Spey Bros

Rob Allen

Life of the Party
Spey bros are a thing. They are the younger generation of spey addicts.
Not talking about your Mike Kinney, or Dec Hogan, or Ed Ward gen 1 type spey addicts.
Spey bros are the kids of the OG spey addicts. They love the game, but for different reasons.

There are a few things that define the 'spey bro'
  • Have presence on Instagram (minimum 500 followers)
  • Every trip to the river results in multiple posts with hashtag #speylife #speybum #speyguy etc. etc.
  • Possess minimum (3) Yeti coolers
  • Can't snake roll
  • Can't single spey
  • Probably wears a flat bill hat
  • Wardrobe is 70% simms, 30% Howler Bros
  • Usually brings minimum of (4) rods on every trip to the river. Despite the fact that one is plenty.
  • Owns at least (3) go pros.
  • Rio/Airflo is the only line they know
  • "Crushes" Vitamin R e.g. Rainier Beer
  • Probably has 27 different stickers on his truck indicating he fly fishes.
  • Does not 'get' the appeal of clicker reels
  • Says the word "bro" more often than necessary (which is basically never)
  • Responds to statements with the phrase "for sure"
  • Probably has a tan line from sun glasses
  • Doesn't understand why anyone would fish for steelhead with anything other than an intruder
  • Uses fluorocarbon leader
  • Has every single MOW tip made by Rio
  • Takes 7,000 photos of each and every single steelhead they catch. Even hatchery fish.
  • Posts to instagram photos of caught steelhead while out on the river.
  • Constantly looking at phone
  • Doesn't own an indicator
That's a starting point for you.
I scored a zero on that list, technically I do own indicators. The little foam pinch on floats.
 

Shad

Life of the Party
Snake-rolling isn't that hard, but I must say I rarely use that cast, at least partly because I'm not experienced enough with a two-hander to have my brain quickly recognize where that cast is the right one for the situation. The Spey fishers that impress me are the ones who have done so much of it that the decisions about what casts to use in what situations are instantaneous, and their motions appear completely natural. I am just getting to the point where I can execute double speys and snap-t casts reliably. I can single Spey, but I'm much better at that when fishing a dry line without sink tips.

Yeah.... If I Spey fished more often and got a flat brim hat, I guess I would probably qualify as a Bro....
 

Dustin Chromers

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
Spey bros are a thing. They are the younger generation of spey addicts.
Not talking about your Mike Kinney, or Dec Hogan, or Ed Ward gen 1 type spey addicts.
Spey bros are the kids of the OG spey addicts. They love the game, but for different reasons.

There are a few things that define the 'spey bro'
  • Have presence on Instagram (minimum 500 followers)
  • Every trip to the river results in multiple posts with hashtag #speylife #speybum #speyguy etc. etc.
  • Possess minimum (3) Yeti coolers
  • Can't snake roll
  • Can't single spey
  • Probably wears a flat bill hat
  • Wardrobe is 70% simms, 30% Howler Bros
  • Usually brings minimum of (4) rods on every trip to the river. Despite the fact that one is plenty.
  • Owns at least (3) go pros.
  • Rio/Airflo is the only line they know
  • "Crushes" Vitamin R e.g. Rainier Beer
  • Probably has 27 different stickers on his truck indicating he fly fishes.
  • Does not 'get' the appeal of clicker reels
  • Says the word "bro" more often than necessary (which is basically never)
  • Responds to statements with the phrase "for sure"
  • Probably has a tan line from sun glasses
  • Doesn't understand why anyone would fish for steelhead with anything other than an intruder
  • Uses fluorocarbon leader
  • Has every single MOW tip made by Rio
  • Takes 7,000 photos of each and every single steelhead they catch. Even hatchery fish.
  • Posts to instagram photos of caught steelhead while out on the river.
  • Constantly looking at phone
  • Doesn't own an indicator
That's a starting point for you.

