Spey flies, the term alone conjures up visions of elaborate and ornate patterns tied with elegant and exotic materials. The term “Spey Fly” comes from the original patterns developed for spey fishing on the river Spey hundreds of years ago. The spey fly had a few distinct characteristics that were indicative of fly designs of the time, material availability and functionality. The spey fly was typically tied very sparsely on a long shank hook without a tail, with a low-lying wing almost flat against the body, and a longer than normal, sparse hackle. These days, there are many patterns out there that are called spey flies some of which follow these early styles and some of which only have a few of the original characteristics. In many cases, the only similarity is that they use a longer “spey” style hackle. The characteristics of the spey style of fly and the way it behaves in the water are representative of the enticing factors of many of the more productive patterns for a wide variety of species. Of course, spey flies and flies with their characteristics are very productive, but they are far from the only type of fly you can use a spey rod to fish with. In current times, spey rods are used to throw everything from tiny size 12 wet flies in very low, clear water for Atlantic salmon to giant 6+ inch long streamers to stripers or steelhead and they are capable of everything in between. It all depends on what you are fishing for, what the fish are willing to take and the type of fly you want to use. In my book, there are no rules when it comes to flies. Use flies that you enjoy fishing that imitate whatever you want and most of all have fun doing it!
Book
- Alaska
- Guide & Fisherman
- Guiding: Choosing Your Guide And Choosing Your Customer
- Guiding: Do It Yourself With A Guide
- Guiding: Evolution Of A Guide
- Guiding: Freshwater, More Than Meets The Eye
- Guiding: Friends For Life
- Guiding: Know Where You Are
- Guiding: More Than Just A Fisherman
- Guiding: Mystery Of The Fisherman
- Guiding: Payment
- Guiding: Saltwater, A Different World
- Rough Fish
- Fly Fishing For Rough Fish: Why Do It?
- Introduced Rough Fish: The Carps & Other Invasive Species
- Methodology: Gear & Tactics For Pursuing Roughfish On A Fly
- More Roughfish: Bullheads, Whitefish, Goldeye, Burbot & Drum
- Rough Fish Environments: Where To Look For Rough Fish?
- Rough Fish Species: The Suckers
- Rough fish: A Lifetime Of Learning
- Rough Fish: Fishing For Dinosaurs (Gars & Bowfin)
- Rough Fish: What Are They?
- The Hook: Some Common Rough Fish Fly Patterns
- Spey
- Spey: Applications, Where Can You Do It?
- Spey: Atlantic Salmon, A Significant Fish
- Spey: Defined And Demystified
- Spey: Gear, The Nuts And Bolts
- Spey: Lines, They Are That Important
- Spey: Steelhead, New Traditions & A Modern Movement
- Spey: The Energy
- Spey: The Flies
- Spey: The Swing
- Spey: Two Critical Casts
- Striped Bass
- Striped Bass: Fishing Rocky Shorelines
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Beaches
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Flats
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Reefs
- Striped Bass: Fishing Tidal Rivers
- Striped Bass: Flatwing Swing
- Striped Bass: Fly Line Options & Choices
- Striped Bass: Gear, The Nuts & Bolts
- Striped Bass: Migration Patterns
- Striped Bass: What They Eat
- The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: A Natural Drug
- Fly Fishing: A Validation Of Freedom
- Fly Fishing: Don’t Fight The Current
- Fly Fishing: It Is What It Is
- Fly Fishing: Socialization For Asocial Individuals
- Fly Fishing: The Allure Of The Fish
- Fly Fishing: The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: The Simplicity Of It All
- Fly Fishing: Time Flies
- Fly Fishing: Times You Remember & Try To Forget