Let’s start a trout spey thread

Skol_Engh · Sep 24, 2023

Bob Rankin said:
Gave the Yak a float today, what a beauty of a day!! The fishing is goodView attachment 83098 View attachment 83099 View attachment 83100 View attachment 83101

Ah man that looks like so much fun. So simple too. One rod, one style. Fall on the yak is magical.

Creatch’r · Sep 24, 2023

Skol_Engh said:
Ah man that looks like so much fun. So simple too. One rod, one style. Fall on the yak is magical.

Much simpler then I have been lately, 6 rods rigged on my watermaster lol

Bob Rankin · Sep 24, 2023

Creatch’r said:
Much simpler then I have been lately, 6 rods rigged on my watermaster lol

I saw that on the Gram..! Looks legit, you meant business!!

Skol_Engh · Oct 10, 2023

Bob Rankin · Oct 10, 2023

No comment on Joe’s river, but great minds think alike I guess… I drove up the canyon on this cold, windy and rainy morning for a few hours of trout spey. I was swinging my 12’6” Meiser 5wt. I hooked in to one of my personal best fish on this river. My boat net doesn’t do it justice, I bet it was an easy 4 lbs but who knows… Awesome morning though!

SKYKO · Oct 12, 2023

I followed your lead and headed east for a couple days of floating and swinging, the fishing was solid, with a couple of large to hand and plenty of good average sized rainbows. Sculpins or soft hackles depending on time of day and/or water, nice scenery and lots of wildlife.

Brute · Oct 12, 2023

Skol_Engh said:
Any ideas on where this river is? He says it’s within a reasonable drive of ellensburg but it looks like Alaska or Canada and yet he’s catching cutthroat. I no longer live in the state so I’m more curious than anything and it’s been bugging me!

I've caught some nice cutties in the Yak...

Brute · Oct 12, 2023

I've spent most of my week in Alaska swinging with trout spey gear...which is new to me. I absolutely love it...and getting ready to tie a bunch of trout spey flies, mostly swing string leeches and flies like those in the above posts.

My right shoulder loves trout spey...

Bob Rankin · Oct 12, 2023

Brute said:
I've spent most of my week in Alaska swinging with trout spey gear...which is new to me. I absolutely love it...and getting ready to tie a bunch of trout spey flies, mostly swing string leeches and flies like those in the above posts.

My right shoulder loves trout spey...

My right shoulder thinks it’s the only way to trout fish!

Zissou Intern · Oct 22, 2023

Advice needed...

An old friend from Chicago sent me a Sage XP 10' 6wt. He built it up probably 15 years ago as a switch rod. I guess you'd call it a trout spey now. He added the fighting butt handle to the blank, so it's 10'6" now. He didn't use it much and then only as single hand rod.

I want to learn two handed casting for SRC on the beaches and eventually on the Skagit. Any ideas how I should line it? I was thinking a Scandi line at maybe 250gr. Or do I want a Skagit head? Any advice is appreciated.

Skol_Engh · Oct 22, 2023

I think you might want to add 100 grains to that scandi line. Here is a helpful resource, they don't have your specific rod listed but you might get a better idea about how similar rods are set up.

Scientific Anglers Spey Chart

Selecting a proper Spey line for your rod can be a daunting task. There are a variety of factors to consider when making your decision- rod action, style of fishing, type and size of flies being cast, and more, all factor into this. Because of all these considerations, the following chart is...

www.scientificanglers.com

G_Smolt · Oct 22, 2023

Zissou Intern said:
Advice needed...

An old friend from Chicago sent me a Sage XP 10' 6wt. He built it up probably 15 years ago as a switch rod...Any ideas how I should line it? I was thinking a Scandi line at maybe 250gr...

If my aging memory serves, the original taper XPs were not as stiff as the reintroduced (mid teens) XPs - I'd say 250gr is probably as good a starting point as any to see how the rod loads/casts as a 2hander. If it feels like you really need to hammer it to get bent, go up 50gr and try again.

Keep us posted!

