By Fred Telleen
If you are a fly-fisher and have not heard the term“ Trout Spey”, then you’ ve probably been living under a rock with the Pteronarcys.
That’ s because spey casting techniques with single-hand and double-hand rods are all the rage right now. Manufacturers have flooded the market with new rods and lines in recent years, to cover almost every niche anglers can imagine. However, combining traditional trout fly-fishing with speycasting tackle and techniques is both awesome and confusing. It takes a solid introduction to learn the fun and benefits of participating in spey. And that’ s why some people choose to neglect spey, fearing they can’ t master the casts required for success.
We can solve that issue. In April 2016, North 40 Fly Shop pulled together an impressive cast of flyfishing legends, industry leading tackle designers, and manufactures, to showcase and share the tackle and techniques for the pursuit we call Trout Spey. Thus, the Montana Trout Spey Clave on the Missouri River was born.
In 2018 we’ ll host our third annual Trout Spey Clave on the Missouri, with all the great tackle and instructors we’ ve welcomed in the past. When we considered dates for our third event we had several considerations. While we liked the April timing for our busy calendars and hoped to get folks on the water before they got locked into prime-time fishing and guiding schedules, we decided to move forward into slightly warmer and longer spring days. We want to give our out-of-town guests a better window to enjoy the Missouri River and May is a great month to visit.
May 5 emerged as our preferred choice. Given that the date also coincides with Cinco de Mayo, we decided to throw down a party featuring presentations by renowned industry spey casters accompanied by tacos. So, get your own cannons ready, or borrow the demo rods we’ ll bring to the event, because Cinco de Speyo is coming to the Missouri River May 4th and 5th, 2018.
LOCATION Mid Canon Fishing Access Site- Missouri River Access via exit 240( Dearborn) off I-15. Exit 240 is 40 miles south of Great Falls and 46 miles north of Helena. In Missouri River terms, it’ s in“ the Canyon” between Cascade and Craig.
BEGINNER SPEY & DEMO DAY- FRIDAY, MAY 4 We’ ll offer two great opportunities for angler involvement, starting at 3 p. m. If you are new to spey casting and would like to learn from some masters, join our Beginners Spey Clinic. Space for beginners is somewhat limited, so please contact us to sign up.
Also on Friday at 3 p. m., we will host a wide open spey casting and industry demo session. Come one, come all. Show up in waders and bring your spey rod for some one-on-one instruction, or try out demos from Winston, G Loomis, Sage / Redington, Echo and Loop. This a great chance to dial in your current setup or choose from some great rods and lines to build a new outfit.
CINCO de SPEYO- SATURDAY, MAY 5 On Saturday, May 5 vendor setup will begin at 9 a. m. Presentations kick off at 10 a. m. and finish up around 5 p. m. We’ ll take a break in the middle of the day for some tasty tacos. Then, some post presentation fun begins. While presentations are going on, guests can also visit vendors to peruse their gear, demo rods and lines, mingle with the pros and maybe even coax them into the water for