Ward was the first Spey bro. Bros all started when skagit heads opened up Spey angling to a talentless formerly indicator fishing hipster public with a need to belong to an obscure cult. This need to identify their being as part of a cult speaks to the fact they don't really have much else going for them in life. Ward caught fish. His devotees not so much other than a small slice. Like any cultism type sport Spey bros like hipsters revel in esoteric old shit or new hip shit. They can fish an old Hardy or carbon fiber infused super drag reel cause they will never actually test it. They won't catch shit. And if they do it will be some Kelt of about eight pounds. To which they will sing the praises of said reel of choice. These are the guys with the freshest hottest gear but some old shit for that slicer mustache flair. They get "grabs" or "eats" in every run. When they do hook up the go pro is running and it's an hour or more to land an average steelhead and release it. They speak in hashtags and have fly patches on the outside of their raft so you can see the "gnarly junk chickens" they throw for that winter chrome. They are the clowns of the angling world. They are the fake burnout surfer or skateboarder with a bigger budget. If it's not "the deathstar" it's some other hip shit. Same shit different channel.
 

Salmo_g

Legend
Forum Supporter
Ward was the first Spey bro.

Uh no; I don't think so. I know Ed Ward - or did, haven't seen him in years now since he moved back to Michigan. Ed was a first rate steelhead bum. He quit a steady job so he would have more time to fish. He became a fishing guide to have some means of support. What Ed did, is along with McCune and O'Donnell (MOW), is develop the idea of splicing sections of floating and sinking line material together so that the combination was always 15' long and weighed the same amount of grains. The notion being that an angler wouldn't have to adjust his casting stroke every time he or she wanted to change the length of their sink tip. A pretty good notion, actually. Ed also teamed up with Jerry French, as I recall, to design the Intruder fly pattern, where the intent was to simulate bulk without mass. Another pretty good idea. Lastly, Ed was among those who figured out how to meld the junk we use for winter steelhead fishing with actual Spey casting. If the descriptions of Spey Bros in this thread are an indication, that's not Ward.
 

Rob Allen

Life of the Party
When did everyone cast a spey rod for the first time?
For me it was sometime between 92 and 94.
Had my own shortly thereafter and realized I had already been spey casting for a decade.
 

Salmo_g

Legend
Forum Supporter
I was late to the Spey game, relatively speaking. 1991, with the 16' Thunderstick prototype blank that Jimmy Green gave me. I had no idea how to Spey cast, so I just made roll casts. Took it out on the Skagit for the inaugural outing and promptly hooked a steelhead of about 6 pounds. The bank was brushy with no gravel bar. I couldn't figure out how to get close to the fish with such a long rod. So I reeled in part of the leader, hoisted the fish into the air, and derecked it around and over the brush to a gravel wash on the backside. I laid the rod on the bank and ran around behind the brush to retrieve the fish (a hatchery steelhead that I killed).
 

brownheron

corvus ossifragus
Ward was the first Spey bro. Bros all started when skagit heads opened up Spey angling to a talentless formerly indicator fishing hipster public with a need to belong to an obscure cult. This need to identify their being as part of a cult speaks to the fact they don't really have much else going for them in life. Ward caught fish. His devotees not so much other than a small slice. Like any cultism type sport Spey bros like hipsters revel in esoteric old shit or new hip shit. They can fish an old Hardy or carbon fiber infused super drag reel cause they will never actually test it. They won't catch shit. And if they do it will be some Kelt of about eight pounds. To which they will sing the praises of said reel of choice. These are the guys with the freshest hottest gear but some old shit for that slicer mustache flair. They get "grabs" or "eats" in every run. When they do hook up the go pro is running and it's an hour or more to land an average steelhead and release it. They speak in hashtags and have fly patches on the outside of their raft so you can see the "gnarly junk chickens" they throw for that winter chrome. They are the clowns of the angling world. They are the fake burnout surfer or skateboarder with a bigger budget. If it's not "the deathstar" it's some other hip shit. Same shit different channel.

