toolman

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.

Quote...Red Wiggler... "Dude, you look hungry why don't you go eat a sandwhich. I mean that in the nicest way possible"... Now that you mentioned it RW...I am kinda hungry....

If you are trying to tell us that catching trout consistently with a fly rod on the Bow river is only about luck...then I would have to say that you know very little about the art and science of flyfishing. Good luck...

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...

I will be hosting another Spey gathering in the very near future. Pm sent in regards to private instruction.

I think we have already been down this road... http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=150 My view is that some people want to help by sharing their experiences...Some may not be experts, but what's the harm if they give their opinion. Worst case, if there are opposing views, then there can be a good dialogue and maybe everyone learns a thing or two.

Good idea...that way you will taste bad and the bear might spit you out instead of eating you...you could always poop your pants too, just to be on the safe side...Thanks for the bear tip, Taco...

ok...600lbs...I had to make it sound big n' dangerous...but I'd still shoot em'

Since everyone's interested in looking at this situation from an ethical and moral viewpoint... Consider this scenario... What if you were there when the bear attacked the victim and you have a loaded gun capable of killing the bear... Do you... a. You walk away, first explaining to the dying man your ethical view on the situation... or... b. You take aim and pull the trigger...possibly saving the mans life? Personally, I'd fire 5-6 rounds before I even checked to see if it was still moving...then a couple more at close range just to be sure it was'nt...If you were the intended target of the bears attack...you would thank me. I'm a pretty good shot too... In all seriousness, this is'nt Winnie the Pooh we are talking about here, this is a 1,000 lb. aggressive, ambush predator, which just killed a person and now posed a very high risk to the public's saftey. F&W officers do our dirty work, everyday...thankfully they man up to the difficult tasks and take care of business for us...They sure get a lot of flak for it.

Killing the bear was not an act of revenge, but in the interest of public saftey. This attack was predatory, not defensive. SRD did the right thing. Now they are setting live traps to try and capture/relocate the cubs. Very responsible actions in my opinion.

And if the CO's did not shoot the bear and it attacked another person a few days later, everyone would blame the CO's, for not doing anything...Lose/Lose situation for the bears and the CO's...

Thanks guys...Weedy dug deep for that "deer in the headlights" photo...That is the meanest SOB Broonie I have ever encountered and I could not believe that I had finally landed him (at 2:00am)... Max and I, and a few other buddies, had been chasing that big Brown for months...We had all gotten a hook into him a time or two, but we just could not land him and that was the only time I ever did... Today, I headed out mid-afternoon, to catch my birthday fish. I had spotted a big Rainbow leap out of the water, about a week ago, on the other side of the river and I decided to head over there to try and catch him. Well, it took an hour, but I managed to hook into him and we had a nice dance for a few minutes. Then, he bolted from the shoreline as I am digging for my camera and snapped off, leaving me photoless...The tippet had chaffed on the rocks during the fight and had broken... So, I decide to have a seat on the shoreline to tie on another B.H. Peacock Waterboatman and let him sit a spell and see if I could get my fly back... Then, suddenly this dog bolts down the bank and runs right too me and over my gear... I look up on the high bank behind me and see an oldtimer standing there... - "This is not an off leash dog area, sir", I say to him politely... - "It's not my dog", he replies... I then see a middle aged lady standing nearby and I repeat to her ... - "This is not an off leash dog area..." - "F@ck you", she quickly replies, as she gives me the finger...then calls her dog, turns and walks away... - "Have a nice day" I reply... Her dog then dashes back too the bank, trampling over my $2,000 spey rods/reels, knocking them both to the ground, gets tangled in the line and spooks...I grab my rod as it starts to trail after the fleeing dog and the line suddenly goes tight....The dog starts yelping and scrambles up over the bank... out of sight... The lady comes back, yelling at me... -"Did you hit my dog?...Did you hit my dog?" - "No", I replied, "He took off when you called him and he knocked over my rods and got caught up in my line..." - "I think he might have a hook stuck in him" the oldtimer tells her, as she walks away... I look at the old guy and say, " I think you may be right"...10 seconds later, the lady runs back and says to me... - "Do you have any pliers..my dog has a hook stuck in him...can you help me get it out?".... - "I'll consider it if you say PLEASE", I reply with a big grin.... - "Pleeeeease"...she whines/begs... I smile..."Certainly", and I grab my hemos.... I walk up too the top of the bank and the lady is holding her dog. She points to the fly...I grin...I got him in the ASS! LOL... #8 Wire Wrapped SJW...right cheek...and It's buried deep...LOL! Now, there's no way that I could touch that hook, as the dog started growling/snapping at me whenever I tried to reach in with the hemo's...At this point, he has probably sensed my suppressed laughter and is not impressed...poor pup... I tell her how to get the hook out when she gets the dog home and settled down a bit..."he'll be fine"...I assure her, and off she goes with her dog... that now has a big red worm in his butt...or as Dryfly would say...BAW... Ahhh...Urban angling...never a dull moment...LOL. And that's my birthday fishing story for this year... Greg

Congrats Dave!

Great info Maximum and thanks for posting...Myself, I'm very nervous about the Canadian/US housing market, as this is where I earn my bread and butter. We've seen our forestry industry crash and burn as a result of the US housing woes, which has cost me in the past year. Also a couple of large local housing component mfg's., who were exporting to the US, have went down as well, Weyerhausers joist plant, in Claresholm (one of my clients) and more recently Jager Building systems joist plant in Calgary. Fact is, the US is the largest market for Canadian exports and that market is drying up. So, I don't see a rosy picture on the horizon. I for one, am trying to get rid of any/all debts asap. Lean and mean is gonna be my survival strategy. Save yer pennies and get out of debt is my advice...and go flyfishing at least 4-5 times a week. ps. Anyone remember what happened back in the mid 80's...CRASH!

Awesome report. The RAP system works with help from folks like you. Good Job!

Incredible series of macro's Clive...Wild and wonderfull...Thanks! ps. BTW...When we hittin' the Bow?

Happy birthday Chris...sounds like you had a great day.

This is a really great video and one of my favorites.

40+lbs.

I had a Chiwahwah one time...He was the smartest dog in the world... I even tried to teach him how to play poker, but he sucked at it...He kept wagging his tail every time he had a good hand...