Although the majority of our guests at BC West fish two-handed rods most of the time, spey casting is not at all a requirement.
Many, many steelhead were caught on the Dean for many years before the first spey rod showed up! Yes, there are reasons that people use spey rods, but single-handed fishing and casting is still every bit as fun and effective as it used to be. During a trip to the Dean, you could even – gasp! – fish both.
As an avid two hander, I haven’t picked up a single hand steelhead rod in years. However when seeking trout, I mainly use bamboo for which my line control learned from spey casting has made me quite proficient. Hence, for my trip to the Bulkley this year, an 8 weight bamboo singlehander is on the makers bench as we speak. It’s gonna be a fun trip!
That sounds awesome Kurt – what could be finer that fishing a dry line on bamboo for steelhead? Have a fantastic trip.