similar power as a 7 weight single hand rod, the ease of turning over a heavy fly with a sink or intermediate tip with two hands is effortless compared to false casting all day with a 7 weight single hand.
Caddis bouncing off the water and swarming in the hundreds overhead, we watch mountain goats drink from the river. Alice ties on a soft hackle and says this imitates an emerging caddis and should do the trick. Half way through the swing the line goes tight, lift and the line slacks, the hook is bent. Next, she tie’s on a crawdad pattern, makes a cast across stream, adds a couple mends to let the fly sink deeper and the line swings across. Midway through, the line comes tight. The take is aggressive with authority! The reel spines, she manages the trout to her feet and without a net attempts to land the beast. Even with 3X tippet, the manly trout snaps the line and swims back to its lie.
Alice confesses, “When you live in Montana, early winter is a great time to practice your casting and what better time to put on a soft hackle and wait for the grab. It primes you for the fish of a thousand casts.”
If you’re looking for numbers you’ll be better off with a single hander, drifting a nymph. But if you like adventures and want to add a new tool to the quiver, then a small Spey for your next Montana trip should be on the list.
When Huey Lewis sang the song “Hip to be Square” it was about the importance of a trend. . The micro Spey is the next trend in tackle evolution that will be sticking around for a long time.
Photo: Tegan Sheppard nets a nice brown.
Mia Sheppard Photo