Thanks to each and every one of the hundreds of Swing The Fly members who completed the Swing The Fly 2024 Survey of Spey 2024!
Congratulations to Clay Holley, respondent # 270, for winning a LIFETIME digital and print subcription to Swing The Fly.
Sure, we got all of his answers to the survey, but, we wanted to get to know Clay a bit more, so, we modified some of our usual ICONS series questions, to get to know him a bit better.
Tell us a bit about yourself, where you’re from, how you got started swinging flies?
I grew up in southeastern Oklahoma and spent a lot of time outdoors with my father and Uncle from an early age. One of my earliest memories is catching largemouth bass out of a farm pond with a fiberglass rod and old Zebco push-button reel. Even though my dad fly fished a bit when I was growing up, I did not start fly fishing until I was in my mid-20s while living and going to school in North Carolina. I didn’t really start swinging flies until I moved to Montana in 2014. Once I started swinging flies and casting two hand rods, I have rarely fished any other way. Too much fun!
Do you have a single favorite fly to swing? How about a favorite fly you have designed yourself?
I don’t have a single favorite fly to swing, but I prefer dry/skated flies in general. If I had to pick one fly currently, I would probably pick Todd Hirano’s version of a Bomber, what he calls the “Bivisi-Bomber”, to tie on and skate. I like that it floats well but is tied with natural materials. With that being said, I’ve started getting interested in the old classic salmon (wet) flies in the last couple of years and enjoy the history behind those. The rabbit hole on flies goes deep and in various directions. I enjoy tying flies but don’t have much time with a young family to consistently sit down and tie. I’ve never designed my own fly, but maybe someday I will! I often find myself looking at various plants and/or animals and thinking, “what could I tie with that material?”. My youngest daughter, age seven, recently tied a fly with our Bernedoodle’s hair after a grooming – made me proud.
You mentioned you first heard about Swing The Fly from a guide or outfitter, can you tell us the story of who, where, etc?
The first time I saw an issue of Swing The Fly was on a steelhead trip to BC several years ago. I was in a cabin near the Bulkley River and someone had stacked three or four issues of the magazine on a table in that cabin, so one night I picked one up and started reading it. I have been a consistent follower of the print and digital material of Swing The Fly since.
Which river do you consider to be your “Home River” (or rivers)?
My home river is the (lower) Madison in Montana. My family and I live on the river, so I have a great place to practice Spey casting and swinging flies. I get some funny looks from the guys and gals drifting down the river with their single hand rods and nymph/indicator rigs (nothing wrong with that, by the way, just not my thing) and here I am casting a 15 foot rod and mid-belly line with a yarn “fly” – they often ask me, “are you catching anything with that?”. I usually simply say “no” instead of explaining that I enjoy Spey casting as much as I enjoy fishing, so I often don’t have a hook on the end of my line. The other day I was practicing my left-hand-up single Spey cast, and a guy floated by me saying, “you gotta get that line up in the air out behind you before you cast forward”. I don’t think he had ever seen a Spey cast before, and his six pack of beer had galvanized his expertise on all things fly casting and fishing. I smiled and waved and kept working on my anchor placement, and he seemed quite troubled by my inability to get that line aerialized behind me.
Which river that you have never fished before would you most like to try?
The River Spey in Scotland without a doubt.
What is your favorite two-hand rod, and what line do you most like to use with it? (Or, a few favorites kits)
I have to be careful with my answer here in case my wife reads this. My answer if she reads this: “I only have a couple two hand rods and an old reel or two.” Ha. The truth is I enjoy rods and reels from several makers. I especially enjoy casting and fishing with bamboo two hand rods, and I prefer reels that allow me to control “drag” with my fingertips and/or palm, e.g., an Olson G&P with rotating back plate. In the graphite rod category, I’ve consistently gravitated toward Burkheimer rods, and the 8142-4 is the rod I would choose if someone told me I could only have one graphite two hander. For lines, Bridge lines have been my go-to for the past few years no matter the style of line, from mid-belly to Skagit-style. Those lines cast beautifully, and I have found Tim A. to be an amazing resource and a genuinely nice person.
What is a single – or a few – favorite memories from your times on the water?
We would not go fishing without fish, yet my best memories on the water are not necessarily of fish but of those with whom I share the fishing. Now that my wife and I have three daughters, my favorite times on the water are with them. Seeing them have wide-eyed moments of wonder, whether it be seeing a cutthroat trout up close for the first time, seeing an osprey dive to catch a fish right in front of us, or simply turning over rocks to see what lies beneath, outshines any fish I could ever catch, no matter how big and bright.
In your opinion, what’s the key to conserving wild fish?
Understanding it will cost us – conservation comes at a cost. We have selfishly taxed these species for decades and have stacked the deck against them in numerous ways, some of which we can no longer control in the short to medium term. These fish have survived eons of change, but we have thrown a lot at them over a relatively short period of time, e.g., cutting off access to cold water spawning grounds, introducing competition for food sources, and overharvesting, just to name a few. We have to make some inconvenient and selfless choices in how we utilize resources now and in the future. I have faith these fish can make it, but only if we fight with them and for them. This past winter, I was talking with Tom Derry of Native Fish Society about a “fish tithe” they came up with, i.e., giving 10% of one’s annual fishing budget to support wild fish conservation. That idea resonated with me, and I have committed to giving 10% of my annual fishing budget to organizations like Native Fish Society (and there are several other good ones). Maybe it’s not for everybody, but it seemed like a good thing for me.
What are your plans for swinging flies for the next five years?
I really hope to get my three daughters out there with me consistently. They are currently ages 7, 9, and 11 and are starting to cast a two hand rod fairly well. They enjoy casting practice, at least for a few minutes at a time, and all three are showing an interest in swinging flies. We trout Spey on the rivers of SW Montana, and I hope to get them on a steelhead or two in the next five years in the Pacific Northwest/BC.
