Help me understand???

[Panhandle]

I keep seeing all these pics and of folks using 14 footers in places like the Great lakes and upper New York. In the pics, the creeks look like water I could double haul a 6wt from bank to bank. Is there a reason for this? I'm not bein a jerk, I'm just wondering why people are using speys on single hander managable water. Over here we use them out of neccessity, why do you use them? Thanks, Adam.

[Hal Eckert]

I keep seeing all these pics and of folks using 14 footers in places like the Great lakes and upper New York. In the pics, the creeks look like water I could double haul a 6wt from bank to bank. Is there a reason for this? I'm not bein a jerk, I'm just wondering why people are using speys on single hander managable water. Over here we use them out of neccessity, why do you use them? Thanks, Adam.

Well, umm because of GLs rivers like these, there out here, Now you PNW fellows just keep flying on over us please.:)

:beer2:

BG

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/eckhal1/IMG_0073.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/eckhal1/Michigan_Steel_Winter.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/eckhal1/3kfall05640x4801.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/eckhal1/123-2376_IMG.jpg


http://www.uppermidwestflyfishing.com/photos/data/500/medium/112-1222_IMG.JPG


http://www.uppermidwestflyfishing.com/photos/data/500/Michigan_Surf.jpg


http://www.uppermidwestflyfishing.com/photos/data/524/K3_640x480.JPG


http://www.uppermidwestflyfishing.com/photos/data/500/Torridge_in_action_640x480.JPG


http://www.uppermidwestflyfishing.com/photos/data/500/medium/113-1334_IMG.JPG


http://www.uppermidwestflyfishing.com/photos/data/500/medium/112-1296_IMG.JPG

[Kevin Giusti]

Well Im not from the great lakes but from those pics a spey rod sure looks like it would work. Plus I think with brushy banks a spey rod would be very helpful. Also would you rather double haul a six weight fifty feet+ all day or double spey that same water? Kevin

[jhorton]

Black Ghost, that is one of the best answers I have ever seen on a message board.

Now would you please explain to me whey there is no snow and ice in your fishing pictures, as every time I go up there, it is cold enough to freeze an Eskimo's pie?

[Panhandle]

Beautiful water and two-hander worthy. You may have just posted the demise of great lake steelhead fishing. :cool:

[Matt Burke]

Size of the water does not necessarily indicate the use of a long rod. I Spey cuz I’m lazy and there is a hell of a lot less energy for one cast, rather than several.

[Panhandle]

I undersatnd that Mark. But, I'm asking for their perspective. Two handers are all the fad!

[Steelie Mike]

Adam I find myself swinging the spey rod when the water is low and clear in the middle of the summer close to home. I even catch a few fish here and there doing it. Personally if I am swinging flies I would rather use the spey rod. Now that other method is another subject.

[obiwankanobi]

Adam,

I know you are not trying to invoke the fury of us spey guys, but spey fishing is far from being a modern day fad. In the fifteenth century spey-like rods were used, consisting of high-modulus willow and long bellied braided horse hair!!! I spey fish a river at my home waters that could be covered very easily with a single handed rod. I enjoy the ease at which I can cast and access all of the hard to fish areas that would be impossible with any kind of backcast. Even porkchoppers (people that pitch shrimp and roe) can't get into some of my secret spots since they would get hung up on the dense cedar wall, cascading over the river.

[yuhina]

Good thread!, I found a piece of information that talk about spey cast function...

" Spey fishing techniques help you (1) overcome a lack of back-casting space while allowing full forward cast distances, (2) gets the fly back out into the current from the dangle with much less time and effort and (3) improves line control which is one of the most important tools for the river angler. (Extract from "Spey Handbook" j.mukai @2004 available to students as class text)"

Interestingly, in the main 3 funtions, the author did not even mentioned the long distance advantage. Also, to my knowledge (from Simon Gawesworth's book), the spey cast were developed from the River Spey to overcome their notorious back-casting problems.
I never fish GLs, but I know there are lot's trees up there... the same thing happen in the Southeastern area. TOO MANY trees. Although, you can spey cast with single-handed rod, you pretty much need to go with a single haul...

Yuhina

[Panhandle]

I guess it's a bit of histrionics on my part. I can remember my old steelhead mentor in Oregon ridiculing guys on the hood and other medium sized steelhead rivers for using two-handers. Ironically he didn't spey, maybe there was some envy going on there. Regardless, it has left an impression on me when I judge to bring my two-hander or single on a given river based on size. All your points are understood, correct, and valid.

[yuhina]

Panhandle,

I know there are more and more folks in the GLs area using longer single-handed rods (10-11 footers). I would like to hear what they feel about these "switch rods" in GLs...

Yuhina

[fredaevans]

I guess it's a bit of histrionics on my part. I can remember my old steelhead mentor in Oregon ridiculing guys on the hood and other medium sized steelhead rivers for using two-handers. Ironically he didn't spey, maybe there was some envy going on there. Regardless, it has left an impression on me when I judge to bring my two-hander or single on a given river based on size. All your points are understood, correct, and valid.

"Penis Envy" is my guess.:hmmm: But you can still 'over rod' for a given river. Given the number of spey rods I've got only two of them are at/over 15 foot in length. And I suspect they (over all) actually see very little water time. (Well, the 18 footer hasn't had a line on it for at least the past two years.)

[Charles Sullivan]

2 impinged shoulders + years of throwing a baseball = spey. That is my story. The thought of casting a one hander all day makes my right arm hurt from the wrist to the shoulder. I spey on a very small river. It works just fine and I don't hurt.
I have fished the Lake Ontario trib.'s extensively. I wish that I had spey fished at the time. Most of the fishing there is done chuck and duck nymphing. It wasn't very much fun to me. Nymphing of any sort rarely is. It may have been possible to use a long leader and weighted fly with a 2 hander. I am sure many people use the speys for nymphing as well as some swinging when the water warms a bit in late April/ May. There is also some dedicated swingers for the fall fish that head into Cattaraugas in Western NY from lake Erie. Oak Orchard and Sandy creek in WNY could be swung for both steel and browns.

38,
cds

[Hal Eckert]

http://speypages.com/speyclave/showthread.php?t=25701&page=5

Well there are a few GL spey casters about out here, from last years mini spey clave in
Michigan.

Sorry not been online much the last month work has ramped up again and of course some fishing on weekends, amongst the golf.

:beer2:

BG