SPEY NATION RETURNS AUG. 8-10, 2025

Swing The Fly is honored to announce Spey Nation will return August 8-10, 2025, to the storied banks of the Salmon River in beautiful Oswego County New York. 

This year, we aim to honor the event’s decades-long traditions AND offer a few new and exciting updates. 

Spey Nation Presentation Lineup (schedule coming soon)

Now less than a month away, the Saturday, August 9th presentation lineup for Spey Nation 2025 is taking shape. This year the presentations have been carefully curated to provide a range of practical information for attendees to become better casters and better anglers.

• Jeff Liskay – How to Manage Slack, Anchor, and Control Force throughout your Spey Cast
• Nick Pionessa – A Practical Approach to the Swing
• Daniel Ritz – There’s Only One Rule: Suggestions to Simplify Spey Casting Longer Lines
• Rick Kustich – Covering the Water
• Steve Szeglia – Bamboo Spey Rods and Dry Line Techniques
• Garrett Brancy – The Douglaston Salmon Run

There is still one opening in the Friday August 8th Spey School and the casting classes on Friday and Sunday. For more details go to https://swingthefly.com/spey-nation/

Sign Up Now: Small Group Casting Classes

Classes for three, and six students (no more than three students per instructor) are available for $200 (four-hour classes) on Friday, August 8th, and Sunday, August 10th.

CLICK TO SEE ALL CLASSES AND REGISTER TODAY

Spey Nation: Spey School 2025 by Swing The Fly

Friday, August 8th, 2025 

The first-ever Spey Nation Spey School event brought to you by Swing The Fly in partnership with Douglaston Salmon Run (DSR) is designed to be a comprehensive learning opportunity for anglers to develop and/or refine sound fundamental spey casting techniques as well as every necessary aspect to successfully spey cast and fish the swung fly. Participants can expect a fun, fulfilling and informative day at DSR that is guaranteed to greatly improve skills and assist in becoming a more complete angler.

The 2025 Spey Nation Spey Nation School will be taught by some of our community’s top anglers and instructors including: 

• Rick Kustich – Swing The Fly Great Lakes Editor, multi-time author 
• Jeff Liskay – legendary Great Lakes guide and instructor
• Nick Pionessa – renowned casting instructor, experienced regional guide 
• Daniel Ritz – Editor, Swing The Fly 

We’re tailoring the Spey School’s curriculum to accommodate anglers of all skill levels and interest, in an effort to meet the needs of each individual participant. 

Summary of Spey Nation Spey School 2025 Curriculum 

• With the new format, there will be a dynamic casting session in the morning beginning at 8:00am. The objective of the morning session is to focus on the fundamentals of casting and tailor the instruction to your individual needs.  We’ll break for lunch (included in price) with an afternoon session beginning at 1:00 pm. In the afternoon, the focus will be on practical application, including rigging, presentation strategies and tips, and making the proper cast for a given fishing situation. 

Spey Nation Spey School 2025 Logistics 

Main Event – Saturday, August 9th 

• Free, Open to the public presentations at Pineville Boat Launch
• Presentations from 9am to approximately 2:30 PM. 
• Designated time at end for participants to cast rods and lines – instructors available to assist
• Free lunch 
• Appearances by other local/regional Swing The Fly contributors as well as recommended spey guides, recommended Spey shops and more. 

Casting Classes – Sunday, August 10th

• Individual casting classes with the Spey Nation Spey School will be available on Sunday. These will be small groups, no more than three students per instructor, with specific focuses. These classes will be available to the public, for folks looking for a tune-up or a casting lesson that may not have the time or ability to attend Spey School. 
• More to come on individual casting classes. 

If you have any questions about Spey Nation Spey School, contact Rick Kustich, Great Lakes Editor, Swing The Fly at RKustich@hotmail.com- or Daniel Ritz, Editor, Swing The Fly, at DanielR@SwingTheFly.com 

BE SURE TO JOIN OUR FREE SPEY NATION 2025 EMAIL LIST TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN MORE DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE AND REGISTRATION IS OPEN

Spey Nation 2025 is Sponsored By:

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