Troutspey

Swing Tip: Anchor Placement

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There are a few critical components of a Spey cast that I like to emphasize in our trout Spey clinics, because they are the keys to troubleshooting when your cast heads south. Clinics, demonstrations, books and YouTube are all great resources, but they don’t offer much help while you are out on the water. Maybe your different, but when my cast falls apart I’m usually on the water, not in front of my computer.

I’ve had the opportunity to cast and fish with (and just observe) some great Spey casters in my life. All the great – and consistent – Spey casters I have spent time around have one thing in common. They are masters of anchor placement. And, they pay close attention to their anchor on every cast.

Most of us are stoked if we place our anchor in a target the size of a drift boat. Most of the time that’s close enough to keep us fishing. But the great casters are placing their fly in an exact spot when they set the anchor. Like in an area the size of a basketball. And they “watch” the fly into that spot. It’s not too far fore or aft, and it’s generally very close to them.

For novice casters, I recommend that you try and set your anchor within a rod length of you. You can get away with a rod length and a half, but we’re trying to improve, right? Get it close. You want that anchor to be lined up with your target, and generally even with your body position to whichever side you intend to launch from.

I won’t go into the “how” here, there are abundant resources for that, and everyone has a different opinion. But I will stress that you’re never going to be a great Spey caster if you “drag” your fly into position. You are going to have to aerialize that line to achieve close and accurate anchor placement.

These can be very touchy/Feedly moves, and you need to spend some time practicing. Mileage counts here, and you’ll be rewarded by taking some time from fishing while you simply practice setting the anchor. Each time you get in a new run, practice your anchor set 10 or 20 times before you begin practicing and fishing. As you move through the day, you’ll begin to develop muscle memory from both sides of the river, both shoulders, and in a variety of currents and wind directions.

Sounds boring for sure. But you will never be a great two-handed caster until you master anchor placement. I always encourage students to find their own style. There are plenty of great casters out there, and they all have different options of which way is the “right way”. Find the one that works best for you.

And the next time you’re struggling through a run, stop and focus on your anchor placement. Improving the anchor tends to improve the cast.

 

 

Swing Tip: Sweep to the Bank

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You should have a plan for setting the hook. When we dry fly fish we lift slow and high. In the Tarpon boat is an aggressive strip set. Bobber lobbers hit ‘em hard and fast.

Fishing a swung fly with a Spey rod is no different. You need a plan.

It’s a simple one, but many trout fisherman find it difficult to adapt. I see a lot of straight-up, high tip hook sets out on the river. And I see a lot of those fish come unpinned.

When you are swinging a fly down and across, you should prepare for the hookset by leading you line with the rod tip, not following it. Lead it gently, as if your about to pull the fly, and keep your rod tip low. Your rod tip should be below horizontal.

When a fish grabs, there will be a moment when you may have to make a decision about timing. Steelhead anglers will generally let the fish turn and take a little line before they come tight. Works great on Steelhead, but not on Trout. I’m not going to describe every kind of take you can get from a Trout, but it will range from takes you literally cannot feel to explosive strikes that can burn your finger. On those lighter takes you may want to let the fish take a bit before the hookset.

So, now you’ve decided to set the hook on a fish. You’re pretty tight to the fish already because you’re leading that swing (if you’re following your swing with the tip you may not even feel the take). Your rod tip is low and you should have the line under your finger on the grip, and your stripping hand on the line.

In one smooth motion you should sweep your rod quickly to the bank (keeping the tip low), and perform a long strip strike. If it’s a small fish or a fish that comes at you continue stripping.. long aggressive strips.

You should be hooked up now. Time to keep that rod low and towards the bank. Begin the fight in that position you finished your hookset on. As the battle progresses you can change angles however you need.

Mike McCune - Downstream Shoulder Perry Poke

Mike McCune – Downstream Shoulder Perry Poke

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Mike McCune – Downstream Shoulder Perry Poke

Today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog we show you a great cast demonstrated by Mike McCune. The Downstream Shoulder Perry Poke.

Shop for a new spey rod then watch this video several times.

Then go out and execute.

If it does not come all that easily to you attend one of our Trout Spey Clinics upcoming Saturday/Sunday Dec 2nd and 3rd. Call today to get yourself on board for our famous free clinics. You will learn how to cast!

Fun times here at Headhunters coming up soon. Enjoy the last day of your first holiday break.

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2017-18 Trout Spey Lineup

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The 2017-18 Spey season has begun on the Missouri River, and it’s time to layout the gear we use while swinging the Mo’. Last season we began a transition from 6 and 7 weight spey outfits down to true ultralight rigs in the 2,3 and 4 weight class. That transition is now complete. For 95% of our fishing we are using true “troutspey” equipment. We occasionally may reach for a 6 weight, and the shop will continue to sell lines, tips, reels and the other gear you need to rig rods up to 9 weight. Our clinics – and this post – will focus on equipment below 360 grains (5 weight).

WHY SO LIGHT?

Remember, those 2, 3 and 4 weight spey rods that sound so light, effectively correlate to 4, 5 and 6 weight rods. So really, your using standard gear. If you’re new to spey fishing, these rods will feel much more familiar to your hand. Most are 10’6″ – 11’6″ in length. Your reel will be a 5-7 weight reel. In terms of total weight, you’ll not be far off from your 9′ #5, though the swing weight will be increased significantly.

These ultralight rods are a pleasure to fish with and you won’t feel overmanned with a 14″ trout on the end of your line. Softer presentations can be important, especially when fishing soft hackles, and these sticks do the job when lined properly. We’re fishing for trout after all, so why not use some trout gear. Thanks to manufacturers like Echo, Scientific Anglers, Sage, OPST and RIO, trout spey anglers now have a decent amount of gear to choose from.

RODS

The ECHO TR Trout will continue to be our most popular spey rod for the 2017-18 season. It’s a great rod, finished nicely and really does everything you’d ask from a trout spey rod at a reasonable price of $379. Everyone seems to like the army green/orange tipped cosmetics, and many folks comment on the slender grip, which can make a long day of casting more comfortable. Like all of the TR family, these rods throw both Scandi and Skagit lines with ease. If you like to throw giant Galloup-esque flies, you can comfortably over line these rods to increase turnover power. Pretty much all of our staff owns at least one of these rods, and we use them for demo rods in our casting clinics. We’re very familiar with them, and have matched them with nearly every line we carry, so we can easily get you paired with the right line for your casting and fishing style. If you’re looking for a 2 weight, however, you’ll have to look elsewhere. The Echo TR comes in 11′ #3 and 11’3″ #4 variations. Also, we still throw the 12’6″ #6 occasionally on the Missouri, and it’s an excellent choice for Summer Steelhead on the Ronde, Deschuttes, etc. Great rod, great company and great customer service.

The SAGE ONE Trout Spey is one of the first – and arguably the best – dedicated Spey (not switch) rod on the market. Designed with help from Skagit guru Mike McCune, the Sage is a really sweet caster designed to throw relaxed sustained anchor casts. As you’d expect from Sage, the finish is top shelf like the action. You will definitely feel a weight difference in your hand when you pick up one of these vs. a price-point rod like the ECHO TR. The 10’9″ #2 is the preferred rod for swinging small and medium sized soft hackles on lighter tippet, while the 11′ #3 is the daily driver that will throw everything up to about a heavy #4 streamer. A perfect rod for the Missouri. We also like the 11’6″ #4 for throwing Scandi lines. Unlike the 2 and 3, the 4 is a rebranded rod from the previous ONE Switch series possessing a little faster action. While it will definitely throw a Skagit head, it shines with a longer and lighter Scandi head. Price of entry is steep, however, at $950. If you’re a dedicated spey guy or gal and a fan of Sage, you’re all in. If you’re new to the sport that may be more than you want to spend, and we don’t blame you.

New to Headhunters this season are Gary Anderson Custom Rods (ACR), from the Rogue River country in Oregon. While his name may not be familiar in Montana trout circles, Gary Anderson is widely known in the west coast spey community. His rods are used by some of the best two-handed casters in the sport, including our own Whitney Gould. The ACR Nova lineup will be first in the shop. The performance and finish of these rods easily outpaces the price, and Gary has created more troutspey models than the rest of the industry combined! The Nova comes in at $450 and is available in 2, 3 and 4 weight configurations. We will likely be bringing in some of ACR’s Elite series rods as well. We expect Nova rods to be one of our best selling models in 2018. Demo rods available some swing by and grab one for a pass or two.

The Orvis Clearwater series remains polar for those looking for Steelhead or Steelhead/Trout crossover rods. The 12′ #5 Clearwater is the only 5 weight rod we stock, and it’s an excellent choice for big streamers on the Missouri or Yellowstone, as well as lighter Steelhead work on the Grande Ronde. This would also be an excellent choice for Alaska or Patagonia trout, or Pink Salmon. The 12’6″ #6 and 13′ #7 are also popular choice for Steelhead, the latter being one of our more popular models for winter Steelhead on the coast. For newbie trout and Steelhead spey anglers, the $349 price point is easy and leaves plenty of cash for heads and tips. Orvis is not the biggest name in Spey, but everyone who throws these rods likes them. Hopefully they will enter the troutspey arena in the future…

The ECHO Glass Two Hand series remains popular with the crowd that likes, well… fiberglass. These rods have methodically slow actions that really throw some strong, nice loops. And at $279 these might be the best deal going if you like the action and the super retro honey colored blanks. The 10’6″ #3 is an excellent soft hackle rod with a soft tip that protects lighter tippets and helps increase hookups. The 10’8″ #4 is a good daily driver, especially if you fish smaller water or fish in situations that don’t require longer casts in windy conditions (sound familiar?). The 12’4″ #6 and 12’9″ #7 are also excellent rods for both big trout and Steelhead, but smaller anglers will definitely feel the extra weight after fishing one for a full day.

Thats our core group of rods, but always have some others bouncing around the shop and commonly bring in more models when our staff gets a chance to try and evaluate other rods on the market. If you’re interested in any other models ask one of us and we will likely have tried it.

LINES

Lines are the whole deal, right? At least that’s what I tell folks at our spey clinics. And it true. A couple of years ago there were very few lines available for smaller trout spey outfits. None of you defined them as “good” lines. Suddenly, we have choices. And it’s changing the way people fish for trout during late fall and winter. Thanks to the advancement of lines designed specifically for lighter trout spey applications, more and more anglers are out there swinging on their feet.

Remember, we have all of these lines in demo, and encourage you to try before you buy! Once upon a time I though when we finally got the lines we needed in the lighter weights the “grain window” would tighten up and we see less variation in line recommendations and preferences. Not true. I’m continually amazed at the wide grain window I see people choose for each rod in our shop. So take a few heads out for the day and see which you prefer.

Olympic Peninsula Skagit Tactics (OPST) really got the game going with their Pure Skagit Commando Head ($55), designed for shorter single and two-handed rods. These lines changed the game in our shop. We finally had the right lines to match up to our UL two-handers and single handed rods. The Commando is our most popular selling Spey line, and brings incredible versatility to the swing game. Customers and staff use these on two-handed rods from #2 weight on up, and we sell plenty to anglers who use them on single hand rods both while wading and from the boat. They have a nice smooth taper that throw fast tight loops and behave like a quicker Scandi line when downsized with a floating tip.

The new Scientific Anglers Spey Lite series brings us the first Scandi line created specifically for UL spey applications. Something we’ve been waiting for, and are excited to finally add to the arsenal. Near surface presentations are ofter better than deep presentation on the Missouri (like now as I write this!), and the Spey Lite Scandi throws a long way with power. Swinging soft hackles is an increasingly popular tactic, and this is the best line for that purpose without a doubt. The Spey Lite Scandi is an integrate line (1 piece) with a visual, audio and tactile transition zone that is easily to hear and feel in low light conditions. You can add a “poly-leader” as well to achieve a little depth. SA also has a Spey Lite Skagit head that is available in both an integrated and shooting head configuration. Like the Scandi version, it’s an excellent caster that throws tight loops, but with more power to turn over bigger flies and tips. I’ve been using the Shooting head model with mono running line, but have come to like the textured transition of the integrated Scandi model so much that I may switch to the integrated Skagit. It would also be nice to lose that loop-to-loop connection when retrieving a fly or landing landing a trout. The only downside of an integrated line is price ($89 vs $49 for a head) and the fact that you really need to dedicate a reel to that line.

The Airflo Skagit Scout is another very popular line in the shop. The Scout seems to be more popular with those seeking to perfect that effortless sustained anchor casting stroke. I also notice the anglers who like this line are the ones who like things overweighted a bit. The Scout throws big flies and heavy tips with ease, and is one of the better choices if you’re the type who always has 12′ of T8 and a Sex Dungeon on your rod. If you do a lot of winter Steelhead fishing you will quickly identify with the feel of this line. Very popular with the ECHO TR #4 and a favorite of local outlaw fly tier “7weight”. Normal price of $59.

RIO’s Skagit Trout Max was designed to match up with the Sage ONE Trout Spey rod series, and it’s an excellent match on those rods as well as the rest. The Trout Max series are all 11′, and are the shortest heads we’re aware of. Depending on grain weight, this can be 1-5 feet shorter than competitors heads. This creates a very powerful and compact system that can turn over larger flies than you would expect in relation to the line weight. The short head is also a blessing for those that retrieve the fly (instead of a static swing), giving you a few more feet to work that bug back before that shooting line/head connection jams in your tip-top. Watch some of videos of Mike McCune and you can see how easily this line casts in the hands of a pro. The Skagit Trout Max is $50.

SHOOTING LINES

We carry shooting or running lines from OPST (mono), Scientific Anglers (coated), Airflo (coated) and RIO (coated). If there is any are where even novice spey anglers quickly form an opinion, this is it. In general, the same guy who likes a Scandi line, also likes a coated running line (and probably integrated as well), which is good, because that’s all a pretty good match. And conversely, the guy who likes a slow, sustained anchor Skagit cast probably likes his shooting line to be mono. Again, this is good and all pairs real well.

For coated lines we have several, but the Scientific Anglers textured shooting line (.032″) is probably the most popular. It’s small enough to shoot well with lighter heads (though nothing like mono), and the texture that helps shoot ability also helps with grip and line management. The RIO ConnectCore Shooting line is also popular, but I think the fact that it comes in 4 sizes just confuses people. It’s good stuff, shoots really well and comes in a size smaller (.026″) than the SA. Some folks consider it a bit “tangley”. Both of these excellent shooting lines are $59, so significantly more expensive than mono.

