What Shakin In The Calgary Spey Scene

[speyghillie]

Hi Guy

Been busy with fishin the River Spey, and i notice there seems to be not much happing with the Calgary Speycasters, too busy fishin i guess.

I know there has been some great Speycasters in Calgary doing classes over the last while, so what's shaking... changed your style, swinging different rods, lines ...........flies.

Post some detail as to how the 2 handers working out and how you fish it in your own style, and what your catching.

I will be back in coo toon in September for a while if anybody wants to know how to catch big browns on the Bow.

No thats right...........i aint never caught one, might need to break out the ladies rod.

Anyway, what ya swinging and how's in workin out for ya.

Gordo fae Scotland and Vernon.

 

[cheeler]

Speycasting with the 8' 3 wt on small lakes and streams.

 

Dan and Jack were great for learning a different style of casting, continuous movement, and a few new tricks for other styles as well.

[bhurt]

I am now the proud owner of a Loop GASS 6120

 

Unforntantly haven't been fishin much the two hander but just got home from the Crow and what a amazing place

 

[speyghillie]

Sounds good Cheeler,

ALways good to learn different styles, constant motion casting is a great way to get distance with little effort on you and a little more from the rod, and on a low swing you can catapault a shooting head from right under tree branches, works great on a single hander and shooting head too.

Should be good fun trying out the different styles , and doing some of your own stuff.

Hope your catching a few fish too.

 

Hey Mr Bhurt, no fishing the 2 hander, but the Crow sounds good, never fished it but one day i hope, will be fishing Spey Broonies next month, here in August small Dries and trad wets are da thing.

Will post some pic's of Spey Broonies and the evening hatches when i get a chance.

 

Get out swinging the 2 hander before the Calgary snow comes. ::ice fish::

Gordo.

 

 

 

[headscan]

I find spey casting drowns my dry flies. I've been single hand spey casting when nymphing, but otherwise haven't picked up my double handers in a few months. Once fall rolls around I'll dust them off.

[speyghillie]

Hey Headscan,

Tried swinging skaters with the 2 hander, or you fishing smaller stuff ? sounds like its a single handed time of year with wee stuff.

Gordo.

[toolman]

Hey Gordon,

I've been out with the two handers most every day, swinging Leeches, Clousers, Caddis emergers/pupae, ect. The fishing has been very good on the Bow this season. I've been swinging a Guideline full sink S1/S2 shooting head in the faster flows with great success. Also, spending a lot of time working on the spey casting, with an hour or two of practise each day.

Had an opportunity to cast wtforwards, 6126 Meiser Highland Trouter, on Sunday. Beautifull rod that throws gorgeous loops.

[alhuger]

Hey Gordon,

I've been out with the two handers most every day, swinging Leeches and Caddis pupae, ect. The fishing has been very good on the Bow this season. I've been swinging a Guideline full sink S1/S2 shooting head in the faster flows with great success. Also, spending a lot of time working on the spey casting, with an hour or two of practise each day.

Had an opportunity to cast wtforwards, 6126 Meiser Highland Trouter, on Sunday. Beautifull rod that throws gorgeous loops.

 

Tool,

 

What is casting the full sinking line like? You need to roll it up before the cast after each swing?

[toolman]

Al,

It depends on the size/weight of the fly that you are using and the length of your leader/tippet. If it gets difficult to get the fly up on the lift, a few feet of the head can be stripped inside the rod tip. These sinking heads can be custom cut to suit rod action/length, fishing conditions and casters preference. I still need to dial in the length of my S1/S2 as it is a bit long for the 12' rod I have been using it with. Higher lifts, and/or a roll cast to get the fly up, may also be helpfull and at times necessary.

Ideally, when Spey casting a small fly, I should have a couple of feet of overhang out of the rod tip and with a larger/heavier fly, and/or, a longer leader, I would have the head up to the rod tip, or a even foot or two inside the rod tip.

I use all types of Spey casts and two hand Overhead casts with this sinking head. When making a Double Spey, Circle C or Spey casts with a "sweep' segment, it is important to keep things moving along so the head does not sink, robbing the forward cast of its energy. With the faster flows on the Bow this past week, an S2/S3 would have been usefull/effective.

[headscan]

sounds like its a single handed time of year with wee stuff.

Yup. And I have enough trouble picking out my PMD 15' away let alone two-handed rod casting distances...

[alhuger]

Al,

It depends on the size/weight of the fly that you are using and the length of your leader/tippet. If it gets difficult to get the fly up on the lift, a few feet of the head can be stripped inside the rod tip. These sinking heads can be custom cut to suit rod length, fishing conditions and casters preference. I still need to dial in the length of my S1/S2 as it is a bit long for the 12' rod I have been using it with. Higher lifts, and/or a roll cast to get the fly up, may also be helpfull at times necessary.

