When we talk about swinging flies, most people initially think of anadromous fish like wild Steelhead or King Salmon. Another species we like to chase in the winter with our two handed rods are resident trout. Despite the cold water temperatures in wintertime causing the metabolism of a trout to slow down, they are still…
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trout spey
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…
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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…
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Swinging Flies – 3 Random Tips
Its no secret that swinging flies on spey rods is one of our favorite ways to fish. We know that its many of yours too, which is largely why we’ve put together a whole bunch of tip articles on spey fishing on our blog, and today we thought we add a few more. Enjoy! Feel…
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Best Fly Lines for Trout Spey – North 40 Video
Last week we shared a video from our friends over at North 40 Fly Shop featuring George Cook on the particulars of choosing a proper spey rod for trout. If you missed it, be sure to give it a watch by clicking right here. A few days ago, they released another great from their latest…
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How to Choose the Right Spey Rod for Trout – Video
Over the last ten years or so, the notion of ‘trout spey’ has become one of the fastest growing sectors of fly fishing. We love targeting trout on swung flies with small spey/switch rods and we do a decent amount of it at both of our lodges in Alaska. Nonetheless, with more trout-appropriate spey rods…
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Timeless Tips: Active Swinging Techniques for Trout
When swinging flies for species like steelhead or king salmon, more often than not a slow uniform swing is best. Rarely do salmon and/or steelhead actively feed upon first entering freshwater. Therefore, a slow uniform swing swept past the nose of the fish is usually the most likely presentation to elicit a strike. The take may…
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How to Make a Single Hand Spey Cast – Video
Contrary to popular belief, spey casting is not limited to double handed rods or swinging flies for anadramous fish like salmon and steelhead. In fact, single-hand spey casting is an extremely valuable tool that allows for fishable casts under conditions that a traditional overhead, or even roll cast, wouldn’t otherwise allow, regardless what you fish…
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Timeless Tips: 5 Reasons to Swing for Trout This Winter
Let’s face it, winter trout fishing is hard. If you are crazy like us, odds are you are not going to sit around and twiddle your thumbs until your next trip to Alaska or B.C. – you’re going to fish! Having hailed from all over the Northern U.S. and Canada (Alaska, Washington, Maine, British Columbia…
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Swinging for Naknek Rainbows – Video
Fall on the Naknek River, home to our Rapids Camp Lodge, is a trout-spey angler’s dream. In fact, we’d go so far as to say you’d be hard pressed to find a better river to chase trophy-sized resident trout with spey rods anywhere else in the world. How good could it really be you ask?…
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