OPST Lazar Line is our primary monofilament shooting line, and it comes in several sizes and colors. We also have some general purpose bulk mono at our reel winding station that you can get spooled up with. Both work fine but the OPST seems to last a little longer and is available in more and larger sizes. All mono stays kink free much longer when used with a swivel in-between the mono and the head (ask at the shop if you don’t know about this). And remember, mono is cheap, but it’s also disposable. It’s not going to last forever.

TIPS

We have an incredible selection of Skagit tips and “poly” leaders in the shop, and I cannot claim to have tried every one of them. The iMOW series from RIO ($25) is certainly the most popular, and we really like the “black/white” color combo that makes it easy to identify each tip without have to search for microscopic printing. As the industry “standard”, I suppose we compare everything to them, which is a testament to great design from McCune, O’Donnell and Ward (MOW).

Speaking of microscopic printing, Scientific Anglers has the market cornered with their line markings. I can actually read them without readers on every one I’ve ever picked up. Bravo. In terms of fishability, I really like the TC Skagit Tips ($25) and use them often. The “light” 80 grain series that we use on our troutspey outfits is also 8′ instead of the usual 10′. I like that. It gets down all I need (and not too much) and I don’t miss that extra two feet while casting. These are dual density tips (S1/S2, S2/S4 etc.) so it is a different system than the T8 material that RIO uses. We do not like the bright optic green/white floating tip. Too bright for smart trout near the surface.

OPST makes Commando Tips ($15-$24) to match their Commando Heads. They come in 5′, 7.5′ and 12′ lengths in 3 different grain weights and 3 different sink rates called “riffle” (slow), “run” (medium), and “pool” (fast). It’s a little bit confusing, and I’ve always thought these tips fished a tiny bit deeper than the rest. The tree lengths do allow you to pick a tip that does exactly what you need it to do, however. I think the little 5′ tips will find a home in many head wallets. I would probably pick the 12′ “pool” as the deepest fishing tip if I had a need to get really deep. Like where Walleye live.

SINKING LEADERS (aka POLY-LEADERS)

Used on Scandi lines and heads, single handed lines and occasionally on very light Skagit heads, sinking leaders are an effective and economical way to add some depth to your system. RIO make the VersiLeader ($15) which comes in a wide variety of sizes and sink rates, is our most popular sinking leader. I always have a few on me, usually in intermediate and 3ips sink rates. The only knock on VersiLeaders is that that are a bit fragile. Stretch them to hard or rake then over the rocks a few times and they begin to fall apart. But at $15 its not a big deal. You’ll likely get a season out of them.

Scientific Anglers recently introduced Sonnar leaders ($15), which are more durable, stiffer (which may or may not be good), and have a coating that extends to the tip (VersiLeaders have a short piece of mono at the end). You can easily throw a perfection loop in the coated tip. They seem to have a stronger core and I have not been able to produce any coiling by overstitching them. They have also proven to be very durable and are a different execution of the sinking leader. I really like them and have been using them exclusively on my Spey Lite Scandi setup. So far so good, check ’em out…

REELS

In past years we discussed reels specifically for two-handed rods as we were often using larger 8-10 weight reels for our 6-8 weight rods (the oversize is to accommodate the extra heavy spey lines). We still carry and recommend larger reels for Steelhead rods like the Orvis Battenkill Spey, Hatch 7plus and 9plus, and Galvan Grip. But as we’ve downsized into UL Spey rods we find ourselves using typical trout reels in the 6 and 7 weight range. We do recommend larger arbor reels for those using mono shooting lines, but other than that just use what you want.

THE LEAST EXPENSIVE WAY TO TRY THIS

If you’re interested in giving this a try, but are not interested in shelling out for a whole new outfit, here’s the best way to try it on the cheap. Is all you need is an understanding of how to execute a spey cast or two.

First, grab 5 or 6 weight fly rod from your quiver. Doesn’t have to be fancy, fast action or pretty. Any old crapper will do. Longer is good, and so is slow action. Second, grab a fly reel to match your rod (5 for a 5, etc.) and strip the line and backing off of it. Now, head down to your local Big Box store and buy a 100 yard spool of 20 or 25 lb. monofilament and spool it up on the reel. Stiff stuff is good, like the stuff that says “catfish” or “big game” on it. Tie a big Surgeons loop in the end of the mono.

Now, you need to get out your wallet. Find a shop that sells Trout Spey gear and pick up a Skagit head. Its going to cost you around $50. Any of the above Skagit lines will work, but get a Skagit head (not a switch line, nothing integrated, and not Scandi heads) and make sure its short… 11′ – 16′. This Skagit head/mono combo is going to be the easiest to learn with, and show you best what can be done with zero room behind you and a spey cast. You’ll want something around 330 grains for your 6 weight. 250 for your 5. Look in the sale bin, you can fudge it heavier, but don’t go lighter. You’ll also need a Skagit tip, and I’d recommend a RIO iMOW tip in the 7.5 intermediate / 2.5 sink configuration ($25). You also might find the older MOW tips (not iMOW) in the sale bin. If so, get that one. Put 5 feet of 0X on the end and your favorite streamer. Go fishing.

So, for about $75 bucks you can get yourself setup and see what you think. This will be an effective outfit. If you really get into it, you’ll probably want to get a dedicated spey rod, but you won’t need to. You’ll likely be surprised where and how effectively you can fish, or maybe you’ll hate it and never try it again.

You can also attend one of our free trout spey clinics this winter. The next clinics are on December 2 or 3. Call the shop to sign up at 406-235-3447.

 

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Winter Rewards Fishing the Missouri River

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Winter Rewards Fishing the Missouri River Trout Spey casters up all the way from Big Sky. Bill, Jason, Rob, and Todd ventured up the state to the Mighty Mo to swing a few flies. And they were rewarded with nice Missouri River trout. Happy Sunday. It is snowing here, and damn cold. Several guide trips … Read more

Missouri River Trout Spey Report

Missouri River Trout Spey Report

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Missouri River Trout Spey Report The weeds are gone. The sun is gone. The people are gone. So, time to swing a few trout up. Snow on the ground along with the vacant river allows us to head out there and walk through a few runs. And we have been. Both smaller streamers and soft … Read more

November Missouri River Fly Fishing Forecast

November Missouri River Fly Fishing Forecast

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November Missouri River Fly Fishing Forecast We are looking forward to the month ahead. November is great fishing. Some of the best parts of the month include the lack of anglers around. Another highlight is the fish that like to rise. Yet another is the opportunity to have the river to yourselves. Another, the quiet-ness. … Read more

Swing Season 2017-18 is Here!

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’ve been swinging with our two-handers for a few weeks now, and we know a few of you have as well. In our brains, the 1st of November is the beginning of “Swing Season”, but as the weeds disappear from the Missouri River and the Brown Trout start to move, we can’t resist. Some of us have even been exploring further form home, using our Trout Spey rods to fish places we’re familiar with but haven’t approached down and across before.

Despite anemic runs of Steelhead, we’ve heard a few decent reports from the Clearwater/Snake/Ronde systems. If you’re headed that way in the next few weeks we wish you luck. Unfortunately, the State of Idaho decided to open a limited “kill” season for the handful of Steelhead that returned to the upper Columbia tributaries. That won’t help your success, but it may do further harm to a fragile resource. If you do catch a Steelhead, take care to land him quickly (not on the beach) and release him gently. Steelhead have enough problems already.

CURRENT SWINGING CONDITIONS – MISSOURI RIVER

Right now things are pretty good for the swing. Water temps are right, and the drifting weeds have decreased to the point that you won’t be pulling your hair out. Both floating and sinking lines will work this time of year, and if you ever wanted to try and skate up a trout on an October Caddis, now’s the time. For streamers, we recommend sticking with our typically small and flashy Clouser’s, Kreelex’s, Skiddish Smolts and the like. Small Buggers like the Thin Mint are also a good call. If you need your fly to be bigger, stick to a heavy sink tip and bury that sucker between the Dam and Craig.

Most freestones in the region should be in play as well. Warm weather this week will keep the water temps on the Madison, Jefferson, Yellowstone, etc. in the right zone. Where you can target Bull Trout you may have some interesting options as well.

SPEY CLINICS

We will continue to offer our free Spey Clinics again this year. Like last season, we will be offering 1 day clinics on two separate weekends. The first clinics will be on December 2nd and 3rd. The second session will be February 10th and 11th. Sign up at the shop or call 406-235-3447. Space is limited to 12 students per session. We always have waiting lists for these clinics, so don’t sign up because you’re bored. Our free clinics are designed for those new to spey casting, so please don’t suck up a spot if you’ve attended in past years. We will likely be holding a few advanced clinics for more experienced casters, so keep your eyes peeled.

Clinic Details:

  • 9am to 3pm or later.
  • Pastries, Coffee and Juice provided.
  • 1.5 hour presentation and Q&A session. Remainder of the day is on-water.
  • Rods provided, but bring your own if you have one!
  • Demo lines available to use with your rod.
  • FREE!

TROUTSPEY

Last season, we began to make the shift from light Steelhead gear to Troutspey gear, and we will pretty much complete that transition this season. While we will still carry a small assortment of “steelhead” rods (and a bigger assortment of lines), we will focus on Montana waters and the ultralight gear designed for them. The majority of the demo gear in the shop (and at our clinics) will be Troutspey rods and reels designed for <350 grains.

We will also be adding a few more rod models in the shop this season, including rods from Gary Anderson Custom Rods (ACR) built in Rogue River, OR. Some have already arrived and more models are on the way.

Swing by the shop if you have any questions about spey rods, spey reels, spey lines, sink tips, leaders, shooting lines, or anything else. Our staff will be happy to help you get setup for the season.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Hangman Spey Video – Mike McCune

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/215850449/settings/privacy” video_title=”1″][vc_column_text]Here’s a valuable casting video Mike McCune and I recently shot. Valuable because it is the spey cast I see Mike executing more often than not when we are trout fishing. I have had a number of customers ask me about this cast (it can be seen on other video’s Mike and I have done) and I often refer to it as Mike’s “Pendulum” cast, but Mike refers to it as the “Hangman”. The Hangman possesses a couple of very important advantages over other casts that Mike covers in this video.

This cast is especially suited to the short and light heads we use with our trout spey rods here in Montana. Many of our customers strive to achieve Mike’s completely effortless style of Skagit casting, and this cast is part of that formula.

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Troutspey Reels and Running Lines

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/215113935″ video_title=”1″][vc_column_text]There is always a lot of talk about running lines for trout spey rigs around the shop. Some like mono, and some like a coated running line. I think were at about a 50/50 split among our customers and staff. In the above video Braden talks about why you should probably choose a large arbor reel for monofilament running lines, if you’re in that camp. He also goes over some of our most popular trout spey reels for both mono and coated running lines.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Annual Spring Special

Headhunters announces Annual Spring Special Guide Trips and Lodging

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Headhunters announces Annual Spring Special Guide Trips and Lodging Deals February is nearly over and we turn our attention to our upcoming Annual Spring Special. This hyper-popular pricing schedule has many of our anglers all fired up! Along with discounted lodging on the banks of the Missouri River why not couple both deals together for … Read more

Saturday Spey

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Some of us are at the ski hill, others are swinging softly. The snow in Craig was obliterated by the weather the last few days. Great fishing conditions. We hope you’re out swinging one up, and the reports we heard yesterday were all real good. Enjoy this monochrome shot of Ninch as you rig up a head and tips for a day on the Mo’. Jimmy is ready to do shuttles and the boat ramps should be accessible by tomorrow![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Headhunters is the Trout Spey Line HQ

Headhunters is the Trout Spey Line HQ

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Headhunters is the Trout Spey Line HQ We have them all. Almost all of them. We may not have every trout spey line ever made but we have most of the bases covered including well over 100 trout spey demo lines you can try any day! Here is the current list of what Headhunters in … Read more

Shane's Trout Spey Set Up

Shane’s Trout Spey Set Up

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Shane’s Trout Spey Set Up Today on the Headhunters Fly Shop daily blog we see Shane Wilson’s Trout Spey Set Up. Shane is one of those who is enamored with the Echo TR2 rod. We can’t blame him. Most of the staff is all about it. Come in and try one out today. Saturday … Read more

Mike McCune Spey Clinic

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[vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”18584″][vc_column_text]Mike McCune will be returning again this spring offering two days of intense Spey instruction in Craig. We are offering two different 1 day session with Mike on March 31, and April 1. Class size is limited to 3, so you’ll be getting lots of hands-on instruction with one of the best two-handed casters and instructors in the business. Mike’s clinics are especially helpful for those seeking to learn the finer points of sustained anchor casting with Skagit heads. We recommend that you have some experience casting and fishing with a two-handed rod before attending, as Mike’s clinics are not what we’d call 100 level.

Where’s Whitney?

Whitney may show up at the clinic, but likely she’ll be on the river as a guide for Headhunters this season. We’re super stoked to have a multiple World Champion caster on our guide staff this year, and you can always hire Whitney for a day of Troutspey on the Missouri if you want to get some personal instruction from one of the best.

Sign Up

Call the shop at 1-877-379-3597 or 406-235-3447 to sign up for Mike’s clinics. With such a limited number of spots available, they will go quick. Bring your own gear, so Mike can work with you and the rod/line combo you are accustomed to. If you haven’t gone “troutspey” yet, we will have some ultra-light rods available for you to try out. That’s a big reason Mike will be on the Missouri River this spring!

Cost is $200 per person, and lunch will be provided.[/vc_column_text][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/129327269″ video_title=”1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Shooting Line can be a Drag – More from Mike McCune

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/193638623″][vc_column_text]More from the Godfather, Mike McCune. One of the most common questions I get at our spey clinics is “how do I manage and handle my running line while spey casting?”. I try to avoid answering this. It’s a personal thing, and there are many opinions and methods for accomplishing this task. Hold line with two-hands or one? Bottom hand or top? Or my mouth? big loops or small? And on and on and on…

In this short video, Mike gives you a basic method for short line management and one for longer amounts of line. If you constantly battle shooting line drag, watch this. I also like this variation from Deneki.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Montana Guided Spey Trips

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Headhunters has been dabbling in guided spey trips for the last two winters. We’ve run a few, but haven’t really pushed it too hard. Most of our guides have no interest in more work during the winter. They’re more interested in hunting, skiing and sleeping. But Mark and Dewey have sucked it up and showed a few eager folks how we fish the Missouri with a two-hander during the winter swing-season.

