Warning: this is a semi-detailed post on correcting a common fly casting fault. If you’re not into the detailed mechanics of fly casting, click here for some big fish photos instead! Fly casting is an art that will never be perfected, only improved upon. It’s part of what makes the sport great! Nonetheless, there are…
Read More
Alaska West
TFO Axiom II Switch Rods – Review
For far too long, high performance fly rods have been associated with astonishingly high prices. Sure, some of our favorite rod series have rang in at premium-level prices, but not all of them. Believe it or not, when it comes to fly rods, performance doesn’t have to be sacrificed for affordability, and the folks at…
Read More
George Cook on the Importance of ‘Engagement Range’ When Swinging Flies
Our good friend and legendary sales rep for some of the most respected brands in the biz, George Cook, has been at the forefront of modern spey fishing since the beginning. Simply put, he’s been swinging flies for steelhead, sea-run browns, resident trout, and everything in-between long before it was cool. So, when he’s willing…
Read More
G. Loomis IMX-PRO Short Spey 71111-4 Review
Over the past six months, we’ve been fortunate to swing flies for everything from dime bright king salmon, to feisty wild steelhead, to some of the largest native resident rainbow trout in the world. That’s allowed us to put some of the latest and greatest spey gear to the test, in full hopes that we…
Read More
Gear Hack: Attach a Split Ring To Your Fishing Pliers
It’s been a while since we’ve presented you with a super cheap, embarrassingly simple, yet remarkably helpful gear hack. So, today we right that wrong. Years ago, your fearless editor attached his favorite pair of fishing pliers to a standard bungee lanyard with a sturdy, yet super simple, split key ring. That’s right, the same…
Read More
Spey Casting – 3 Benefits of Aerial Mending
It’s long been said that great presentations catch fish, not great casts. Its one of the most governing truths in fly fishing. Mending, the act of repositioning the fly line after the cast, is what makes this possible in moving water. Make no mistake, like casting, mending is a skill, and those that are able…
Read More
Steelhead Flies: Modern ‘Spins’ on Classic Patterns
We recently received a great request from one of our readers (thanks, Ray!) for a fresh step by step post on how to tie some of our favorite ‘smaller’ fly patterns for summer and/or winter steelhead using modern materials and techniques. Naturally, we reached out to our good friend and arguably one of the most…
Read More
Fishpond Thunderhead Submersible Backpack – Why We Like It
A couple weeks ago we gave you our thoughts on Fishpond’s Quikshot Rod Holder; a super clever and convenient way to carry a spare fully-rigged rod on compatible Fishpond packs. Judging by the number of comments we received on the Quikshot, it certainly truck a chord with many of you, and some of you asked…
Read More
Spey Casting and Current Speed
When determining which spey cast to use in a given situation, most experienced spey anglers take into account three primary variables; wind direction (upstream wind, downstream wind, etc.), river position (which side of the river you’re casting from), and obstacles (trees, rocks, banks, or other obstructions that limit your casting area). The majority of the…
Read More
Timeless Tips: Swinging Flies – Don’t Block Your Hookset
In any avenue of fly fishing, one thing that separates successful anglers from not-so-successful anglers is complete, undivided, fully engaged, focus whenever your fly is in the water. Many fish are lost (or perhaps never hooked at all) from anglers who’s minds were wandering or whom were not expecting a fish to eat the fly in…
Read More