Another Tuesday means another River Rambler and this week I’m joined by Tom Mahan. We talk about growing up with a backyard fishing spot, firefighting, learning the many forms of spey, guiding, different fishing ideologies, Alaska’s chinook and rainbows, jiujitsu and martial arts mindsets, muddlers and Swedish Fish.
Articles
The Ten Seven Switch
Many of my favorite steelhead rivers in Alaska are no place for a full-sized spey rod or even an eleven-foot switch. I needed something that I could spey cast with either one or two hands. I needed a quick, short rod for these overgrown streams capable of casting large flies with no backcast whatsoever and […]
Casting with Joe
“Hey, look at what I got today,” Joe said. And he rushed to bring out two new bamboo rods—big rods—one 13 feet long, the other 15 feet. These were overhead casting rods (not spey rods) for an upcoming Atlantic salmon fishing trip with Bing Crosby to the Cockermouth Castle Estate in England for an episode of ABC’s The American Sportsman.
Episode 101 – Mike Kohler
On this week’s episode I’m talking to Mike Kohler. We discuss his time fishing as a whipper snapper, accents, lobstering, getting into steelhead, dogs and kids, his introduction to spey, striper fishing, the benefits of night fishing, photo… Become a member of Swing the Fly To read this article and receive other special member-only benefits, […]
Kruk’s Spey Casting Secrets II: Line Follows Rod Tip
He’s back here in 2023 with a 1-part follow up to the popular series from 2022.
Episode 100 – Bill Pfeiffer
We’ve made it to triple digits and for the 100th episode I’m joined by Bill Pfeiffer. We discuss his time in Cuba, picky fish, parents, parties & food, Sculpin, Bill’s Super Secret Fly and his incredibly difficlut fishing apporach, trout spey, law schoold dogs, Zach Williams, and Bill’s moose rivalry.
George Grant’s Woven Nymph
George Grant and Franz Pott were the best-known tiers of the woven-hackle fly with their Featherbacks, Black Creepers, Fizzles, and Sandy Mites.
Teaser: Kruk’s Spey Casting Secrets II
Coming in a couple weeks for Swing the Fly members: Bruce expands on “Line Follows Rod Tip”
It’s All Trout Spey
In contrast, rivers like the Sol Duc, the Queets, and other coastal rivers tend to be smaller, steeper, receive more rainfall, and have less volcanic geology, all of which tends to make them inherently less productive for growing large trout.
Linespeed Jedi Exclusive: Spiral Single Spey
Mr. Linespeed is back with some tips and tricks for the spiral single spey.
10 Years of Swing the Fly
10 Years. 29 Magazines (9 digital only from June 2013 through 2015), 20 in print (2016-2020). And now four books with a fifth soon to come (2023 Anthology is due out in September).
Episode 98 – Alice Gilibert, Elaine Gong, and Whitney Gould
On this episode Alice Gilibert, Elaine Gong, and Whitney Gould are going me and we have a fantastic chat. We cover how they all got into fishing, competitive casting, pace cars and medicine chests, competition nerves, The American Casting Association, spey casts vs Belgian casts, movie recommendations, Golden Gate Angling Club and Angling Foundation, and […]