Ideally, when casting a small fly, I should have a couple of feet of overhang out of the rod tip and with a larger/heavier fly, and/or, a longer leader, I would have the head up to the rod tip, or a even foot or so inside the rod tip.

I can use all types of Spey casts and two hand Overhead casts with this sinking head. When making a Double Spey, Circle C or casts with a "sweep' portion to the cast, it is important to keep things moving along so the head does not sink, robbing the forward cast of its energy. With the faster flows on the Bow this past week, a S2/S3 would have been usefull.

 

Cool. I have a snobee line lying around, plan to try it this fall.

 

[speyghillie]

Hey Toolman,

Good to hear your out swinging the 2 hander, sounds great fun, and you been using the guideline shooting (heids) scottish word.

Sounds like the Bow is fishing good, and i am going to spend sometime later this year fishing it for sure.

 

Met Bob Meiser in Oregon last April, what beautiful rods he makes and what a really nice guy, a true gent.

 

I am working at the CLA gamefair this weekend, see all the new toys, the Queens Hubby came last year and watched Scott and Way Yin's Speycasting demo, see if he fancies a week on da Bow.

 

Al,

You doing some Speycasting in BC this year, i am heading to the Island for a week and later heading up to Terrace for a week fishin.

 

Anyway, post if you are swinging on da Bow or trying some new stuff out, or practicing new ways of casting the 2 hander or Speycasting the ladies rod.

Gordo.

 

[SilverDoctor]

Been having fun skidding stones and caddis. A few day of nymphing. Just finished my 4 wt 12 ft Highlander build with Bob. one more coat of clear on the signature and she's ready for the water. Hope to give it a test this weekend, need to cut down a Vision Ace for it.

[speyghillie]

Hey Silver Doctor,

That sound a great wee rod, Bob makes some of the nicest rods anywhere, post some pic's when she's done and ready for the Bow troot.

I am just finished designing another Chalk stream for a highland estate , just stocked it with some nice big rainbows, so see how that goes, good fun but nothing like the fishing i want to do.

Hopefully i will get sometime to spend on the Bow this year.... going to make time.

Gordo.

 

[cam]

Toolman what line did you cast on the S2H456126-4? I normally cast the NW 440gr but have a 420 compact on the way too wave around for a change. Silver doc your little 12' 4wt sounds like a sweet stick enjoy it!!

[toolman]

Hi Cam,

We lined the Meiser S2H with an Airflo 330grain Compac Scandi and .022" Frog Hair running line. Very sweet set up.

[lethfisher]

I was checkin out the speypages site and someone posted asking if a Helicopter Spey Cast was useful, needless to say I was intrigued and watched some youtube vids of Eoin Fairgrieve doing it. holy crap that guy can cast!! So i took out my Blueline 7112 switch today and was messin around with some casting practice. It is definitely fun messing around but you get a whole new appreciation of how good Fairgrieve is.

 

after practicing for about an hour i went to a nice run and was skating a foam thingy kinda clubsandwich but not with a caddis emerger underneath. 3rd or 4th cast a nice brown smoked the setup. it was funny cause he came halfway out of the water as if trying to swamp the foam fly but then when he got in closer i could see he was hooked on the dropper emerger. he came off before i got him all the way in so i couldnt see if he foul hooked.

 

here is the link to that video by the way. and the consensus on speypages that the cast was cool to look at but pretty much useless lol

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNoMcWGoY8g

[speyghillie]

Hi Lethfisher,

I know Eoin very well (he organises the Tweed Show ever year for Trout and Salmon) and is a member of the Scottish world championship winning Speycasting team.

The Helicopter cast is like alot of casts just for fun, but there is nothing wrong with messing about with different casts, and it will help with the feel of the rod, anchor position ect.

Many people may not know Eion runs Tweed Start which is a proggramme for under privilege kids and kids with special needs, and over the last 3 years has taught over 3000, yes thats 3000 ... kids to fish in his own time.

One of the nicest guys you would ever meet, great Speycasting Instructor and super nice guy..... but will tease

him about helicopters when i see him.

 

On another note, i got back from a crazy weekend at the CLA gamefair at 4 am this morning after a night drive of 9 hrs, and have to say it was great fun, i was working on Scott Mackenzie's stand and it was busy as anything, watched some of the demo speycasters, distance and fun stuff.

New long line on the market, new Hardy Perfect in Salmon size....ect.

And new speycasting champion from Norway, will post details soon.

 

Anyway, back to where this thing started, hope everybody gets out with the Spey on the Bow.... catches some cracking fish......... and tells me where they are.

 

Will be back in town in September for a weekend, no dates as yet... but just a weekend with some of the latest toys on the market.

Gordo.