Skol_Engh · Oct 30, 2023

Tacovedo said:
Curious if anyone has experience with the Sage Trout Spey HD in 2wt? I have the 4wt and love it for swinging bigger streamers for winter trout and as a summer steelhead rod. However, I'm looking for something better suited for soft hackles and dries for summer trout. I got to cast the Sage G5 Trout Spey 3wt and liked it, but I feel like a 2wt might be more fun.

A little late but I have the 2wt. I like it as a smaller tailwater rod. Good for swinging nymphs and lightly weighted streamers. It would be a great summer trout rod. Super accurate too. I have the Rio 2wt Troutspey head on it and it slings. But I also I think its worth noting that Winston now makes a 2wt trout spey in the same length as the HD and that would definitely be worth looking into.

the_chemist · Oct 30, 2023

Have an echo 4# that's handled some unexpected hook ups impressively well.

Brute · Oct 31, 2023

Bob Rankin said:
I love this time of year! I went out for a couple hours this morning to swing up some trout. Took the Meiser 12’6” 5wt and used a 375gr Skagit max short with 10’ of T8 and my version of a Daves panic button. It worked one of them was a slab, it may be one of the biggest I’ve ever caught in the canyon.
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Dave's Panic Button is on my list of flies to twist up...did you use wire or braid for the hook?

Bob Rankin · Oct 31, 2023

Brute said:
Dave's Panic Button is on my list of flies to twist up...did you use wire or braid for the hook?

I use fireline to a small owner hook.

Skol_Engh · Nov 14, 2023

Quick Sunday afternoon session post Vikings win. Still getting acquainted with this river and just doing some recon and slapping the water here and there. I even had a crowd of onlookers but they weren't impressed by my spey casts. A certain Rolling Stones tune was top of mind.

I didn't have much luck so I picked up and drove upstream a bit. I drove by this pickup truck with a Ween sticker. Normally I'd just keep driving in search of unoccupied turnouts but I saw this guy emerging from the river bank, waders on, and I figure I'd tell him I appreciated the Ween sticker. He was a nice guy and kindly let slip that during a guided float he had caught some hawgs in the general region of the pull out. After exchanging numbers he took off and I decided to fish the run. It seemed super fishy and the sculpzilla got some feedback via a couple bumps here and there so I kept working down and picked up a fiesty rainbow. I had a big take on the first work through so with the light quickly faded I worked it one more time and picked up a chunkier rainbow to finish the day. Hopin' for browns but a thicc rainbow will do. I gotta say I'm a little surprised Winston removed the 11'6 5wt microspey from their new lineup. The thing casts like a dream and I'm excited to use it at Pyramid.

_WW_ · Dec 20, 2023

Skol_Engh said:
The thing casts like a dream and I'm excited to use it at Pyramid.

When are you heading there?

John Svahn · Dec 20, 2023

Skol_Engh said:
Quick Sunday afternoon session post Vikings win. Still getting acquainted with this river and just doing some recon and slapping the water here and there. I even had a crowd of onlookers but they weren't impressed by my spey casts. A certain Rolling Stones tune was top of mind.
View attachment 90686

I didn't have much luck so I picked up and drove upstream a bit. I drove by this pickup truck with a Ween sticker. Normally I'd just keep driving in search of unoccupied turnouts but I saw this guy emerging from the river bank, waders on, and I figure I'd tell him I appreciated the Ween sticker. He was a nice guy and kindly let slip that during a guided float he had caught some hawgs in the general region of the pull out. After exchanging numbers he took off and I decided to fish the run. It seemed super fishy and the sculpzilla got some feedback via a couple bumps here and there so I kept working down and picked up a fiesty rainbow. I had a big take on the first work through so with the light quickly faded I worked it one more time and picked up a chunkier rainbow to finish the day. Hopin' for browns but a thicc rainbow will do. I gotta say I'm a little surprised Winston removed the 11'6 5wt microspey from their new lineup. The thing casts like a dream and I'm excited to use it at Pyramid.

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I was down there on the same day. Was not fishing. I may have seen you. I was walking our dog, a black/brown/white springer. Wierd how that herd of horses craps together into giant piles. My dog was in to it!