Some of you may have heard that I’m returning to the guide staff for the 2017 season. True story. And as part of that I will also be doing guided spey trips beginning immediately. It’s something I’ve done in years past, both in Montana and in the PNW for Steelhead. As most of you know chasing Steelhead with a spey rod is something that has occupied a majority of my lifetime. As Troutspey fishing continues to gain in popularity, we are getting more requests for guided trips and continued spey casting instruction. We are also getting requests all season, not just in the winter months. While Steelhead brought me to the spey rod, I am really enjoying discovering new riffles and runs in Montana the pull nicely.

Along with Dewey and Mark, I’ll be heading up our guided two-handed trips. And beginning the first of April, women’s world champion spey caster Whitney Gould will be joining our guide staff as well. While April and May are generally considered some of the better months for traditional techniques, Whitney and I will also be encouraging folks to give it a try with the two-hander. April and May can be unreal streamer fishing, and spey rod is the perfect tool for presenting the fly. Whitney will be on the Missouri until mid-August when she’ll move on over to the Clearwater to guide Steelhead. Whitney will be guiding all disciplines, not just two-handed, but as long as she is here I certainly hope some of you take advantage of her teaching and casting skills to improve your own spey casting.

If you have any detailed questions you can call the shop or contact me directly. Hope to see you out on the river this winter, one hand or two.

below: Whitney Gould rigging up on the Missouri River.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”20878″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Mike McCune – Perry Poke Video

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/193603477″][vc_column_text]If you haven’t had a chance to attend one of our clinics with Mike McCune – and wife Whitney Gould – this will give you an idea what it’s like to spend the day with him on the water. For those who don’t know, Mike is a longtime AK/WA/OR/CA Steelhead, Salmon and Trout guide. and one of the Godfathers of Skagit Casting and line design. We’re fortunate to have mike spend a little time with us each spring. Some of our staff go spend a little time with him each fall on the Grande Ronde as Dewey and Braden did last month.

Mike and I like to shoot these short videos while out on the river. No plan really, just pull the boat over, turn on the camera and let Mike share some knowledge from years of fishing and guiding. We usually pick a topic that we falls under “frequently asked questions”. He’s an excellent communicator and his visually descriptive terminology will help you become a better caster. I like to keep the camera close so you can watch his hands and feel the rhythm. Most viewers would prefer to watch a wide angle speycast shot from a distance, fluorescent line booming a hundred fifty feet over the water. But you’ll learn more by watching what happens inside the circle.

Here, Mike shows us how to perform the Perry Poke. To be specific, a downstream shoulder, right-handed, river left Perry Poke. Mike also shares some thoughts on ultra-short Skagit Trout heads, anchor point importance and more. When I go fishing with Mike here on the Missouri, this is the cast I see him performing most often. It’s a simple and effective cast. As Mike says, “it’s a good fishing cast”. Agreed.

If you’re interested in improving your spey casting skill set, watch it at least once. After that, turn off the volume and just watch Mike’s hands over and over again.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

2016-17 Spey Lineup – Rods and Reels

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The season is in full “swing” for the folks who enjoy swinging trout up on a two-hander. Most folks are done chasing Steelhead in the upper Columbia drainages, and big game season has just ended. The balmy autumn has plenty of folks out on the river and they are enjoying some incredible fishing. It should be “winter” fishing, but it ain’t. And that’s how it always is now.

This weekend we begin our annual free spey clinics, which involve lots of learning, fine-tuning and equipment testing. The team at Headhunters has spent the last two months playing with all the new gear for the 2016-17 swing season. Here’s our favorite stuff beginning with rods. Keep in mind that we are largely recommending accessible and affordable gear for new spey anglers, or possibly more experienced ones who aren’t sure they want to use a spey rod for trout. We also believe that while there are many great rods out there – and a few dogs – regardless of price these models hold there own.

DEMO IT BRO!

Remember that we have all of this gear and more for demo at the shop, including lines. We sell very few rods without customer having first tried them out with a variety of lines. Why would you not! Please stop by and let us show you the different options available.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

RODS

We’ve really made a move from the 6 and 7 weight trout/steelhead combo rods that we’ve used in past years, to full blown ultra-light “troutspey” sticks. At least when we’re fishing for trout. The newest arrival is the ECHO TR Trout, which has very quickly become the staff and customer favorite. The Trout models are additions to the revamped TR Series that has been tremendously popular over the years. Two models – an 11′ #3 and 11’3″ #4 – pretty much cover everything you’ll need for trout in the Rockies. The action is perfect and adapts to a wide variety of lines and casts. The grain window is large, allowing you to fine tune the rod to your casting style. It throws Skagit and Scandi lines equally well, and as we use both here on the Missouri that is a very important attribute. So far we’ve thrown OPST Cammondo heads, Airflo Scout heads, Scientific Angler Adapt lines, and Airflo and RIO Scandi Compacts, and liked them all. Tim Rajeff decided on the 11′-11″3″ range as the sweet spot, and we agree. The new army green gloss finish with orange trim is sweet. We love the skinny grip which keeps that “trout rod” feeling in your hand and makes it easier to use the rod tip to give action to the fly. It will also be more comfortable for women and younger anglers. Best of all the price – $375 – is unbeatable and we feel these rods compete with any rod at any price. Not saying they’re necessarily better, but I would take this series anywhere in the world (and have!). Kudos to ECHO for bringing us a fantastic Troutspey rod at an inclusive price. We’re also continuing to carry the 12’6″ #6 and 13′ #7 models for Summer and winter Steelhead. We also love the 12’6″ #6 on the Missouri for big runs and long casts with a Scandi head. If you’re looking for an affordable first rod the you won’t outgrow, this is it.

The Sage ONE Trout Spey remains in our lineup, and is another popular – but much more expensive – troutspey rod. With a very specific action built around the matching Skagit Trout head, the Sage ONE Trout Spey is a rod thats a little more dialed-in for it’s intended purpose. The 10′ 9″ #2 is designed for swinging small soft hackles on light tippets. The 11′ #3 will easily push streamers up to a weighted #4, and is designed to fish heavier tips. Both have a specifically designed Skagit action. When we grab these we know where we are going and what we are throwing. If sustained anchor Skagit casting for trout (or other resident species) is your thing, these rods may be for you. Beautiful finish and hardware, and loads of Sage technology inside. While we wouldn’t necessarily say the action is better than some of our other favorites, it definitely is unique among troutspey rods. If it fits your style you’ll love it. At $950 you will need to. We highly recommend the RIO Skagit Trout that designer Mike McCune created for these rods. If not, the OPST Commando is another recommendation.

Orvis doesn’t drop down to the true Trout Spey sizes at #2-4, but their Clearwater Spey Rods are very popular with our staff and customers for summer and winter Steelhead, and the 12′ #5 and 12’6″ #6 are fantastic dual purpose heavy trout and light Steelhead rods. They posesses an all-purpose action similar to the Echo TR, but we think it leans a little more to the right – the Skagit side of things, that is. When ECHO revamped the TR line this year, they eliminated the 12′ #5, which leaves the Clearwater as our only 5 weight spey. This is an excellent rod and an overlooked line weight. I would have no problem throwing this for light summer Steelhead on the Grande Ronde or smaller coastal rivers. And if you really want to dredge the Missouri or Yellowstone with heavy tips and larger Galloup-esque streamers, this might be the perfect tool. The 12′ 6′ #6 is a great Summer Steelhead rod and works for trout when needed, and the 13′ #7 is a rod we commonly sell to those headed to the Olympic Peninsula for winter fishing.

Sage has too many offerings in the spey rod category, and we’ve chosen to stick with the Sage METHOD for an advanced do everything Steelhead rod. We loved it’s predecessor the TCX, and while the METHOD is not quite as powerful, it’s a lot easier on your shoulders. These are fast action rods that throw Scandi heads like a laser and you can overload with a heavy Skagit head to fish long tips and massive intruders.

The ECHO Glass Switch and Spey series have always been a staff favorite, and most customers appreciate these easy casters. The price is pretty sweet too at $279-299. I’ve owned quite a few 7 weight two-handers but right now the Echo 12′ 9″ #7 glass is the only one in my quiver. While some folks view it as a novelty, I would have no problem bringing this to BC as a dedicated sink tip rod. If you’re looking for a spey rod for the Missouri – but you might make a trip to the Ronde – the 12′ 4″ #6 is an ideal choice. The lighter 3 and 4 weight switch rods are a blast for trout and the soft tip sticks light biting fish. You really can’t go wrong at this price. They’re cool retro paint job and surprising performance will keep them in your quiver for years. They are a touch heavier than graphite rods, and while bigger, stronger casters won’t really notice, smaller folks and women tend to not like these rods.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”20855″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]

REELS

Many of our customers are new to two-handed fishing, and as you can see from our rod selection we like to keep things real – and affordable – for anglers who want to ease into the game. And we don’t feel you need to buy a rod for $1000 when there are plenty of less expensive rods that perform equally well. The same goes for reels, though we find that many of our customers like to spend a little more on a reel than a rod. Probably due to the fact that a good reel should last you for the rest of your life, and possibly a good portion of someone else’s. You’re also likely to move that reel between rods. We don’t care either way. We want the sport to be approachable to every person that walks in our shop, and an inexpensive reel can help that happen.

The Hatch Outdoors Finatic is my personal favorite for two-handed outfits, whether it’s for Cutthroat on the Blackfoot or Dean River Steelhead. Some folks find them a little heavy for their dainty dry fly outfit, and they are. But that tiny bit of extra weight balances perfectly on spey rods. We love the fact that they come in both mid and large arbor versions, and we use the mid-arbor versions exclusively for all spey rods. We are constantly changing lines and that extra depth accommodates more systems in more sizes. There is something about the Hatch drag that I prefer for swinging the fly. It behaves perfectly on both light takes from cold winter trout and shitty hatchery Steelhead, and on blistering smashes from wild BC hens and early fall Browns on the Mo’. The mid-arbor 5plus ($500) pretty much covers everything in the “troutspey” universe, and the mid-arbor 7plus ($600) handles all of my Steelhead rigs except for big long-belly rods like a 14′ #9. They are not cheap, but they aren’t ridiculous either. They are bulletproof and can transfer to the Salt. Like I said, it’s all I use.

But not everyone wants or needs to spend half-a-grand on a reel, and Orvis has a couple of different offerings that we really, really like. For the last few years, we’ve sold a bunch of the Orvis Battenkill Spey, big click drag reels reminiscent of older Hardy designs in size IV and V. These are excellent matchups for the #6 and #7 Clearwater rods, and they ooze old school on the ECHO Glass #6 and #7. The Battenkill V is a great choice for long belly 8 and 9 weight rods, and will hold a tremendous amount of line. The good news is that the aesthetics, clickity noise, and price are excellent at $139-149. The bad news is that the jump down to the Battenkill III is a quantum leap in size. It’s too small for even the lightest troutspey rods. Fortunately…

This fall Orvis released the new Battenkill Disc Reels (we will get them in the online store soon), featuring a drag similar to the popular Hydros series, but with the old-timey design of the Battenkill spey. Really blocky and smooth. The drag is smooth as well, and the transition into the smaller sizes is much more uniform. And with a standard/mid arbor design you can fit a wide variety of lines on them. These reels will be an excellent choices for a budget/performance spey rods at $159-189. I believe these may end up being our most popular troutspey reels.

And a third reel from Orvis we recommend for spey is the recently introduced Orvis Hydros SL large and wide arbor reel. This reel was expected to make a big splash this season with it’s tremendous drag, tough as nails build, huge retrieval rate and great price at $198-239. Two things have hindered sales in the trout world. First, it’s what I would call a too-large-arbor reel. It’s just too big and I’m talking from an aesthetic standpoint. It kinda looks like a trailer winch on your 4 weight. It’s also a very heavy reel. Too heavy for it’s recommended line size. WAIT… Guess which two reel attributes most two-handed anglers appreciate in a reel? They like them heavy, to balance out long rods, and they like a quick retrieval rate for fighting a fish with a long line, and finishing up at the end of a run. The super large arbor also prevents your shooting line from coiling as badly as a smaller arbor. The drag is a little heavy for some, though it’s highly regarded in the Saltwater. This of course won’t matter for spey unless you are swinging tiny soft hackles on 4x. I think this may be one of the better spey reels on the market for both trout and Salmon/Steelhead swingers. and at a little over $200 is represents a fantastic value for performance.

Our easiest-on-the-wallet spey reel is the ECHO Ion, which we’ve sold for years. These reels are ugly. These reels have a weird compressed o-ring system for securing the spool. These reels are heavy. The paint chips off these reels in a hurry. WAIT… these reels are tough. These reels have never failed that I’ve heard of. These reels are $79-99. Yes, they are that inexpensive, and yes they will not let you down. Probably our most popular spey reel for beginners and for good reason.

And if you want to go the other way and spend more on a reel than I have on several vehicles, you can opt for an Abel Super Series reel. Solid, heavy reels with cork drags, Abels are considered heirloom reels. While there is no one attribute I find in them that makes them particularly great spey reels, the paint job on this one reminds me of BC, which reminds me of some of my greatest Steelhead days ever…

OTHER REELS

Of course there are many other fine reels out there. If your looking to line up a troutspey rod in the 2-5 weight range, you probably have a reel lying around, or you can stick to other brands like Galvan or Nautilus, both of which might be a little on the light side for optimum balance with a spey rod. If you are building a rig for Steelhead we highly recommend the above reels, or going with a heavier Saltwater reel, though they can be overkill and expensive.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Switch it Up Video Scumliner Media

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Switch it Up Video Scumliner Media

Spey Season is here. In full swing as they say…

Reminder that Headhunters has all you need in the trout spey, 2 handed game.

From OPST, SA, RIO, and Airflo. Well over 250+ spey fly lines in stock! 

Not to mention the scads of tips from RIO, Airflo and OPST. OPST Riffle, Run, and Bucket Series Commando Tips. We got ’em all!

Running lines from OPST, Airflo and Scientific Anglers.

All kinds Swingers Accessories as well. All the cool stuff here @ Headhunters of Craig Montana.

We will be informing and educating you folks all winter long here on your favorite daily Montana fly fishing blog.

Enjoy the weekend and enjoy Switch It Up on the blog today!

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Montana Trout Spey Video Scumliner Media

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Montana Trout Spey Video this Friday in October.

Enjoy.

The fishing is great. A bit windy here in Central Montana.

Spey Season is coming on the Missouri River. Get on board.

