toolman

Happy Birthday Rob, looking forward to fishing with you in 2010...

So, you are only a legend when the Steelhead go Nuts and are easy to catch...I see...so you are saying... "Steelhead are dumb and easy too catch"...Thought I already mentioned that a couple pages back... You Skagiteers are all the same...clueless...

I never catch normal 20" trout with my Spey on the Bow...I only target the smart ones... Occasionally, I like to play with the dumb ones too...welcome.

So, you guys bought a couple of cheap spey rods and now you are legends???... And you're tossing 15' of T-14 a hundred feet...500 times a day? When do you find the time to fish? 15' of T-14 eh... Are you trying to raise the Titantic off the bottom or are you only legends when you fish for Steelhead in +3C water temps., when their brains are numb and inactive (dumb)...kind of like you punks...

Very cool...thanks.

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.

Downstream hooksets will usually place the fly in the hinge of the jaws, where it is very secure. Lift sets will most often place your fly up into the top and front of the lip and can sometimes hinge out very easily, especailly if you are upstream of the trout. Downstream hooksets, from below the trout if possible, are what I shoot for when w&w nymphing.

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?...