How do you actually fish with a spey rod?

[john_in]

I have gotten spey casting down for now and am ready to fish with a spey rod. My question for everyone is: How do I actually fish with this rod? Do I strip or float a fly? Or both? I am quite good with fly rod. Do I do the same thing with spey rod? The only problem I see it is that spey rod is big. It is not as easy to strip with this rod. Thanks.

[BWANA-J]

I'm by no means an expert with my spey but I fish it two different ways, swinging streamers and also dead drifting flies. Swinging is basically the same as swinging with a regular flyrod but the spey will let you make longer casts acrossed big water. When swinging streamers I keep my leader/tippit's pretty short, 4 or 5 ft long is plenty. If the water is deep with fast current I'll use sinktips made from T-11 or T-14 in various lengths to get the fly down in the strike zone. When I dead drift with indicators my leader is just about as long as my rod. I try to keep as much of my line off of the water as possible. The long rod helps to mend your line to make pretty long drifts. Hope I haven't clouded the issue too much, I'm still a novice spey fisher myself but I am having fun with steel and smallmouth.

[thegreatscout]

John_in,
You can dead drift but most people I know swing. In your area you could swing streamers for smallmouth with your switch rod, the spey rod you have is overkill.
Facing down stream roughly at a 45 degree angle cast quarter down stream and swing the streamer across the river. Generally the smallmouth will nail the streamer at the end of the swing.
Next time I am in your area lets do some fishing. I will PM you next time I am in the area.
thegreatscout

[john_in]

Thank both of you for answering my questions.

[silverbum]

what you can do is all up to you. Swing flies skate drys dead drift etc...... It's a forum of casting. I use alot of tips and fish with shooting heads. Sometime I toss a skagit line with tips but not to oten since with shootingheads I can do the same thing plus not have an allladin magic freaking carpet ride when it trys to turn over lol. Once you figure out how you want to fish is what really makes the choice for you and go from there what flies do you want to toss how big what are you trying to do bring it to the fish or have the fish come to you and be the predator they are? I toss all sizes of flies just change my leader and head size for what I'm trying to do you can do everything and anything but all I do is swing on my spey and switchs now.

[kweetech]

two handed rod is just a method of fly delivery..how you "fish" it is entirely up to you.

[trekker]

Lastyear was my first year skagit casting. I Found it to be very enjoyable. I would like to try dead drifting this year. Is it possible to skagit cast with an indicator?

[BWANA-J]

I use a 13 1/2 ft Spey with a 450 gr Rio Skagit line and I indy fish with it alot. When I indy fish with it I use a long leader, 13 ft and mainly just roll cast. If you dress your line it'll be easier to mend and help make longer drifts. Drifting a white Crystal bugger or Sucker Spawn with a single blood dot egg dropper can be deadly.

[Possum]

Trekker,
The Skagit set up will be fine for indi fishing. Use your same casts, I use a double spey most of the time, an occational stap T (or Z) and a snake roll to show off.....or when needed.

The only think I do not like about Skagit line for indi fishing is the lack of a solid running line to mend long drifts. (thus why Airflo added a beefy section on the Speydicator Line for impoved mending)

[SSG Steelhead]

If you are going to toss an indicator on a spey rod why not just use a centerpin instead? IMHO a spey rod is for swinging not indy fishing. Ok Ok before you say it I am not some spey snob, I own, build and fish both CP and spey so slow down. All I am saying is "use the best tool for the job" If you are looking at keeping a fly "in the zone longer" a center pin is the best thing out there. If you want to swing a streamer or the like, cast heavy sink tip and dead chickens with next to no back cast then a spey rod rocks.

[josh roelofsen]

If you are going to toss an indicator on a spey rod why not just use a centerpin instead? IMHO a spey rod is for swinging not indy fishing. Ok Ok before you say it I am not some spey snob, I own, build and fish both CP and spey so slow down. All I am saying is "use the best tool for the job" If you are looking at keeping a fly "in the zone longer" a center pin is the best thing out there. If you want to swing a streamer or the like, cast heavy sink tip and dead chickens with next to no back cast then a spey rod rocks.

I think it all comes down to how you like to fish, I could swing a fly much more effectively with a spinning reel or centrepin using any number of different methods to get the fly down and bring it through the zone. Would I? Not usually. But I have tossed spinners and plugs on my pins and fished flys on a spinning rod......whatever works!

Indi fishing with a Spey rod? Yeah, if you only want to carry one rod and enjoy the excitement of catching fish on a fly rod go for it! If the fish aren't aggressive and chasing a swung fly why not try an indi rig? I fly fish for Steelhead, as a challenge. My many centrepin setups are, however, much more effective at properly presenting a fly.

Josh