Check out more from Scumliner Media.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/129327269″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

McCune/Gould Spey Sessions Recap

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Another long weekend of Spey Casting instruction with Mike McCune and Whitney Gould is in the books. We held 3 classes this year in what turned out to be absolutely perfect weather. No wind. 3 days in a row. In April. Unheard of.

As usual, all attendees were excited to get some hands-on personal instruction from these two instructor/guides. They are both on the same page, but each brings a few different twists and teaching styles. Nearly every student comments to me how much they appreciate the two different viewpoints.

We hope to be hosting them again next year around the same time. They will be around fishing through the week and you may be able to track them down and say hello or ask a question if you hang out in the evening. During the day they will be out fishing of course. Because they’re fishermen.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”18588″ align=”center” onclick=”lightbox”][vc_column_text]

Here’s a few shots from the weekend classes. I was in and out during the course of the day(s), and I noticed some pretty dramatic improvement from everyone who attended. Mike commented that the lack of wind made it especially easy to try multiple casts and different angles from both river right and left.

Thanks again to Mike & Whitney for providing the instruction, Julie for lunches and our good friends Bob and Andy Maricich for allowing us to use their property for the venue!

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Casting For Recovery & Spey-O-Rama & Whitney & Mia

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Our good friend Whitney Gould is teaming up with fellow Steelhead guide and Spey Caster Mia Shepard to raise funds for Casting for Recovery. They both will be competing in the Spey-O-Rama World Championship casting competition on April 22,23,24 at the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club in San Francisco. Both are previous winners.

Here’s the deal, use THIS FORM to guess the combined distance that Whitney and Mia will cast, and to pledge an amount per foot that you will donate to Casting For Recovery. The person who guesses closest wins a guided Steelhead trip with Little Creek Outfitters in Oregon. Second best guess wins a private Spey Casting lesson with Whitney Gould.

More importantly you’re donating to a great cause.

If you can’t donate, you can help spread the word like Deneki and Gink & Gasoline!

After Spey-O-Rama, Whitney will be heading to Craig, MT with Mike McCune to hold Spey Casting Sessions at Headhunters. You can catch up with her here and find out how she did at the World Championships.

DETAILS AT DENEKI[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”CFR SPEY-O-RAMA PLEDGE FORM!” color=”danger” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fform.jotform.com%2F10195517743||”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Last Headhunters 2016 Free Spey Clinic

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In some incredibly balmy weather on Saturday – high 60’s – we held our final free spey clinic off the 2015-16 winter season. The full house enjoyed the usual classroom presentation, light winds, a wide variety of lines and rods, and some great fun with our crew. The class was super enthusiastic on the water, and our instructors saw some great improvement in this group. And quickly as well. They must be listening.

Just want to give a quick shout our to all of our spey instructors. Ben McNinch, Sara Roholt, Dwayne Sutphin, Curt Reynolds, Braden Lewis, Mark Raisler and Beth Hood all did a great job. I received compliments on all of them this winter. Great job team, and we hope you’ll be back to help out in 2016-17. Remember, the reason they’re good is that they are out there doing this all the time. They fish.

We hope that all of our students enjoyed themselves and took away at least a little something from our clinics. Don’t forget that our demo spey gear is rigged and ready to go if you want to get out on the Mo’ and swing up a fish or two. Maybe you just need to try some lines and get your outfit dialed in. Let us know.

Don’t forget that we have 1 more clinic available this spring, and it’s with spey guru’s Whitney Gould and Mike McCune. Call the shop if you want more info on spending a day with these outstanding instructors.[/vc_column_text][us_grid columns=”3″ post_type=”attachment” items_quantity=”” images=”17955,17956,17958,17964,17961,17960,17968″ orderby=”post__in” items_gap=”” items_layout=”gallery_default” img_size=”us_600_600_crop” overriding_link=”popup_post_image” breakpoint_1_cols=”3″ breakpoint_2_width=”768px” breakpoint_3_width=”480px” breakpoint_2_cols=”3″ breakpoint_3_cols=”2″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Montana troutspey

In Defense of Switch Lines…. Just Kidding.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Lately I’ve seen a resurgence in the dreaded “switch” line. Particularly on newer spey rigs purchased regionally. At our last clinic there were no less than 3 new outfits present rigged with switch lines. All were recommended as part of a rod/reel/line kit from where they were purchased. All 3 left the clinic optimized for spey casting with standard Skagit or Scandi shooting heads, and happier owners.

I’ve been bashing switch lines for years, and thought I had gotten in front of the disease. Apparently it has emerged as a new strain that is more resistant to my opinion. Or maybe just more folks are buying their spey gear in the Northern Rockies, where it’s less likely you’ll run into a knowledgeable spey technician, than in, say, Portland or Seattle.

While I’ll admit that in the last 2 years I have finally seen some useable switch lines, they still represent such a huge compromise that there is no way I can recommend them, nor have I ever met an experienced caster who prefers them over Spey lines. Or even uses them.

So let’s back up quickly, and review what these lines are designed for…

The term “switch” was first applied to rods short and light enough to be used as a single hander, and long enough to be used for spey casting. Remember that at the time a 13′ #7 spey rod was considered small, so the jump down to 11 feet was drastic. The problem was that no lines existed that would perform spey casts on these new rods. And if they did, you certainly could have used those lines on your single handed 9′ 5 weight to spey cast. So really, these were just shorter spey rods, and it baffles me why they didn’t refer to them as that. By building “switch rods”, however, manufacturers unwittingly sped up the trend towards shorter and lighter two-handed rods. In fact we’ve now reached the point where the difference in length between a “switch” rod and a “spey” rod is measured in inches, not feet.

Instead of designing much needed short-head spey lines for this new category of rods, manufacturers decided to match the new lines to the term, instead of the rod and the customers demand. Also, some of the rods were “overhead” 6 weights, and some were “spey” 6 weights. So we ended up with a bunch of switch rods and switch lines that had no consistency in length, taper, or grains across the industry. Nobody had a clue how to design a line that could perform powerful spey casts and act as a traditional overhead fly line. Because it can’t really be done. More on that later.

Now 5 years ago, there were still some folks around talking “switch”. The idea that you could spey cast down through a run, then turn around and upstream fish back up in single handed fashion (with the same fly line). But those that tried quickly found out that; a) most switch lines were terrible spey lines; b) spey lines are way too heavy to single hand cast effectively, and c) throwing dry flies on a switch rod sucks.

But for each angler I talked to looking for a true switch set-up, I talked to 100 who were looking for a small spey rod. I really don’t hear the “switch” discussion anymore, although there are no doubt rivers – or more likely runs – that do benefit from the ability to do this quickly with one outfit. But like I said, you could do it with your 9′ 5 weight with the right line (Wulff Ambush). And while I do run into folks who ended up with a switch line as part of their new Spey kit, few of them asked for it. Simply a case of an uninformed salesman innocently matching up the rod, reel and line out of the catalog. In other words, if you ask for a switch rod – and don’t ask for a particular line – you may well end up with a switch line.

You’re hearing what sounds like a little fly shop criticism here. In reality, I’m pointing out the fact that we live in Montana, and nobody should expect every fly shop employee in the region (and no Big-Box) to be an authority on Spey lines. Just like you shouldn’t expect a Montana fly shop employee to be an expert at rigging billfish leaders. Or a Florida fly shop employee to know what Gink is. Many of them need a little direction from you.

Back to the Clinic…

So, back to our last clinic and 3 poorly lined rigs. The first two were matching off-brand rod,reel,line outfits. They were good rods, termed “switch”, and were lined up with very long belly “switch” lines with heads past 50 feet long. The owners said they performed flawlessly while overhead casting nymph rigs, but they couldn’t seem to spey cast them at all. No doubt. Neither could I. Felt like sewing thread. For these two I went to the other end of the spectrum and quickly rigged them both up with short Skagit heads from OPST and Airflo. Both rod owners loved them, and quickly picked up a couple of spey casts now that they could feel the line doing it’s thing. They also quickly realized that they needed two reels and lines for their rods, as they wanted to continue to use the switch line for single handed casting. An Echo Ion reel for $79 solved that problem.

They also went out and swung several nice Missouri River trout after our clinic on the Skagit head/sink-tip/streamer combo.

The second rod was the Orvis Clearwater switch with the Orvis Hydros Switch Line. I have cast this line quite a bit, and consider it one of the best of the switch lines (second to the Wulff Ambush). It is a true 50/50 compromise – unlike the above example – and performs spey casts much better with it’s shorter, heavier head. But it’s still a massive compromise. Look at it this way, it casts both spey and overhead, but it also performs both styles of casting half as well. This angler could feel what was going on better than the other two, but could not get the power to transfer from his hands to the line. This is because ALL switch lines are underlined compared to their Spey cousins (or all Spey lines are overlined). They have to be so that overhead casts can be performed.

Gary Sandstrom, designer of the Wulff Ambush lines understands this:

Typically a good starting point for switch rods is an Ambush 8 weight (290 grains) will load a 5 weight switch rod, Ambush 9 for a 6wt switch and a Ambush 10 for a 7wt switch (rated for spey application). If the rod is a true single hand, then just match the same Ambush line weight to the rod line weight.

So, Sandstrom and Wulff say +3 line sizes for Spey, and stay at recommended for traditional overhead casting and rods. Thats a massive difference in grains, and is the reason that designing a switch line that performs well in both disciplines is nearly impossible.

This angler was interested in accurate and powerful spey casting, and understood the technique. Looking around I think he quickly realized that the switch line was not going to provide the performance of a true shooting head. He asked me if he should try a Scandi head before I could even bring it up. After rigging it up, he didn’t really have to change much. His technique was already solid. If anything he powered down, as he now had a properly balanced outfit and a line he didn’t have to fight. Booming casts out there with control and ease.

Lesson: If you want to spey cast, get a Spey line.

But remember, the problem was that the right lines didn’t exist for these shorter rods. We often ended up with shooting heads a touch too long and lacking the ability to add – and turnover – a sink tip and large streamer. Finally, we are now seeing the extremely short head spey lines to match these shorter rods perfectly. These new lines are also built in ultralight weights for the new generation of “Micro” or “Ultra-light” spey rods that range from 2 to 4 weight. No line has been more popular at our shop this year than the OPST Commando Skagit heads. These have been designed from the ground up for shorter spey rods, and lengths range from 12′-18′ and 150-475grains. I would call customer satisfaction 100%, and I would include our shop staff in that. Airflow makes the Skagit Compact Switch (hate that name), which is a great line but substantially longer at 19′-20′. RIO makes the Skagit Trout Max, which is best for very short rods with it’s 11′ head length, and is only available in the lightest grain weights. These are all Skagit heads that require the addition of a tip (floating or sinking), and have the ability to fish deep and throw large-ish flies.

Now we just wait for the 18′ Scandi head I hope to see from someone this summer.

So, forget the term “switch”. Throw it away. If you’re on this site reading this post, you’re likely looking for a smaller spey rod used for Spey casting for trout and other resident fish. If so, you probably live around fisheries that you fish with a single hander and a bobber all the time. Why would you look for a spey rod to do that with?

And if you do want to roll a “switch” rig, I recommend you stick with a single handed rod, and perform single-handed spey casts with a short head line like the Wulff Ambush (18′). If you want to swing streamers on foot, and strip them from the boat, the OPST Commando is an excellent choice, and we are selling those heads for that purpose as well. None of the switch or spey lines are useable for technical dry fly fishing.

Most importantly, find a local fly shop rat who knows the spey game. And they don’t need decades of experience in the Skeena drainage to be of assistance. It means he or she has educated themselves when it comes to spey gear – in particular lines – and are enthusiastic about and practice two-handed fishing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Montana Spey Clinic

A Chilly Spey Clinic

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Our rescheduled January Spey clinic took place in some Chilly conditions on Saturday. As you can see in the image above, plenty of ice in those snake guides. Plenty. Despite the fridgid temperatures, we had a full house and no whiners. Although a few folks – say 80% – did not stick out the casting until the end. That includes me. A terrifying north wind of about 10MPH showed up and conditions went from damn cold to too damn cold in a hurry.

While it was too cold to enjoy and practice casting for more than a couple of hours, we had an excellent group. The rookies did a great job and picked it up quickly. We had some experienced caster as well, and it’s always fun to work on some more advanced tweaks with them. The light – but fridgid – upstream wind meant it was a right shoulder day for casting. Everyone enjoys that.

We have two more clinics coming up in Feb and March, as well as the Mike McCune/Whitney Gould clinics at the end of April. Hopefully we won’t need our electric socks for those ones.

Thanks to all who participated in last weekends Spey clinic. Good swinging![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”16515″][vc_column_text]These two were the last to leave, and take away the “Tough Guy” award for this weekend. Congratulations!

I hope we didn’t leave that rod laying in the snow?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

McCune Gould Spey Clinic

Mike McCune & Whitney Gould Spey Clinic

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The dates are set for our 2016 spey sessions with Mike McCune & Whitney Gould. For those looking for some hands-on Spey instruction in a small 3:1 classroom setting, you’ll find no better opportunity. Mike & Whitney are among the worlds best Spey-casters and instructors, and their class is not a “demonstration”. You will be casting and getting personal instruction from both of them. Class size is limited to 6, so you know your getting more than a few minutes of personal help from each of them.

Due to their busy schedule, these will be the only classes Mike and Whitney offer this spring in Montana.

These classes filled up very quickly last year. We are starting with 3 dates, but are open to adding a day if needed (additional dates will be adjacent to existing dates). Why not get 6 of your Steelhead pals together and lock up a class to yourself?

2016 DATES:

One day classes will be held on April 29, 30 and May 1. Cost $200/pp.

Class will be held at a private venue  just outside of Craig beginning at 9:00am. Bring your own spey gear, though Headhunters can provide gear if you need. We recommend that you have some spey casting experience if you plan to attend. Lunch provided by Headhunters.

Whitney will also be available for private lessons for those who would like some 1 on 1 instruction.

Call Headhunters to sign up at 1-877-379-3597 or 406-235-3447.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”16519″][vc_column_text]Mike & Whitney after a day of swinging on the Blackfoot River.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Spey Resource – Deneki Outdoors

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Spey junkies are constantly hounding us for opinions, info, gear reviews, line recommendations and technical advice. I don’t think everyone who stops by or emails a question needs an answer. They just want to get a discussion going. It’s winter after all. We’re all swinging two-handers and relishing the solitude. Or is it too much solitude? Maybe we do need a little camaraderie?

