The days of Autumn are here and the daylight becomes about 4 minutes less per day. The hours I work at the shop limit fishing time before and after work. The other day I thought I would get out for a couple of hours before my shift and work on my spey casting and maybe hook a fish or two.
Armed with the Sage Method 6119, RIO Scandi 390, and a Olive/White Dali Lama I headed up stream from Craig. Around 8:30 I entered the river with a nice 17 mph SW wind blowing down stream.
After a few warm up casts that placed my anchor point everywhere but the right spot I managed to throw some line to my intended target. Part of my scouting trip included seeing if the weeds would be too much to swing a streamer. Not at all is the answer. With few exceptions the weed flew off during the cast.
Placing my anchor point in the weeds was my only concern at this point. Even the fish decided to cooperate by hammering the Dali. I prefer a longer two-handed rod like like the Method 6126 for throwing line with ease. The Method 6119 makes me a better caster as the timing needs to be right for long casts, but when a 18″ fish climbs on board the bend in the rod is similar to a 6wt single handed rod.
For the two-handers in the audience the river is shaping up for swinging. If wading is your only option it’s another tool to get that streamer out there. Headhunters has plenty of two-handed demo rods from Sage, Orvis, Thomas & Thomas, and Echo to get you into the swing. Stop by the shop and the staff will help with equipment questions, hot streamers, and recommendations for areas to swing on the river. Don’t miss our Two-Handed Spey clinics this winter, for information visit our web site or call the shop.