THE INAUGURAL MONTANA
TROUT SPEY CLAVE ON THE
Missouri River
is almost here and we could not be more
excited. We’ve drawn together a group of fishy
characters and industry leading brands. Our
cast includes premier guides, fly rod engineers,
line designers and sales reps from G Loomis,
Winston, Beulah, Echo, OPST, Simms, Costa
and our own North 40 Fly Shop staff. We will be
showcasing the best tackle currently available
for the activity we like to call *Trout Spey.
On Friday April 15, from 3-5 pm, we will
provide a free Spey casting clinic. This is a great
chance to tune up your Spey casting with a true
professional or get introduced to Spey casting
techniques for the first time. We are asking
interested participants to sign up for the Spey
casting clinic at the Great Falls Fly Shop. You
can visit the fly shop, call us at the store, or
email your request to join. Space is somewhat
limited, but we will try to accommodate as
many as we can.
Saturday April 16th is our main event.
We will be running mini clinics on a variety of
topics designed to help you understand the
concept of “Trout Spey.” Presentations will roll
from 9 am to 5 pm and will showcase casting,
fly selection and angling techniques with the
rods and fly lines associated with them. You
won’t want to miss out. Even if you’ve never
considered the Spey side of fly fishing for trout,
you might learn some valuable crossover
techniques and information. In the middle of
the day, we will be grilling up lunch by the river.
The Montana Trout Spey Clave is a fee event
and will be held at the Mid Canon FAS (Fishing
Access Site). Access is from I-15 via Exit 240.
*What is Trout Spey?
Spey casting was born on the River Spey in
Scotland. It was traditionally performed with
long, two-handed rods of eighteen feet or
more to target Atlantic Salmon. Spey casts are
water based. There is no aerial back cast. Line
tension between the water and rod, along with
the mass of the fly line, form sufficient load for
the cast. Therefore, an angler can cast a long
line with limited space behind them. Ten feet
or less is often sufficient. Spey casts are very
dynamic and energetic. A good Spey caster
can launch casts exceeding 100 ft. Tackle has
rapidly evolved and we currently have many
rod and line pairings to aid in the art of Spey
casting. There are a variety of Spey casts that
a trout angler can use with either single or
two-handed “trout sized” rods. When we use
Spey casting techniques and tackle for trout
fishing, we call it Trout Spey. It is not nearly as
complicated as it all sounds, but if you are still
confused, you definitely need to join us.