We don’t mind the questions. Spey fishing and equipment is something we talk about all day at the shop. Even when you’re not there. And we also like to recommend some of our own favorite resources for customers to check out. I think Dewey and Braden have watched every one of Ed Ward & Jerry French’s OPST videos. Ten times, and totally justified. Technicians Sara and Ben have studied spey focused blogs like Deneki for years, and continue to promote them as a resource for our customers.

Most of our customers are aware of Deneki Outdoors and their prominent website and blog. Deneki operates several camps in Alaska, BC and the Bahamas. Two of their camps are particularly noted as spey fishing destinations. BC West (Dean River) and AK West (Kanektok River). Both of the fisheries are storied for fishing the two-hander. The Dean River is almost mythical among Steelheaders. A place I feel fortunate to have fished several times. The guides AK West were integral in popularizing spey fishing for Chinook (King) Salmon, as well as the other species of Pacific Salmon and big Alaskan Rainbows.

Go check out their blog, and really dive in. It’s been around for several years (an eternity in the Fly-fishing Internet world), and you can find some excellent product reviews, knot tying videos, fly tying info and their very popular “Rig” articles. The “Rig” articles (my term) feature a different guide and his particular rig for a specific species and scenario. And by rig, I mean for your backing to spool knot all the way to the knot they ties the fly on with. Pretty interesting stuff.

Deneki also offers some very good gear reviews. And these are on-water reviews by people who fish, not “reviewers” or folks who make a living writing fluff for magazines. I don’t believe I have ever disagreed with a Deneki equipment review. And I like to disagree…

It’s the middle of winter and while all you hardcores are swinging, the days are short and cold enough to leave a few hours for internet research.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Montana Trout Spey

2015-16 Spey Rod Lineup

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Here is the 2015-16 Spey rod lineup at Headhunters for those interested in casting and fishing with two-hands. With the introduction of micro-spey rods in the last couple of years, we definitely are seeing a switch in both what we carry and what customer want. We are also seeing the emergence of the “trout only” spey guy/gal. People who fish for resident fish rather than migratory species. Why leave Montana, right?

In years past we’ve focused on the 6/7 weight category as our primary rod, and toyed around with the handful of 3 and 4 weights available. The 6/7 weight Scandi rig is the perfect Steelhead/Trout combo for the Missouri (trout) and Salmon/Ronde/Clearwater (Steelhead). This has traditionally been where most of our customer use a spey rod. While we have always carried a few 8 weights, they were typically special orders for winter Steelhead on the OP. A 7 usually gets the job done just fine.

This season we’re talking more 5/6 weight around the shop. We still use and sell plenty of 7 weight rods, but they are becoming a Steelhead specific rod more than a Steelhead/trout combo (although they still work great for trout on bigger waters like the Mo’). The 5 weight is starting to emerge as the perfect trout rod for many, and has enough guts to be used for light summer Steelhead fishing on the Grande Ronde, John Day, etc. (This is especially true with the never-ending drought conditions many interior Steelhead rivers are experiencing. The Grande Ronde, for example, consistently runs nearly half – 5-600 cfs vs. 1000+cfs – of what it idid when I began fishing it in the late 80’s. There are also far fewer high-water events from rain over the course of the fall.)

Winston (Micro Spey) and Sage (One Troutspey) are both getting attention for bringing these ultralight two-handers to the market, but remember that ECHO was there way before the big (expensive) guys. They’ve offered 4 weights for several years, and 3 weights for a couple.

The introduction of these baby spey rods has spawned the “Trout Quiver”. Both our staff and customers are beginning to roll a smaller 3 or 4 weight for super-light applications, and a larger 6 weight as a Trout/Steelhead combo rod. Typically the UL rod is rigged with a Skagit line, and the 6 weight with a Scandi.

Using a Skagit on the smaller rod may seem wrong, but there are a couple of reasons for it. Firstly, there are far more “short-head” light-grain Skagit lines available than Scandi. Secondly, using a mono running line/Skagit combo can overcome some of the distance and power issues you can encounter with a 3 weight spey rod. Lastly, we are often using these rods for in-close and deep work in late winter (think Walleye).

The 6 weight switch or spey, on the other hand, is typically used for long casts and near-surface presentations for both trout on the Missouri, and summer Steelhead on interior rivers like the Ronde, John Day and Salmon. A Scandi style head makes perfect sense. I you need to go deep and long for winter Steelhead, many of the newer 6 weight full-length spey rods will get the job done with a short Skagit head. If not, then you’re the guy that’s in the market for a 7 weight, or even 8.

The lonely 5 weight has long been the odd-man-out. Too small for Steelhead, and too big to fall into the “micro-spey” category. That is changing as we see more trout or “resident” only spey anglers. Looking for a do-everything rod for big and small fish and rivers, but you have no plans to go chase Steelhead or Salmon? The 5 weight is probably perfect. Remember that a 5 weight equates roughly to a 7 weight single hander (also the odd-man-out) and has plenty of power for big trout and big rivers, as well as other species like Carp, Drum, Pike, etc.

After four years of teaching spey clinics through the shop, two rod models have emerged as the perfect blend of performance and price. The ECHO TR and the Orvis Clearwater both cast great and sit at a great price point that allow new-buyers to keep plenty of dough in their pocket for heads, tips, flies, a nice reel and probably another rod. Experienced caster pick these up and don’t feel they are sacrificing much (if anything) in terms of casting performance, and you save hundreds. Both rods throw Scandi and Skagit lines equally well, and both cover all the sizes including the lighter end. A little bit of East Coast/West Coast going on here. The best casters I know try these and respond with “what else do you need?”.[/vc_column_text][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][vc_column_text]

TWO BEST CHOICES – ECHO TR and ORVIS CLEARWATER

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ECHO TR – $350

The “TR” stands for Tim Rajeff, owner and head casting-guru/designer at ECHO. The TR is not a new model, and it has proved itself over the last several years as a versatile, powerful and popular rod in the the Spey market. Cosmetically it’s on it’s second generation with a matte green finish and a grip we really like both cosmetically and from a handling standpoint. It’s a light rod and is durable as well, a trait that is very important to us. If I had to say this rod leaned in the Scandi or Skagit direction I would say slightly to the Scandi. It’s a little faster than some rods at this price point. A little.

I have used a 6 weight TR all over the Skeena drainage with Scandi heads and never felt like I needed more (more expensive?) rod. A great caster, and at $350 it is very difficult to find a rod that casts $500 better, but it’s easy to find one that costs $500 more. The 12’6″ 6 weight is our bread and butter rod around here, but the 12′ 5 weight is coming on strong. ECHO now makes the TR in a 12′ 4 weight, the only 12′ under 5 weight rod that I am aware of. I am fishing this rod this year and really like it for the Mo’ with a OPST Commando head and Lazer running line. Not what I would put in the “micro” category, but that might be a good thing. While considered a Scandi-ish rod, the 6 weight casts a 450gr Skagit with no problem. Probably enough for most sink tip applications, and I’ve used that rig for BC Steelhead.

Just a money rod that performs. It’s not a rod for tech-geeks that want to sit around and disect rod/line designs. It’s a fishermans rod for those who consider rods “tools” and want to spend their time fishing. And we like that.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][us_image image=”15886″][vc_btn title=”BUY” color=”default” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fstaging.headhuntersflyshop.com%2Fwp%2Fproduct%2Fecho-tr-spey%2F||target:%20_blank”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

ORVIS CLEARWATER – $350

This rod has been very popular with our customers, and I have heard some very good spey casting instructors say that this is one of their favorite rods for newbie casters. But you won’t outgrow it. At least not soon. Cosmetically, it has a bit more of a PNW Skagit look, with a curvy grip and high-gloss green fish. It also leans a bit to the Skagit side, but like the TR it does both with ease. We’ve sold quite a few and I can’t recall seeing a broken one, so it has that durability factor we love.

The Clearwater is a touch easier caster than the TR, and probably won’t give you as much on the long end because of that. But it delivers plenty and I would have no problem fishing this rod all week on any Steelhead or trout river. It has excellent latent power that throws long, powerful casts with very little effort. If you’re into the casual style of sustained anchor casting this would be an excellent choice.

Like the ECHO TR, the 12’6″ #6 is the most popular at Headhunters, but also popular is the 13′ 7 model for winter Steelhead. The 12′ 5 weight is an awesome rod for the Missouri and light Steelhead. It’s a strong 5. Probably a #5.5.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][us_image image=”15888″][vc_btn title=”BUY” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fstaging.headhuntersflyshop.com%2Fwp%2Fproduct%2Forvis-clearwater-spey%2F||target:%20_blank”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”16035″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

ECHO 3 – $550

The ECHO 3 is the flagship spey rod at ECHO. We’ve carried this model for a few years, mainly to have the exceptional 12’7″ 6 weight available. The ECHO 3 is beginning to emerge as our “premium” spey rod, however. At $550 it represent a great value without exceeding your mortgage payment. But for that $550 you are getting a beautiful, fast and powerful rod that compares very well to faster rods from Sage, Loomis and others that cost much more. You’ll get everything you would with more expensive rods in terms of performance, but with savings that allow you to build the rest of your kit up. It’s another very durable rod, perfect for backcountry trips up north.

Faster rods like these can be slowed down by overloading them with Skagit heads, if you’re more of a sustained anchor Skagit caster. This rod really shines, however, with a Scandi head or even mid-belly line. Tight loops and long casts are easy, and this rod can generate tremendous power. As mentioned, the 12’7″ #6 has no haters. If you attend one of our clinics, that’s what you’ll see in my hand as my personal demonstration rod. If you find me on a Steelhead river, you’ll see the same. It’s a great rod. The 13′ #7 is very popular as a dedicated tip-rod for Steelhead. Our only complaint is that ECHO has yet to produce a 11’7″ 4 and 12′ 5 weight. Would be so sweet…

We probably wouldn’t recommend these for a beginner, and they probably cost a little more than you want to – or need to – spend on your first spey rod. But for a high performance Steelhead/Trout combo at a great price, the ECHO 3 is unbeatable. Also, we sell a few (special order) ECHO 3 Switch rods (11′ #7) each year for spring fishing on the S. Fork of the Clearwater. Reviews are excellent.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][us_image image=”15887″][vc_btn title=”BUY” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fstaging.headhuntersflyshop.com%2Fwp%2Fproduct%2Fecho-3-spey%2F||”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Sage METHOD – $1050

Sage makes several models of Spey rods (too many?), but we have always focused on the fastest top-tier model. The TCX was one of our favorite models, and was replaced a couple of years ago by the Corvette red METHOD. These are fast action rods that are not forgiving of mistakes. They require some physical power to cast, and after a week on the Bulkley you’ll feel it in your arms and shoulders. So why get one? The performance – especially with Scandi heads – is outstanding. These are shooting machines and will throw all kinds of flies in nasty and windy conditions. People either love or hate the bright red paint job. We like it.

I usually love 12’6″ rods, and I like that Sage makes this model in 6, 7, and 8 weight 12’6″ models. This is the kind of rod that I am going to buy for a specific application, and I like that you can really dial the weight in. We also like the 11’9″ – as opposed to 11′ – length in the switch rods. Much better for spey casting and sink tips. We sell both 6 (trout/Steelhead) and 7 (Steelhead) models in both switch and spey configurations.

The METHOD is also a very popular  switch series. The 11’9″ 6 and 7 weight models are great for light summer Steelhead (7) and trout (6 weight). Until rod companies build some reasonably priced travel spey rods, these shorter – but powerful – switch rods are an ideal rod for a trip to Patagonia for big trout, or Iceland and the Canadian Maritimes for Atlantic Salmon. A little easier to travel with, and you can spey/swing or thrown upstream dries.  The price is also premium, however, and there are rods like the ECHO 3 that are right there in terms of performance. Probably not recommended for beginning casters for most Spey only situations. But if you’re an experienced caster looking for top-shelf performance and a do-everything rod, the METHOD is hard to beat.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][us_image image=”15934″][vc_btn title=”BUY” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fstaging.headhuntersflyshop.com%2Fwp%2Fproduct%2Fsage-method-spey-switch%2F||target:%20_blank”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

ECHO 3 GLASS – $299

Incredibly affordable, popular and fun at the shop is the ECHO Glass series of Spey and switch rods. These retro looking honey colored spey rods are slow and smooth, but with mega power. I’v never met a spey rod that I could make so many casting errors with, and still execute a good cast. It’s really amazing. Anglers who haven’t fished with one probably think of them as a “niche” or “gimmick” rod, but they ain’t. The 12’9″ 7 weight is an ideal sink-tip rod for BC or winter Steelhead, and Ninch uses his all the time on the Missouri. The 12’4″ #6 is a perfect rod for the Mo’ and coastal summer Steelhead. Our staff love the 4 and 6 weight switch models ($279) with short Skagit heads for both trout and Walleye.

Casting these rods is a little different. You need to slow down, and they like to perform an open kind of “whip” style of cast. But they do perform, and a good caster will not be giving up much distance with them. They cast Scandi lines much better than you would expect, but they shine with a Skagit head, sink tip and big old nasty on the end. The only complaint we hear is that the weight of fiberglass – while not noticeable to bigger, stronger casters – is too much for smaller casters. Women, in particular, cast this rod well but choose other models to have a lighter rod in the hand while fishing.

The price of these is ridiculous. For less than $300 you get a ton of fun, great performance and excellent durability. The softer tips on these rods are well suited to fishing sink-tips, and especially light biting fish. The switch models are only $279, and make an ideal “budget” micro-spey when compared to offerings from Sage, Winston, etc. And at under $300 you can afford to financially “test the waters” first.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][us_image image=”15889″][vc_btn title=”BUY” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fstaging.headhuntersflyshop.com%2Fwp%2Fproduct%2Fecho-glass-spey-switch%2F||target:%20_blank”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Sage ONE Troutspey – $950

Probably the most asked about rod in the shop this season, the new Sage ONE Troutspey is not just a shrunken version of another rod. It’s specifically designed as a trout specific spey rod that leans heavily towards the Skagit side of things. There are 2 models of the Troutspey, a 2 weight and 3 weight. Both rods serve a specific purpose. The 2 weight is designed for swinging small soft hackles and protecting light tippets. The three weight was designed specifically to throw larger streamers (up to a #4 heavily weighted) and rip a 10′ T8 MOW tip out of the water. Mission accomplished.

