Trout spey borrows the two-handed casting and swung-fly tradition of steelhead and salmon fishing and scales it down to trout-sized rivers. With a light two-handed rod, you make efficient casts with little room behind you and swing a fly across and down through a run, covering water methodically and searching for a player. When a trout takes on the swing, the tight-line grab is one of the great sensations in fly fishing.
Why swing flies
Swinging is a searching, covering-water method, ideal when fish are not rising and you want to work through a run efficiently. It shines with soft hackles, wet flies and small streamers that come alive broadside in the current. And because the line comes tight as the fly swings below you, fish often hook themselves, no fast reflexes required, which makes it a surprisingly forgiving way to fish.
How it is done
- Cast across and slightly down. A two-handed rod lets you do this with minimal backcast room, a real advantage on brushy rivers.
- Mend and control the swing. Manage the line so the fly swings at a natural pace across the current, broadside and enticing.
- Let it hang. At the end of the swing, let the fly hang in the current below you for a moment, fish often eat right there.
- Step and repeat. Take a step or two downstream after each swing to methodically cover the whole run.
Tip Resist the urge to strike on the grab. Let the fish turn with the fly and the tight line drive the hook home, lifting too soon pulls the fly out of its mouth. Keep a slight loop of line to feed a hard take on the swing.
Gear
A light trout spey rod (a two-handed rod in a trout line weight) with a matched swing-style line, plus a box of soft hackles, wets and small streamers. It is a specialized setup, but it opens up water and a way of fishing that a single-handed rod cannot match. For stripped-streamer tactics, see streamer fishing for trout.