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Swing the Fly

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Two-Handed Overhead Casting for Musky

For a number of years before I took to the two-hander for musky, my fishing partner Nick Pionessa utilized two hand casting to effectively deliver big flies in a range of wind and weather conditions. After hanging on to the single-hand approach for too many years, I finally saw the light and moved to two-handed casting. And I will never go back.

Spey 101

Building a basic understanding of Spey casting, including techniques, equipment, terminology, and history. All Spey 101 content is free to view for non-members. Learn and Enjoy!

Conservation

Brought to you by Patagonia logo

Passing on healthy rivers and fish populations to the next generation is a responsibility all swung fly anglers must be committed to. Keep tabs here on the latest news from our conservation partners and learn how you can help.

  • Point Of Engagement: Part 4
    "Sentiment without action is the death of the soul." Edward Abbey – A Voice Crying in the Wilderness: Notes from a Secret Journal
  • Approaching Conservation Through an Angling Culture
    If you’re reading this, you probably know what it is like to hold one of these amazing fish. It can be a transcendent experience. It’s…
  • Point of Engagement: Part 3
    My choice to return to the river that day, I didn’t realize until later, was an act of acceptance and an acknowledgement of the realities…
  • Point of Engagement: Part 2
    A long time ago, someone told me every piece of river should be treated like it’s someone’s favorite place in the entire world, because it…

Fly Tying

  • The Way of Winter
    While other anglers are fumbling in the parking lot with size 24 flies on 6x drop-shot rigs, the swung fly angler can tie on a…
  • Hackling Spiders and Flymphs
    There is no single correct way to hackle a wee fly, and there are a handful of ways to get the job done, but hackling…
  • Mojo Sculpin
    The Mojo Sculpin earned its name and a permanent place in the box the past couple seasons, turning the trick on early spring pre-spawn rainbows…
  • Fly of the Month: Skwala (part 2)
    Prior to the writings of G.E.M Skues emphasizing the importance of the nymph, most of the old English wetflies and Yorkshire spiders were dressed to…

Atlantic Salmon

  • Episode 66 – David Bishop
    https://www.spreaker.com/user/11272357/episode-066 I got the chance to speak with David Bishop this week. Listen in as we discuss fishing at two-years-old, the beauty of casting, working…
  • The Last Salmon
    I sometimes feel as if Angler #1 (Dry Fly Guy) is perched on my left shoulder and Angler #2 (Bottom Ranger) sits on my right…
  • Terminal Thinking
    Terminal thinking seems especially prevalent as we contemplate the changes to our lives in a post-COVID-19 world. It’s a tough time to be a swinger…
  • A Handful of Flies from the Kola Peninsula: Part I
    The Belousiha River Lodge is a small fishing camp on Russia’s Kola Peninsula.

Great Lakes

International

Brought to you by:

  • An Adventure in Argentina
    Southern Patagonia is known for its windy days.
  • The P.T. Slow Swing
    So simple and so effective, I cannot say how often it‘s saved my day, from my rivers at home, to along the classic rivers in…
  • The Green Machine and the Rio Grande
    Last January, Michael and I finally stood on the banks of the Rio Grande in Tierra del Fuego. Like always, we booked on a relatively…
  • Skjern Å: A Real Life Fairy Tale
    Like the ugly duckling from Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale, there is a hint of metaphor in my small story about a “ditch” that,…

Spey Casting


Trout Spey

  • The Way of Winter
    While other anglers are fumbling in the parking lot with size 24 flies on 6x drop-shot rigs, the swung fly angler can tie on a…
  • Hackling Spiders and Flymphs
    There is no single correct way to hackle a wee fly, and there are a handful of ways to get the job done, but hackling…
  • Swinging for Grayling
    Casting a light skagit head made the fishing methodical – swinging the riffles and dropping my fly into seams produced a dozen or so fish,…
  • Adding Movement to the Swung Fly
    Controlling fly speed and depth through casting angle and line manipulation typically provides the presentation enhancements that result in success.

West Coast

  • Guide Gossip #12: When Do You Go Subsurface?
    As a guide or avid angler, you start to learn the river intimately and eventually figure out what works. What you are left with is…
  • Icons: Mike Kinney
    Mike Kinney, known as the “Godfather of Skagit” to many, is quietly and humbly one of the most respected legends of Pacific Northwest steelheading.
  • Icons: John Shewey
    ertainly at the same time—in Oregon, Washington, BC, and on other streams in CA—fly anglers were succeeding in catching these enigmatic fish on flies, but…
  • Guide Gossip #11: The Most Difficult Thing About Steelhead Fishing
    I believe people who chose to fish for steelhead with a swung fly choose more than just the species itself. It is about the connection…