This is funny. About a million years ago (at least 20 years ago I think) when I was focused on surfing to the detriment of the rest of my life, I wrote a short overtly satirical essay called "The Seven Levels Of Surfers" that quickly spread across multiple surfing forums. This ^^ kind of reminded me of the sentiment. I deleted it years and years ago but nothing dies on the internet... A quick google and I found a copy:

The Seven Levels Of Surfers

I think what you're describing as Spey Bros falls solidly into the Quiverbaiter category.

QuiverBaiter – Level 1

Lowest level, equivalent to “Hell” in Christian mythology or having just enough Karma to be reincarnated as a cockroach in Buddhism. These men (and they are always men) have no real interest in the spirit of the wave or the soul of surfing because they have no souls. Lacking souls, they cannot express the imagination and feeling required to become one with the wave and do not have the dedication needed to evolve any further. This is why if QuiverBaiters ever do bother to surf they are clueless kooks.

Most Quiverbaiters seem to come from technical avocations like engineering, computers or the research sciences. These people worry too much about having the latest or what they consider the ‘best’ equipment regardless of whether it is suitable for their location or ability. They are completely oblivious to the fact so obvious to Surfers of a higher level of surfing spirituality – the board does not make the Surfer, the combination of Soul and Stoke interacting harmoniously with the Wave is what makes the Surfer.

Because they buy one board after another looking for the one that will magically transform them into Surfers, they acquire huge quivers that never see salt water. This is why they are known as QuiverBaiters. These same men often play with audio equipment, computers or automobiles. Digital cameras seem to attract a disproportionate number of Quiverbaiters for some reason. They enjoy these tools for their own sake but rarely if ever actually use them for the intended purpose like listening to music, driving fast, taking photos of things other than test charts or even surfing. Rich Amateurs who become QuiverBaiters are the guys who collect and brag about expensive wine but never bother to catch a buzz.

QuiverBaiters will talk you ear off in the parking lot. They love to discuss the intricacies of the concave in the nose of their longboard or the fins they have in their Bonzer. However, if you ever ask them to paddle out with you on a good day, they will scurry away with an impromptu lame excuse like a sore shoulder or needing run some errand for the wife/girlfriend. Do not under any circumstances deal with these people, talk to them, read their websites or especially ask their advice on board selection! I cannot emphasize this point enough. To the innocent unevolved Amateur or Weekender, they may seem like a fount of knowledge, however their sick soulless carcasses would love to drag you into their own personal surfing Hell and have your spirit mired in worrying about the quality of your board compared to some other model, rotating fins or some other arcane silliness. If you start worrying about these things, you will begin to read surfing magazines, websites and Internet message boards instead of surfing and your soul too will flee your QuiverBaiting husk of a body.

These people are easy to identify. They always have a full quiver of brand new, never used boards in several lengths on top of their dedicated surf vehicle. The boards are almost always Surftechs of some other epoxy popout that is being pimped as better/lighter/stiffer or somesuch. If their board is not a SurfTech, it’s a $1,000 custom longboard that is too valuable to actually be surfed. The best thing about QuiverBaiters is that they are easy to evade. You simply have to paddle out, free your Stoke and feel the spirit of the Wave.



Thanks for triggering some nostalgia .
 
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SurfnFish

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
proper response by a speybro whenever affirming a statement from another speybro..."100%"
 

O' Clarkii Stomias

Landlocked Atlantic Salmon
Forum Supporter
I was late to the Spey game, relatively speaking. 1991, with the 16' Thunderstick prototype blank that Jimmy Green gave me. I had no idea how to Spey cast, so I just made roll casts. Took it out on the Skagit for the inaugural outing and promptly hooked a steelhead of about 6 pounds. The bank was brushy with no gravel bar. I couldn't figure out how to get close to the fish with such a long rod. So I reeled in part of the leader, hoisted the fish into the air, and derecked it around and over the brush to a gravel wash on the backside. I laid the rod on the bank and ran around behind the brush to retrieve the fish (a hatchery steelhead that I killed).
Keep 'em wet bro!
 
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