Contrary to popular belief, flies don’t have to be incredibly complex to catch fish. In fact, often times the most effective flies are the simplest. Bunny leech style flies are a prime example. When tied in varying sizes and colors, the bunny leech is an extremely effective fly for trout, steelhead, salmon, or many other cold water…
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Steelhead
Getting Your Brain Around the Grains
Our buddy George Cook is back with another great post on the finer points of all things spey. George is the Northwest rep for Sage, Redington, and RIO (along with other leading outdoor brands). He’s also been a dedicated spey bum for more years than we care to ask! Today’s topic? Understanding grain weights and how they…
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Spey Casting in Tight Quarters – Part 3: Less Overhang
It’s time for part 3 of our mini-series of tips on spey casting in tight quarters. Today we offer you a simple but often forgotten tip among many two handed anglers. The next time you find yourself short of casting room, try casting with less overhang. Most modern spey lines (we’re talking mostly skagit and scandi heads here)…
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Spey Casting in Tight Quarters – Part 2: Back Against the Wall
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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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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Fish Facts: The Difference Between Winter and Summer Steelhead
At the beginning of the month, we launched the first of a series of posts we’ve dubbed ‘fish facts,’ where we share weird, quirky, or just plain interesting nuggets of truth about the species we pursue at our lodges. Today’s fish fact sheds light on the ever-confusing topic of winter versus summer steelhead.. What exactly…
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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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TU Wild Steelhead Initiative
We love organizations dedicated to protecting our beloved fisheries, and one of our favorite conservation organizations, Trout Unlimited, is about to kick off an exciting new project that we thought you should know about. Tomorrow, Trout Unlimited will be launching its Wild Steelhead Initiative, a project dedicated towards restoring wild steelhead throughout their native range….
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