The team at Headhunters loves both, although none of us would call them “easy”. We recommend that you have some kind of spey casting competency. Even the best casters need a few minutes to figure out hand position, tempo and power (or lack of). The 3 weight is designed to use with very short Skagit heads and a “sustained anchor” style. We recommend either RIO’s new Skagit Trout Max (11′) or the OPST Commando head (12’6″). We have cast Scandi heads on these, but don’t really see the point. There are better rods at #4 for that, and the belly (D Loop) gets really long for some. Time for a Scandi Super-short from someone, which we need for the 2 weight. On the Missouri, we see no reason to swing tiny soft hackles on a Skagit head/tip.

So, the super relaxed, Skagit action with plenty of reserve power kind of puts these rods in a class by themselves. There are equivalent sized rods elsewhere that throw the line, and in some cases farther. But the 3 weight has the ability to throw some large flies and tips that most rods this size can’t. You need to be a dedicated Troutspey guy or gal – and an experienced caster – to justify the cost of these rods. If you are that person, you will probably really enjoy them.

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ECHO SR – $329

Headhunters has carried the ECHO SR (Switch Rod) off and on since we opened the doors. It’s not always our favorite rod, but there is little else available in some sizes at that price range. We brought it back this year in the 10’6″ 4 weight version, as a graphite alternative to the very expensive Sage ONE Troutspey. The ECHO SR performs great when lined correctly. If not it can make casting a bit tough. But at $329 it’s a much easier pill to swallow than micro-spey models from the Sage, Winston, etc.

Action-wise, I’d call it fast. It is designed as a “switch” after all, and has a light and fast enough tip to cast overhand. To us “switch” is over. No one we know is using a rod for both single handed and two-handed casting. So as a little spey we might have added a little weight to the tip, a few inches of length and changed the flex a touch. But, we’ve tried a bunch of heads on this guys and when lined right it sings. Our favorite is a 225 grain Skagit compact (18′). This is a bit underlined, and this combo casts more Scandi-like than Skagit. But it still throws a floating or sinking sink tip, poly-leader, and heavy fly. It’s a pretty sweet set-up. If you try to go too heavy with a super short Skagit head the tip collapses, which makes sense with most “switch” rods.

These good looking and tough micro-spey rods represent the best value we can find if you want to go really light. This would rod be especially valuable for medium sized freestones, and because it’s a switch rod, you could “switch” if necessary and toss a hopper dropper rig or nymph rig.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][us_image image=”16038″][vc_btn title=”BUY” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fstaging.headhuntersflyshop.com%2Fwp%2Fproduct%2Fecho-sr%2F||”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

OTHER RODS

We have a few other rods bouncing around the shop for you to try as well. The Sage Accel Spey is a rod we wanted to bring in, but there are just too many series that bottom out at 6 weight. We did however, bring in the switch version, an 11’4″ 6 weight with a slow, smooth action that I believe some people will really like. This is a rod I would recommend for someone who fishes the Missouri a lot with a two-hander, and makes 1 trip a year to the Ronde or Salmon for Steelhead. Pretty interesting stick.

We have had some of the Thomas & Thomas DNA XF (Scandi) rods around for the last few years. The 11’7″ 6/7 is the ideal Mo’ rod on paper. In reality, it’s not quite perfect, but is still a great Steelhead/trout combo switch rod that prefers a floating line. Beautiful craftsmanship is not inexpensive.

We have a demo of the new 11’6″ #6 Redington Chromer, with the cool black rubber partial grips top and bottom. While it’s a good rod, most of our staff and clients though it was good. Not great. No one got excited about it. And at $399 it’s a little more than it’s competition. But if murdered-out black is you look, you may love it.

THAT’S IT?

Yes, that’s about it. We used to carry more models from more manufacturers, but in reality we need to inventory the rods people want. While there’s always someone out there looking for unusual models and makes, most of our customers are looking for fishing “tools”. They want the best rod for the price, and they want spey casting to be easy. And they want to catch fish. We feel that we’ve addressed that with this selection. Even if budget and space was a non-issue, I’m not sure how many more brands and models we would bring in. Our customers have spoken by supporting the rods above.

MY GEAR

This season I’ve chosen the ECHO 3 12/7″ #6 for my Steelhead/big trout rod, which I line with an Airflow Compact Scandi on a Hatch 7plus reel. Perfect for the Lewiston area, and I hope to make a trip to the CA. coast this winter. And for casting instruction it is a consistent, adaptable rod. For a lighter rig, I’ve chosen the new ECHO TR 12′ #4 mentioned above. Lined up with an OPST Commando Head, OPST Lazer running line directly onto my Hatch 5plus (no backing), it’s kind of a “macro-spey” rig. The extra length/reach is something I like for both casting and swimming my fly. I expect this rod to provide several Walleye-taco dinners for my family.

DEMO’S

Come by the shop and demo any of the above gear. As the demand for certain sizes move down a notch, we may not have 7 weight rigs available in all these models if you’re looking for that new winter Steelhead rig. If that’s the case, you usually can get a pretty good idea by trying the 6, or ask our staff if any of them have the 13′ #7 in the model you’re interested in.

We have tons of shooting heads and tons of folks that take advantage of that. And you don’t have to use our rods to demo the lines. It’s common for an angler to take out 2-3 grain weights of a shooting head to dial in the right model before purchase. Call the shop with any questions.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

iMOW Tips In Stock

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]During swing-season, MOW tips are one of our biggest selling items. You always find you want (need?) another size for a specific spot or conditions. Unfortunately, RIO has been out of these for some time. It’s always good to run out of MOW tips during the fall.

Our MOW inventory has changed to the new iMOW tip, the “i” signifying that these are now built with intermediate instead of floating line. The floating and full sinking lines are unchanged, other than a color change to the full-sinkers to signify if they are light, medium or heavy. The entire tip is now colored instead of the loop.

iMOW tips are must haves for swinging on the Missouri River and all other trout streams during the winter months. They also come in handy for use on single handed rods when you need some extra “soak” out of the drift boat. We have a few customer also using the OPST Commando heads with iMOW tips on their single handers. Smart.

We’ve just updated the webstore with all of the tips HERE. Everything is in stock now, except the light 5X5, which will hopefully be here soon.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Vedavoo. Made in the USA, Headhunters

Vedavoo. Unique, USA Made, Headhunters

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A unique item for those you are shopping for that don’t like the run of the mill mega produced overseas items. Vedavoo Made in the USA buy real people for real outdoor activities.

This sling pack is perfect for those who are into just carrying the right amount of gear to the river. Not those overkill individuals. I love this sling pack. It rules.

Perfect for those who are anti-establishment. Not made overseas. Sewn right here in the good ‘ol US of A. The Vedavoo Tightlines Sling Pack available at Headhunters today.

Vedavoo is not a product line you will see at all fly shops. You will not see it at your big box stores either. You only see it at small specialty retail stores. Just like us here in downtown Craig.

Vedavoo Made in the USA

The Vedavoo Tightlines Sling Pack was designed to be the one pack that can cover your needs for 90% of the fishing you do.

Worn over your non-dominant shoulder (left if you’re right handed), the pack rides comfortably in the small of your back. When you need access to your gear, you pull the sling around to the front – where it lies comfortably and level across your chest. This gives you quick and easy access to your tools, flies, and tippet, but keeps your front clean and tangle free while you fish.

Frustrated by other “circular” slings that creep around or flop forward on you, our design was built to stay put on your back. Our offset design connects to the body of the pack at a point above the center of gravity – which means that the weight is already past the point of turn, and must be PULLED around to the front.

Minimalist, but not restrictive, the pack was designed to carry two full size flyboxes from Cliff Outdoors (ideal with a Super Days Worth and a Standard Cliff Flybox) in the gear pouch. The strap is built with two key pockets:

  • Behind the gear pouch is a velcro closure pocket ideal for thin items you need (but don’t want in your way). Things like leader wallets, granola bars, pocket flasks, peanut butter sandwiches, etc fit nicely here.
  • A small zipper pocket to hold your loose gear and other accessories you need to have quick access to. Stash your indicators, weight, chapstick, floatant and more here.
    On top of the zipper pocket is a strip of tool loops – quickly connect your key tools here for easy access in the center of your chest when the sling is pulled to the front. We suggest using at least four S-Biners (you can get them from us) – they are a great way to clip on your tools, and keep them isolated from the pack so they don’t spin on the loops.

See all of our packs and bags here on our online store…

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Welcome to the Missouri River December

Welcome to the Missouri River December

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December 1st. All is well. Cold as it should be.

A common winter question at the shop is “Do you really fish during the winter? When the weather is like this? Really?

Oh yeah. And we are not the only ones. Lots of local and regional anglers visit the Missouri River during the off season. Great Falls and Helena residents including Butte, Bozeman, Whitefish, and even Spokane and Billings don’t blink about heading over for a day, or three.

A short drive for most. A large reward for all. As I stated yesterday we are into one of our slowest periods of the year. Not fishing wise. Although it is not red hot. More like Snow, White, Hot.

Missouri River December Weather

Welcome to the Missouri River DecemberCold. Mostly cold and somewhat windy. When the sun is high is does not mean slower fishing. But, but the fish do not mind the lower grayer skies either. I prefer the latter. It just feels fishier when the clouds obscure the sun.

Keep in mind while the mercury reads 24F, the high and bright sun will make it feel a balmy 37F.

The wind is the variable that really, truly, nobody is a fan of. If is blowing the fishing conditions can be questionable. Always give us a call before you head out for the current conditions in Craig.

Average daily December high temperature is 35F with the low being 15F.  Average snowfall is 9 inches with the average precipitation coming in at 0.55 inches.

The upshot is cold weather and tough fishing conditions. Or for those who like the solace of the river in December…bring it.

Missouri River December (Non)Hatches

Kind of none. Some BWO’s around and some midges. More like the pink nymph fly hatch. Or a streamer Kreelex hatch. That is about it. Very little dry fly action. So, we go to the bobber and the Trout Spey Rod or a slowly stripped streamer on a single handed rod.

Welcome to Missouri River December
Lots of winter ahead of us!

So what do I do? Find that soft winter water. Most of the anglers that arrive at the shop in the morning get the same explanation about water types. We constantly hear bad reports from those trying to play the summer game. Meaning that they are fishing in good looking hopper type water. The faster, sexy type of water. Stay away from that stuff in the winter. It is no good. There are not any fish in that ind of water. The water temps are in the Hi 30’s for the remainder of the month and the fish do not hang out there. Period. So if you want some good winter nymphing action find the slow and soggy water.

It is more a question of where. That is what we are getting at here. Where. The slow pond like water is the right stuff. Where you would not fish in the spring, summer, or fall. The slower inside bends with some structure. Or no structure. Look for the most boring water you can find and fish it.

Trout Spey is King

We love to throw the 2 handed rod in the winter months. With the advent of smaller trout size spey/switch rods the Missouri River is a fantastic resource to learn a new game. And we have them all. We are the education location for all things trout spey. With well more than a dozen demo trout spey rods in stock we are Montana’s Trout Spey destination. Demo lines at Headhunters as well with the entire range of Skagit and Scandi lines.

The Missouri River has a ton of killer swing runs at your disposal. You will see fellers out there practicing, fishing, swinging. Landing fish too. Depending on the water depth and speed you can either attach a lightly weighted pattern, a  heavily weighted pattern, or an unweighted fly to the end of your switch rod. The fish can be anywhere on the swing, or twitch, or jig. Fish it, change it, strip it, swing it.

Craig Trout Camp Open All Year!

Open all year long!
Open all year long!

Craig Trout Camp is open all year long. We never close the most popular properties on the Missouri River The good news is the discounted off season price. Rainbow and Brown Cabins rent for $125/night and the Craig House starts at $250/night. Why stay anywhere else? Come out for the weekend. Fish, stay, relax.

Missouri River Off Season is Killer!

Lots of reasons to fish the off season. Low population of anglers. That is all I need to hear. But some like to catch a few trout for their troubles. No problem there either. Good fishing for those over-sized Rainbows. Stop in any time for answers, questions, coffee, a ton of BS, Christmas gifts, sale times, conversations…any and all.

Headhunters Fly Shop is your only daily fly shop on the Missouri River. We are here for you, the all seasons angler. And we love December!

 

 

 

 

Simms Bulkley

SIMMS Bulkley Jacket Review

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SIMMS Bulkley Jacket Review

SIMMS Bulkley Jacket
A good piece for 8 months a year!

Lots of interest in the New SIMMS Bulkley Jacket this season. With the recent advent of winter, it has been brewing but now it has certainly arrived, this insulated SIMMS wading jacket has received positive reviews from both the staff and Missouri River anglers.

The SIMMS Bulkley Jacket is an upgrade from the preivious model. Now insulated with Primaloft this will keep you warm in all but the coldest fishing situations. The previous model was not insulated, just a shell. This is a vast improvement!

I’ve been fishing and hanging and chillin’ in this jacket for about 3 months now. Just love it. Far better than I had imagined. Really enjoy  this piece. I usually layer up under the SIMMS Bulkley Jacket. I have been wearing a base layer with a wool top or hoody. Works quite well.

The length is just right for deeper wade fishing. We have not experienced high water in a few years but in this lower water era the Bulkley allows for exploratory wading without dampening your pocketed gear. High side pockets give you a place to keep your hand warmers. Better to keep those hands warm!

The external bellowed side zip chest pockets are roomy enough for larger fly boxes, tippet spools, GINK, and cigars. And that is it for pockets. You won’t lose too much gear because of the common fly fishing practice of over-pocketing. An added attraction is the YKK Aquaguard Vislon zippers will not let water enter your flies get damp.

 

SIMMS Bulkley Jacket
Perfectly comfortable in the cold, or the sleet, or the rain!

The killer features that I love about the SIMMS Bulkley Jacket include the dual draw cord bottom of the jacket. Pull on it and the bottom tightens up. A single handed release allows the garment to relax. The same dual draw cord system for the hood allows the angler to pull on one cord tightening up the hood for those nasty upstream winter winds. Then a single pressure point loosens the hood for easy removal. Again in the rear of the hood is the same type of mechanism. Tug on a single cord and the volume of the hood is reduced. So the problem of an uncomfortable hood situation has been remedied with the SIMMS Bulkley Jacket.

Two layer Gore-Tex keeps this piece lighter than your average insulated wading jacket. And who does not love the Gore-Tex brand. Rain, snow, sleet, or whatever Old Man Winter can throw at you will be dashed.

Most folks just love the Primaloft Silver insulation with 100g in the body, 60g in both the hood and sleeves. Just like wool Primaloft insulation retains its insulating properties when wet. So, if you gal in, you’ll be good. A reminder…don’t fall in.

