For more, be sure to subscribe to Travis Johnson’s Everything Spey channel on Instagram. You can book a day of fishing for Trout, Summer, or Winter Steelhead with Travis. Book with him today by messaging him directly on Instagram: @All_Waters_Angling . You can learn m… Become a member of Swing the Fly To read this […]
Articles
The Art of Seeing
For a long time, now, I’ve been thinking of a story I heard about two men who visit the Museum of Modern Art, right in the heart of Manhattan. The island of concrete where there’s not a trout stream for hours and hours. Just a sea of humanity. The first man is someone I’ve probably […]
Spey 101: Simplify
Most spey anglers start their two-hand casting and swung fly journey with one rod, one line, and a handful of flies. Sometime soon, though, if they’re hooked, that will change drastically. Multiple rods, reels, lines and more will overfill the truck bed. If we don’t have a fishing friend who takes a… Become a member […]
B.T.S & S.B.S: The Thompson River Caddis
I went through a phase of fishing where I spent a large portion of my time only fishing surface patterns. Regardless of temperature or conditions, I had some pattern designed to skate or wake in the film on the end of my tippet. I didn’t care much about catching a fish; I was more about […]
Dead Wet Things
After the last snowfall, the earth cracked open under the sun’s strange heat. The mountains sighed and spilled shimmering streams to gather at their hems; the water rolling east down into the valleys as veins to nourish and awaken the dormant earth to a new spring. The water bodiesrose; the fish returned to spawn. My […]
The Huchenwaschl
Do you know what a “waschl“ is? I’ll guess not, so you get a short crash course in Bavarian dialect. Actually, there are many variations to explain and translate this word but the main concern for us is that it usually means something big. So if you meet a Bavarian fisherman and he tells you […]
“So, You’re Saying I Shouldn’t Use a Skagit Line On The Skagit River?”
Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. At least insofar as we’re talking a standard Skagit head with a floating body and a chunk of T-whatever looped to the end. “Heresy!” you say. Maybe. Maybe not. In fact, you might be better off using a full-sinking Scandi line when fishing for winter steelhead on the Skagit […]
The Treacle Parkin: Dressing & Recipe
“… What did they live on?” asked Alice, who always took a great interest in questions of eating and drinking. “They lived on treacle,” said the Dormouse, after thinking a minute or two. ~What The Dormouse Said Language changes to keep up with the needs of its users. Yet, lately, it seems nomenclature stumbles to stay on […]
Covering the Water
As spey anglers, we are often most focused on the cast. And why not, spey casting is an enjoyable, engaging process. Sure, it can be frustrating, but those drawn to this sport are typically energized by the challenge as well as the tactical advantage of a cast that allows for ultimate efficiency in changing direction […]
Episode 144 – Mike Archer
I’m joined by Mike Archer for this weeks episode and we discuss his initial start to fishing, a passion for music, his time guiding, aggressive tundra trout, bamboo and his journey to rod building, the benefits of knowing how to fix a rod, bamboo building’s low barrier to entry, silk lines, the upcoming Sandy Clave, […]
Coming Soon: Swing The Fly Online Journal Returns
An open letter from the editor on what to expect with the return of the Online Journal
2025 Sandy River Spey Clave Vendor List
Who and what you’ll find for demo rods, reels, lines, your rig, and boats. Oh my!