Today we’re back with part 2 of our ‘spey casting in tight quarters’ mini-series of posts. Last week we kicked off the series with an explanation of how to use casting stations to work down a run shrouded with sections difficult or even impossible to cast from. Today’s topic? How to make fishable casts when backed up…
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Spey
To Hold a Loop or Not to Hold a Loop
It’s poll time here on the Deneki Blog! One of the most debated topics at our lodges is whether or not to hold a loop of line while swinging flies for salmon and steelhead. Some find holding a loop during the swing necessary to allow the fish ample time (with minimum resistance) to eat the…
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Spey Casting in Tight Quarters – Part 1: Casting Stations
When swinging flies for salmon and steelhead at our lodges, we’re pretty lucky in that most of the runs we fish consist of long, wide open gravel bars, devoid of obstacles, with virtually endless back casting room. It makes it pretty easy to get lost in the rhythm of cast, step, swing and repeat, and ultimately makes…
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Mending With Your Non-Rod Hand
Spey rods are cool. They’re fun to cast, allow for casts with limited to no back casting room, and offer the ability to throw the heaviest of flies and sink tips with ease. However, when swinging flies for anadramous fish, one of the greatest advantages of a two handed rod is the ability to mend and…
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Don’t be a Creeper
A while back we ran a post on creep, a common fly casting error, most often the culprit of tailing loops. However, creep isn’t only a single hand casting error, it wreaks havoc while spey casting as well! Alaska West guide, Jason Whiting reminded us of this fact while critiquing his own cast. Although if…
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Skagit Master – Now Available Online
We like skagit casting, and we love swinging flies for salmon and steelhead. So naturally, we’re big fans of the Skagit Master DVD series. Not to mention they’re full of long time members of the Deneki family! Roughly five years ago, New Water Media released the very first Skagit Master DVD featuring the Master himself, Ed…
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Spey Casting on Grass – Grass Leaders
When it comes to single-hand casting, we always recommend our guests spend some time practicing their cast before their trip. Shaking some of the rust off before taking your much anticipated trip is a sure-fire way to enhance your experience! Casting practice doesn’t have to occur on the water however. In fact, we would argue that casting…
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Spey Fishing – Watch How Your Fly Lands
When swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, we talk a lot about the importance of ‘fly profile,’ the broadside silhouette the fly takes on while in the water. Many fly tyers go to great lengths trying to achieve a desired profile, and it is this idea that has stemmed many modern steelhead and salmon patterns….
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Spey Fishing – The ‘Engaged Fly’
Ever wondered whether your fly is swinging at the right depth, at the right speed, or even in the right water for the quarry at hand? We receive comments all the time about how or where the fly should be traveling when swinging for anadramous species, and for good reason.. It’s tough! Thanks to long-time spey-guru…
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Grant Turner’s Alaskan Steelhead Rig
We know many of you enjoy our expert rig series of posts, where we highlight every detail of the setups used by the experts chasing fish in our neck of the woods. It’s been a while since we’ve put out an expert rig, so we reached out to Alaska West guide, Grant Turner for the…
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