One thing that drives me nuts about most cuff systems is that they really don’t work and your line catches the Velcro tabs. But, no worries here man. The Shingle Cuff internal cuff system is bomber. Not only does the neoprene lined sleeve bottom provide a water tight barrier the velcro tightening system is rock solid. The Shingle Cuff is the way!

SIMMS Bulkley Jacket
All sizes of SIMMS G3 waders in stock!

FEATURES

  • 2 upper hand-warmer pockets & 2 large YKK® AquaGuard® VISLON® zippered fly box pockets
  • Shingle Cuff™ is watertight & eliminates line catch points
  • Dual draw-cord adjustable bottom hem
  • FABRIC TECH: 2-layer GORE-TEX® Shell fabric – waterproof/breathable; 100% nylon 70d rip-stop face; 100% polyester 20d rip-stop liner; Primaloft® Silver insulation 100g body, 60g/sleeves & hood – retains its insulation power when wet
  • APPROX. WEIGHT: 28.8 oz./815g
    SIZES: S-XXL

 

HEADHUNTERS STAFF SAYS: The Bulkley has long been a shop staff favorite, although we acknowledged it wasn’t the nicest jacket out there. For 2015 Simms has completely revamped the insulated Bulkley Jacket, and we would argue it is now one of the nicest fishing jackets we’ve ever seen! Quality construction using GORE-TEX and Primaloft create a super warm and dry jacket for off-season conditions. Whether you’re stomping through the rainforest in BC or trudging through thigh-deep snow in Montana, the Simms Bulkley jacket will keep you comfortable. We see the significant price increase as justified, considering the high quality of the new jacket, and the fact that we wear these nearly every day during the winter months.

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Troutspey Techniques

Mike McCune – Troutspey Retrieve Methods

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Mike McCune does an excellent job of covering the primary methods we use to add action to the fly when swinging for trout with our two-handers. You also get to watch some excellent, relaxed, compact, troutspey casting. Watch enough and you might get pretty good.

This may be one of the most oft asked questions we get at the shop. “We understand the cast, but how do we fish the fly?” As Mike says in the video, imparting some action to your fly usually makes a big difference when fishing for trout. If you try to use a dead “Steelhead Swing”, more often than not you’ll have fewer fish come to the fly.

The first “jigging” motion is the main retrieve the Headhunters crew uses on the Missouri River. You can do this with your running line under your rod index finger, or do it independently like Mike. When using mono running line you will want to make a half wrap around your fingers so it doesn’t slip when a fish takes.

We also use his upstream “Madison” retrieve is certain situations, but as Mike states, we use them all and they all work.

Watch the video below.[/vc_column_text][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/146467809″][vc_column_text]Here endeth the lesson.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Missouri River Trout Spey Report 11.23.15

Missouri River Trout Spey Report 11.23.15

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Missouri River Trout Spey Report 11.23.15

It’s been pretty good.

The number of good runs for winter fishing here on the Missouri River is what makes us feel fortunate to be here during the several cold and snowy months.

Great runs for winter swinging. The Missouri is full of them. A a fun time to be here because you really get your choice of them. Left and right banks provide you so much water that you will not get tired of this river. We never tire of the MO.

But we are trapped here. All winter long. Hence the two handed rod. An effective tool.

While dreaming of warmer climates we simply return to the Mother Missouri.

The fish are moving into the winter trout lies. Slower and lower. Softer and shallower too. The boring water. They are moving that way.

The fish in this last week had changed location from the previous week. 2 weeks ago the fish would get on the bite early in the swing. In the faster riffle water. And they would take it hard.

I saw less of that behavior this last week. The fish have been eating it for me in the latter half of the swing. Towards the bottom. On the dangle. Twitching it or short strips enticed a few fish to eat.

The twitch or jig was working well. Most of the fish ate it not on the swing, but when I was imparting action to the streamer. Or just after the strip on the pause. But nevertheless becoming involved with your drift is important.

A local fish philosopher once said…

You can either let it happen, or make it happen.

Choose the latter.

The great thing about fishing is that you get to choose how you do it. Every angler is different and has different ideas of how to get that damn trout to bite the hook. You can dictate your destiny. You getta choose the outcome. You get a seat at the spey retrieval table. Check out the video by Scumliner Media McCune Retrieval Techniques blog that precedes this post for more on this topic.

Skagit or Scandi? Flies too.

Flies for the swinger the past couple weeks include some of the streamer all-stars for all river systems. Including the Missouri River in that equation the flies we love include smaller lighter buggers. Those tossing a Skagit line have been using an Intermediate tip or a MOW tip with an un-weighted bugger. Black and olive have been the favorites.

Missouri River Trout Spey Report 11.23.15
Montana’s best Trout Spey selection here in Craig Montana @ Headhunters Fly Shop and Guide Service

Have not heard of Skagit fellers adding the bigger deeper tips. But they may be. It is so skinny most everywhere that many Skagit anglers are using dry tips as well. Or the lighter set for the water level of 3300 cfs. No weeds to contend with. The not as weedy season has rewarded us with a not so weedy fall and early winter.

Those throwing the sleek Scandi lines have been using the beaded Bugger. Lighter floating tips encourage a bit of weight in the pattern.

Clousers, buggers, R2R, a couple flavors of the ever popular Kreelex, leeches of all kinds, sculpin patters, the slender Marabou Clousers, Skiddish Smolts in trad., brown, and olive..and more.

Trout Spey Rod & Line DEMO’s. Best Trout Spey selection in Montana.

Remember that Headhunters has demo spey lines for you to try before you buy. Also remember that we stock all things Skagit starting @ RIO Skagit Trout Max 200gr and OPST Skagit 175 gr. on up to the 6, 7 and 8weight spey rods. We have the Scandi selections that nobody else has in Montana. We have the lighter spey  and switch lines from Airflo, RIO, OPST, and SA.

Backing, running lines of all types, leaders and tippets too. We are the Trout Spey HQ in Montana.

Rods from Orvis, SAGE, Echo, and more here available for DEMO daily.

November and December ahead…

We are just beginning our Swing Season. Pretty good so far. Much better than the not-so-great fall dry fly bite. The stripping streamer bite was hit and miss too. So as we move out of the unbelievable late fall/early winter nymph mania we are encouraged the the November swinging success stories.

December is traditionally a great Trout Spey month. Our clinics get under way, the river is devoid of any sane anglers, and the fish seem to be amenable to the twitchy trout swinging syndrome.

Come by and see us if you are interested, have any questions, want to sniff around a shop that digs the winter action, are lonely, need a pick me up, or got lost coming home from Bozeman and need to spend a long weekend in Craig MT.

The epicenter of winter angling in Montana. 

 

 

 

Silly Sunday Scenery Snow Spey Edition

Silly Sunday Scenery Snow Spey Edition

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Snow on the Trout Spey rods Friday morning.

Looks like more of the light and white and fluffy stuff arriving this week.

Cold too. As we near Thanksgiving the temps cool off.

Silly Sunday Scenery Snow Spey EditionBeen a few anglers out tossing the trout spey rod this last week. A river survey via driving the frontage road a few times this week has shown that the spey rod is being employed on the Missouri.

A perfect tool for the wade fisher.

Check in tomorrow morning for a Scumliner Media Mike McCune video involving Trout Spey Retrieval techniques.

Remember our Free Troutspey casting clinics the first Saturday of every month. I believe the December clinic is full but you should check in with the shop in regards to the 2016 classes.

Have a great holiday week ahead. Some of you are traveling, some of you are hosting. We wish all of you a safe week with friends and family.

Womens Spey Clinic

Women’s Spey Clinic

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Headhunters manager Sara Roholt and guide Beth Hood held our first women’s spey clinic this weekend. As expected from these two, the clinic was a success and all who attended learned a thing or two about spey casting, rigging and equipment from these 2 spey-junkies.

Sara and Beth are on the water all winter throwing their spey rods, so this isn’t a social experience. These gals know what they’re talking about.

Former Headhunters staffer and Bozeman photographer Jess McGlothlin was also in attendance, and provided these great photos. click to enlarge[/vc_column_text][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][us_image image=”15200″ onclick=”lightbox”][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][vc_column_text]

ON WATER

Saturday was on the cool side, and excessively windy. The girls chosen spot (at Ben McNinch and Nick Stipech’s pad) proved to be the least windy spot on the river. An excellent choice.

Sara and Beth followed our standard clinic protocol, starting with an hour-plus of classroom explaining the gear and terminology, followed by on water casting instruction. Sara ran the in-classroom session, as her knowledge of equipment proved invaluable. Beth headed up the on-water casting portion, and worked on fundamentals starting with the final launch stroke.

Sara thought that most attendees were interested in applying spey techniques to local trout fishing in Montana, as opposed to future Steelhead trips. We think that’s great. Get out there and swing up some Montana natives!

“It’s exciting to watch a group of women of varying skill levels come together to learn something new! Sara and Beth were excellent teachers, and it’s hard to imagine a better setting for the new Montana Spey angler to put their new skills to use.” – Jess McGlothlin

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EQUIPMENT FEEDBACK

Because we receive a lot of feedback about gear at our clinics, we were looking forward to a women’s only perspective. Sara’s compiled feedback was that the group really enjoyed the Orvis Clearwater Spey (first) and the Sage Method (second). Not as popular were the Echo Glass Spey/Switch and new Redington Chromer. We’re receiving a bunch of Echo TR’s this week, and I would expect them to be as popular as the Orvis.

Very interesting. The Clearwater (med) and Method (fast) are two completely different rod actions, but two of our favorite. No surprises there. The Echo Glass Spey and Switch rods are shop and customer favorites, but we have always heard negative comments from the ladies. We attribute this to the extra weight of these fiberglass rods. Men seem not to notice, but women most definitely do. The new Redington Chromer has received “meh” reviews from our staff, and from this group apparently.[/vc_column_text][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][us_grid columns=”2″ post_type=”attachment” items_quantity=”” images=”15204,15205″ orderby=”post__in” items_gap=”” items_layout=”gallery_default” img_size=”us_600_600_crop” overriding_link=”popup_post_image” breakpoint_1_cols=”2″ breakpoint_2_width=”768px” breakpoint_3_width=”480px” breakpoint_2_cols=”4″ breakpoint_3_cols=”2″][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][vc_column_text]

SKAGIT vs SCANDI

The group used both Skagit and Scandi lines, and Skagit prevailed as the easiest and most enjoyable. We all know that Skagit lines are a bit easier to throw. The ladies group would also agree more fun to throw. They definitely do more of the work for you, which is nice.

Sara, Beth and Headhunters also provided some warm soup, veggie trays, chardonnay and I heard there was some Bailey’s floating around. All appreciated from the sounds of it. It was a little windy and cool Saturday.

MORE CLINICS?

Will we hold more ladies Spey Clinics? Up to Sara and Beth, but I would expect that we will. If you’re interested I suggest harassing Sara at the shop.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Montana spey fishing

Two-Handed Report

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]above: Mark Raisler and Beth Hood readying the 2hand arsenal for a day on the Mo. FINALLY We’re finally getting the right conditions for both swing and boat streamer fishing to produce some fish. It’s been OK for the last month, but not great. Lots of little flies in skinny water. Slow retrieves. Not what most … Read more

Missouri River Swing Season

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We are so damn close.

After the dust settles on the BWO parade we dive right into Swing Season on the MO.

Screen Shot 2015-10-22 at 9.47.13 PMDaily conversations about fly lines and the latest in 2 handed Trout Spey Rods here at Headhunters.

While many trout shops close for the season Headhunters switch into Swing Season.

We’ve got all the latest swing gear for you to try. Trout Spey Rods from around the world along with the lines, tips,, leaders, and flies for fall and winter fishing fun.

Got questions? Just ask us. We got answers.

Many have been swinging for a couple weeks. I have witnessed a swinger on the river daily the last couple weeks.

Craig Trout Camp, our on-site lodging, is open all year long. Joe’s Bar open daily as well as Headhunters Fly Shop and Guide Service. $400 Guide trips for both Swing Education and single handed trips begin November 15th.

Many come down from Calgary to see the sun while participating in a spot of fly fishing. Bozeman-ites, our friends from Whitefish and Kalispell, those to the west in Spokane and even to the coast in Seattle. Craig is a quiet, quick get-away any month of the year.

This could be the year you become better with the two-handed rod.

Are you in?

 

 

 

Montana Guided Spey Trips

Guided Spey Trips

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Requests for guided two-handed Spey fishing trips on the Missouri River have been on the increase. We’ve actually done some the past few seasons, but have not formally made it an official part of our guided trip packages. Until now.

Beginning November 15th and running through March 15th, Headhunters will be offering Montana Troutspey Trips on the Missouri River. These trips are designed for both experienced and rookie two-handed casters, as our focus will be on catching fish.

(If you want to spend hours talking about shooting head theory and the merits of touch-and-go vs. sustained-anchor, we recommend that you attend our free Spey Casting clinics, a much better forum for discussion)

COST

Our winter Spey Trips will run you $400, and includes all equipment, and a light lunch. Expect trips to run about 6 hours. If you already have the proper gear (anything up to a #7), we recommend you bring that. We will be offering an unconditional refund for weather cancellations, so don’t worry about the “too cold” factor.

Our “regular” winter floats trips will also be $400, so don’t feel like you’re locked into Spey fishing.

If you want to know when the best time to come is, we typically experience our very best two-handed swinging during November, December and early January. And I mean very, very good fishing.

We do have lodging available as well in the winter.

ADVICE

A little advice here. I’m seeing quite a few anglers trying to turn this into a version of Steelhead fishing. They are throwing 8 weights with big sink tips and giant blue and purple intruders right out a winter Steelhead box.

This is not Steelhead Fishing, and we are not trying to make it that. If you want to catch some fish, listen to us and your guide. You need to impart some action to the fly. You should be mending downstream. You need to use flies that represent something trout eat. You need to fish the right water.

If you’re obsessed with Steelhead, go Steelheading (or check out Instagram, you can live it virtually there).

These trips are about learning how to use a two-handed rod to pursue trout, especially in the off season. Enjoy that.

Give us a call if you’re interested in booking a Troutspey trip this fall/winter.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Montana Trout Spey Fishing

Trout Spey Line Selection

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’ve been receiving lots of questions about “Troutspey” rods and lines lately. Folks are getting geared up for the fall. Streamers are on their mind, and many folks are choosing to swing them on foot, rather than from the boat.

