, but it does not mean that these rods are not high performance sticks. Just that they are not a big seller. In my view, any Spey rod built on an Opti blank is already amongst the best money can buy, regardless of the type of bottom handle.

Personally, I love the Opti blanks and would probably like the Z Spey handle for the Underhand casting style that I learned from Dan McCimmon, who has been promoting and giving demonstrations with Z Spey rods and is very familar with them.

Z Spey has had many big name endorsements, including Loop Fishing Tackle who have been promoting and manufacturing the Opti line...Henrik Mortensen was also with Z Spey for a short period of time, but I'm not sure if he still is. The reviews I have read had about the Z Spey Opti Two handers were of mixed opinions on the handles/concept, but most of them loved the action of the blank. Also, these Loop clearance rods, may not come with the original Loop Lifetime Warranty. Z Spey has launched its new Switch rod line up with interchangable handles that look pretty cool. http://www.zpey.no/default.asp

Have not had a chance to cast the Opti Z Spey, but they are built on Opti rod blanks, which are outstanding. The Z Spey was designed to be Underhand cast, so they are not to the liking of some traditional style casters who like to use more top hand in the delivery. They are also much heavier then the regular Opti Spey rods in similar lengths and weight classes. It's been a tough sell for them in North America... Good luck with the GAIC Certification Gordon.

Those are great scenes Hiketofish. You sure go on epic adventures. Thanks for sharing these wild, unspoiled places and your terrific stories with us.

That underwater shot is terrific...

hahaha...Happy birthday old timer...

Very nice trout. Thanks for the great report...What lake did you say that was?...

Two handed fly rods are often refered too as Spey rods, as these rods originated for the most part on the River Spey in the Scotish Highlands. Spey rods typically run from 11' at the shorter end of the scale, too 18' at the long end of the spectrum and typically range from 5wt too 12wt. Shorter spey rods are very suitable for casting from tight banks and can acheive impressive distances with a very short casting stroke, while still having lots of fish fighting power. They are light in hand and are pleasant to fish with all day. Longer Spey rods are of benefit when wading, casting longer distances and for improved line control at distance. The larger a rods line weight, the more mass the line will be able to cast at longer distances. Larger line weight Spey rods also have tons of fish fighting power, especailly rods in short and medium lengths. Spey rods in any length or line weight can perform all types of Spey casts as well as two hand overhead casts. The shorter 11'-12' Spey rods in lighter line weights, can also be cast single handed. The longer Spey rods in the larger line wts. can be tiring to fish with all day, especailly if you are fishing for a number of consecutive days. I personally like to utilize a variety of rod lengths/line weights to suit the fishing needs and conditions at hand, often using two or three different Spey rods/line systems during a day of fishing. Switch rods were originally developed to bridge the gap from single handed fly rods too short two handed rods, principally for two hand overhead casting when coastal fishing off the beaches with big rigs, sink tips, etc.. Two hand overhead casts are used to keep the line arielized, as ocean waves/shorelines can sometimes make spey casting difficult, as all Spey casts utilize the water to create the line stick/anchor needed to load the rod. Switch rods are often casted Two hand overhead from elevated casting platforms, such as rocky beaches, high banks etc., where spey casting would be very difficult, if not impossible. Spey rods can also be Two hand overhead casted and used in these same environments as well. In Recent years, Switch rods have been developed/improved to be able to perform single or two hand spey casts, as well as single or two hand overhead casts and are available in variety of line weights from 3 wt through too 13 or even 14wt. to fight big, ocean fish. Switch rods typically range in lengths from 10' too 11'6". Many fisherman are now using light Switch rods for trout fishing on larger rivers and for lake fishing, to cast indicator rigs and streamers on sink tips, using Two hand Spey and Two hand Overhead casts, as well as Single hand casting dry flies to the evening hatches. Switch rods are sometimes refered too as one and a half handers and Spey rods are often refered too as two handers. I hope this is helpfull.

Hey Jeremy... PM sent re-instruction.

Guideline Le Cie series....I've heard many good comments. Has anyone had a chance to cast one? I'm hoping someone local has one, that they might consider bringing to the next Spey gathering. http://guidelineflyfish.com/english-edition/index.html http://www.irishangler.com/

Yes pkk, I am comparing myself to these guys...That's exactly what I meant by my post...I'm the best there is...

Whooo Hooo...I like this Orvisonly guy....Hilarious!

Will definetly keep you informed of the next Spey gathering, wtforward. If anyone wants their name added to my Speycasters list, just send me a pm and I'll be sure to notify you in advance of any/all upcoming Spey gatherings, events, workshops, clinics etc., that I will be hosting/organizing.

Certified you say eh...That's kinda funny...Guess someone better tell Ed Ward (Skagit casting pioneer), Mike Kinney, Francois Blanchett, Gordon Macleod, Scott Mackenzie (3 time world spey casting champion) and all those other great (non certified)Speycasting instructors out there, that they should not be teaching beginners how to cast...Apparently they do not meet up to some peoples standards... Cheers...