We talk a lot about spey fishing here on our blog. That’s because it’s one of our favorite ways to fish moving water for species like salmon, steelhead, or even trout.
When we refer to ‘spey fishing,’ the vast majority of the time we’re referring to skagit-style spey casting. That’s the preferred method for most of the fishing we do at our lodges as it allows us to cast the widest range of sink tips and fly sizes, along with being really easy to teach to beginners as well – something we do a lot of.
However, while we love teaching beginners the basics of spey casting, we’re well aware that learning something new can be a bit intimidating at times. After all, who wants to look like a beginner out there, right?
That’s why today we’re tackling one of the most evident mistakes made by anglers new to spey casting – how to pronounce the word ‘skagit.’ It’s a funky word, named after its river of inception, the ‘Skagit River,’ in northwestern Washington, and we hear it pronounced incorrectly as ‘ska-get’ by beginners from time to time.
So how do you pronounce it correctly? Start with the word scat. Drop the ‘t.’ Now add ‘jit,’ as if you were saying the word ‘jet’ in a New Zealand accent. Sca-jit. Got it? Great!
That being said, we’re not overly concerned how you pronounce it really. As long as you’re having fun, you can call it “two-handed whippy stickin'” for all we care. However, for those a bit insecure about getting started, talking the talk might save a few initial odd looks at your local fly shop.
Have fun out there!
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