We’ve already announced that we have several smaller spey rods designed for trout, including the new Sage ONE Troutspey (3110-4). We are also carrying two models from ECHO, the Glass Switch 4106 and the SR 4106. Both are 4 weights, but fish and feel similar to the Sage #3. (There is also a Sage #2, but that is designed more for smaller soft-hackles and such).

The “big news” isn’t really about the rods. In fact the ECHO’s have been around for a few years. The big change is the extremely short Skagit heads that go with them. RIO is producing an 11′ Skagit Trout Max for the ONE. We are also carrying the OPST (Olympic Penninsula Skagit Tactics) Commando heads, which come in at 12′-13’6″ in these smaller sizes. You can add to your choices traditional Skagit and Scandi heads from Airflow and RIO, Airflo’s new “Switch Streamer” and “Switch Float”, RIO’s Switch Chucker, and the Wulff Ambush. Plenty of choices. Too many.

And we haven’t even talked about running lines yet.

We are spending a great deal of time really getting these rods dialed in with the right lines, as well as discovering the pluses and minuses of the new short lines and different running lines on these ultra-light rods. I feel as though we are close to halfway through our testing.

I’ll start off with some recommendations we have come up with thus far. Please remember that most of our crew approaches spey casting from a mostly Scandi/traditional point of view. We make no claims of being Skagit experts.

SAGE ONE TROUTSPEY:

240 gr Scandi, OPST Commando 225 (12′), and RIO 250 gr SkagitTrout Max. (Still to come, Commandos in 200 gr and 250 gr, Ambush and Skagit Max Short)

This rod likes a 240 gr Scandi head (29′) a lot, but it might be a touch long for shorter anglers or when you’re right to the top of your waders. Dewey, Sara and I all thought it was perfectly balanced and threw with ease. Dewey and I are both 6’1″ (6’4″ with the flat brim trucker). For us there was no real problem with timing or speed. Sara (5’3″) on the other hand, had to work a little harder and lift her hands higher, especially when wading over her knees. This rod was designed with sustained anchor casts in mind, so it’s no surprise that you have to “overload the D” with such a short rod. But once you get it the lines sails. Probably the line for early season (Nov/Dec) floating presentations.

The 250 gr RIO Skagit Trout Max (11′) is designed specifically for this rod, and it works that way. At 11′ feet, you’re going to go through a learning curve, even if you’re an accomplished spey caster. So short that pre-launch moves are almost non-existent. Keep your hands low, and do not try to load up a D-loop. A continuous sustained anchor sweep and launch works wonders. Don’t stop! We are finding a 10′ MOW tip works much better than a poly-leader. I think the extra mass helps keep you on anchor, and gives all that energy somewhere to dissipate. We like the 5×5 iMOW the best for the Missouri.

The 225r OPST Commando (12′) is a little bit smoother and lighter, but probably requires a bit more skill. These are new to us and we’re still learning. OPST actually recommends a 175 gr head, which we have thrown but find hard to feel. An expert sustained anchor Skagit-head would probably fly it across the river. We do like the extra foot of length. Our comrades over at Red’s Fly Shop on the Yakima are recommending a 300 gr Commando, so it seems we are lacking a consensus on this one.

These lines are designed by Ed Ward and Jerry French (total Guru’s), so it’s hard for me to argue with their recommendations (175 gr). I think we just need some more time on the water with these.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”14836″ onclick=”lightbox”][vc_column_text]

ECHO SR 4106:

RIO 225 gr Skagit Max Short (17′), OPST 225 Commando (12′) and Scandi 270

It’s important to me that we get this rod dialed in, as it comes in at a price more tolerable to most folks than the Sage ONE ($329 v. $950). This rod has been the trickiest to get properly lined up, but the “SR” stands for “switch rod”. This rod was designed as a switch, not a spey. It’s a little lighter in the tip, so you have to be careful about overlooking it.

It makes no sense on paper, but our favorite line thus far is the RIO Skagit Max Short 225 gr (17′). According to the charts, we should be 100 grains above that (or more), but the rod loves this head. Dewey and I spent a good deal of time throwing it with a 10′ 5×5 iMow tip attached, and it sailed with power, speed and a tight loop. Really more like a Scandi head. It had no problem turning over the tip and weighted fly.

A 270gr Scandi also sailed on this rod, but we ran into the same problems we did on the Sage ONE Troutspey. It will be a little long for some folks, depending on your height and casting stroke, and very close attention needs to be paid to your load and anchor point. The Skagit Max Short performed way better and almost as smooth.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”14837″ onclick=”lightbox”][vc_column_text]

ECHO GLASS SWITCH 4106:

OPST Commando 225 gr, Scandi 270 gr

The same specs as the Echo SR – 10’6″ 4 weight – but a completely different animal. This fiberglass rod has a slow action with latent power perfect for Skagit lines. It also liked the 270 Scandi, but the above mentioned problems were probably magnified a little more.

This rod really likes the OPST Commando 225, and we also recommend using a MOW tip vs. a polyleader. We highly recommend all of the glass ECHO switch and spey rods. You can make a lot of little mistakes and still pull a rabbit out of your hat. Our only complaint is that physically smaller anglers notice the weight difference over graphite models. Dewey and I think it feels like any other two-hander, but Sara commented on the “extra-heavy feeling”. This has been true of most women+ECHO glass at our spey clinics. Still, they are among our favorite rods, especially for the price ($279-299).

RUNNING LINES:

We have always been fans of traditional plastic coated running lines (built like a fly line), but have been using mono shooting lines more and more, especially with these ultra-light Troutspey rods. These rods do not really give you any advantages when casting, nor are they easier. It’s more about the “fun-factor” and matching the appropriate sized gear to your quarry.

Our problem is that we fish on a very big river with big winds, and the fish tend to hold in the “middle”. We need maximum distance out of our gear. Using mono running lines gives us some distance advantage.

Our favorite is the OPST Lazar line, which is a newer and highly touted mono. While OPST claims several advantages over other mono running lines, I find that the small diameter and super slick coating are most noticeable.

We also use the RIO Slickshooter mono running lines, but are not big fans of the “Gripshooter lines. The grippy coating on the last 15′ of the running line pretty much negates any mono running line advantage. We find this especially true with these lighter heads. Also, the Gripshooter coating pulls of pretty easily, and it’s more expensive.

One huge disadvantage we are finding with mono lines has to do with weeds.We typically don’t do that much spey fishing this time of year, so floating weeds are not an issue. In the winter, the Missouri is crystal clear.

But with all of the line testing we’re doing right now, we’re out there during the weed “breakup”. The mono running lines are going to sink, and when they do they are going to grab some grass. We are discovering that even a couple inches of weeds (not much) can stop these lightweight heads dead in the air. So, for the time being we are back on the Airflo Ridge Running line (dropping in diameter from 30b to 20lb, and RIO’s Connect Core. We will switch over to mono later in the fall. If fall ever gets here.

ONGOING:

Consider this part one of what will be several to come, and most information here is not set in stone. If nothing else, maybe this information will help you sort out your own Troutspey rod and line setup. More to come soon.

SKAGIT POINTERS:

If you’re looking for a few Skagit pointers at Headhunters, seek out Ninch. He is the most accomplished Skagit caster on our staff, having absorbed all of Mike McCune’s teachings at our spey clinic. Remember: continuous sweep and launch stroke!

These new short heads definitely present some challenges. There are a blast to cast, but will take a little tweaking to your style, depending on your background. Also, you can use them on single handers. Might be worth a try under the dam for some fish taco materials.

DEMO’S AVAILABLE!

We have all of these rods available for demo, and we’d love to hear as much feedback as possible. Don’t be shy about coming in and trying one out for the day.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Whitney Gould Spey Instruction

Red Shed Spey Gathering

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]above: Whitney Gould started off the morning instructional sessions. I headed over to the Clearwater River last weekend for the annual Red Shed Spey Gathering (aka Speyclave), a celebration of spey casting and Steelhead fly fishing that incuded product demo’s and spey casting instruction from many of the West’s best spey casting instructors. This is … Read more

Montana Troutspey, spey fly fishing

I guess we’re starting Troutspey a little early…

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It seems like everyone is Jonesing to Spey. We still have several weeks of great dry fly and streamer action left! You’ll still be in shirt sleeves 6 weeks from now! But anglers are coming by, asking for the “swing” report, talking new gear and debating trout vs. birds vs. a quick run over to the Clearwater. So here we go…

SAGE ONE TROUTSPEY IN STOCK

The eagerly awaited for Sage ONE Troutspey is now in stock at Headhunters. Took long enough. A few are already spoken for, and a couple will immediately go into the demo fleet so you can take them out and see what all the fuss is about. Lots of folks coming by the shop and asking about these new ultra-light spey rods. Try or buy, you will like them either way.

We do have them on our online store, so if you don’t want to risk missing out on one, press “Buy”! If you hate it, we will work something out to get you into the right rod, or make a partial refund. I expect these to go relatively quickly, and I’m not sure what the backstroke will be like at Sage.

Troutspey Day #1

Spent Sunday on the river with local trout bum John Heckert, swinging the two-hander down around Cascade. John has been teetering on the edge of the Spey Canyon for a while. He fell in at our Labor Day sale when Ninch and Sara hooked him up with a used demo Echo Glass Spey rod. He does a lot of wade streamer fishing, so it only made sense.

This was John’s first time with a spey rod. We had an excellent instructional day, hitting both banks multiple times and adjusting our casts to the ever changing breeze. Perfect day to be out on the water.

The fishing? Meh. But we did tangle with a few fish. My first spey trout of the fall, and that’s nice. Still a bit early, and the lure of rising fish tempted us to break out the single handers a few times. If you do go, i would go really early and hit some of the long beaches. Swing it way in shallow until the sun hits the water. When there are lots of bugs available, the fish will ignore your swung fly.

Spending the day watching John adapt to a new style reminded me what a great rod the Echo Glass Spy & Switch series is. Really forgiving, but with tons of power and speed if you want it. The only negative that we’ve ever heard regard the weight in your hand. Not terrible, but definitely heavier than graphite.

Still too early

Yes, like I said it’s still bit early and I didn’t really expect the swinging to be phenomenal. But in a month or so, things will relay start to turn on. By Thanksgiving we will be hitting the peak of swing season. Hold your horses! You’ll have to deal with rising fish and incredible nymph for a while yet.[/vc_column_text][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][us_image image=”14438″ onclick=”lightbox”][vc_column_text]John Heckert concentrating during his first day with a spey rod. You can tell John is concentrating because he has his tongue out. Like this guy…[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”14439″ size=”medium” align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_grid post_type=”ids” no_items_message=”” columns=”4″ items_layout=”shop_trendy” items_gap=”” ids=”14423″][us_grid post_type=”ids” no_items_message=”” columns=”4″ items_layout=”shop_trendy” items_gap=”” ids=”8949″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Winter Spey Clinic Dates

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’ve set the dates for the 2015/16 Spey Clinics at Headhunters. As usual, these dates are somewhat tentative, as we occasionally move them due to weather. But we make every attempt to keep those dates solid. We get quite a few attendees from out of the area who make plans far in advance.

These clinics are open to students of all skill levels, but are generally geared towards beginning spey casters. We do have more advanced students attend, and can help decipher any hitches you may have in your cast.

SPEY CLINIC DATES

DEC 5, 2015

JAN 9, 2016

FEB 6, 2016

MAR 5, 2016

The routine will be pretty similar. Meet at the Craig House behind Headhunters for coffee, pastries and a 1-2 hour presentation/Q&A session about equipment, casting and fishing techniques.

After that, we head to our private spot right on the river in Craig. You will see a short presentation on casting, then break up and work on spey casts with our instructors. Teacher to student ratio is typically 4:1.

Post class often involves some equipment/line discussions back at Headhunters. We may also enjoy an adult beverage from the YETI.

Classes will again be limited to 20 students. We turn away plenty of people for each class, so you are limited to 1 clinic per season. Also, if you sign up and cannot make it, please let us know so we can open up your spot to those on the waiting list.

Remember that all equipment is provided, but we encourage you to bring your own rod. If you think you may have the wrong line on it, we have plenty of demo lines for you to try. We will help you get it dialed up.

COST: FREE

Remember, we do these clinics for free! All of our instructors volunteer their time because they love swinging a two-hander.

WHAT YOU NEED

Bring warm weather gear, including gloves, hats and pocket hand-warmers. Bring your own two-handed equipment, but you can still try some of our gear if you wish. It is not unusual for a few of the Manufacturer reps to show up with more rods (and instruction) as well.

HOW TO SIGN UP

Call the shop and sign up. That’s it![/vc_column_text][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][vc_column_text]

NEW! WOMENS CLINIC

We will be kicking off the 2015-16 season with a small Women’s clinic with Spey instructors Beth Hood and Sara Roholt. The date is November 14th, and class space is limited to 6-8. No, women do not need to be taught differently than men. This is simply a chance for the gals to get together and learn about spey casting in a smaller, relaxed setting with two excellent two-handed anglers.

We are still working out the details on this class. Call Sara at the shop with any questions.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][us_image image=”14404″][vc_column_text]SARA ROHOLT[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][us_image image=”14403″][vc_column_text]BETH HOOD[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][us_separator show_line=”1″ line_width=”default”][vc_column_text]

McCUNE/GOULD CLINIC

Spey Guru’s Mike McCune and Whitney Gould will be making their annual tour of Montana next spring, and will be bringing their casting clinics to Craig and Headhunters once again. Dates have not been firmed up yet, but expect them to be held sometime in April.

If you can’t wait to see Mike & Whitney until then, contact them through Whitney Gould Fly Fishing and book a trip on the Grande Ronde this fall, or OR/CA this winter.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”14401″ onclick=”lightbox”][vc_column_text]Whitney Gould & Mike McCune on the Blackfoot River.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

WOMEN’S SPEY CLINIC

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Headhunters Spey Casting instructors Sara Roholt and Beth Hood will be holding their first Women’s Spey Clinic this fall on November 14. Class size will be limited to 6-8 anglers. Rods will be provided and this class will be geared towards beginning spey casters and those who have never tried it.

Sara and Beth fish the Missouri River with two handers all winter and are experts when it comes to finding and catching fish on the Missouri River with spey rods. They both have experience fly fishing for Steelhead as well.

If you’re interested in attending this clinic, call Sara at Headhunters 1-877-379-3597 or 406-235-3447.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”14403″][/vc_column][/vc_row]