Swing for the Fences

Very excited to be making progress on getting my TFO Deer Creek switch rod set-up. Pretty much have the standard fly line rig ready. Up next is a Skagit line set-up for swinging flies. The more I think about it, the more I'm looking forward to trying this technique out more.

Swinging seems best suited to wide-open spaces where you need to cover a lot of water efficiently. I first heard of it during a presentation by Kevin Feenstra, likely one of the top guides working the Muskegon River (and a genuinely super-nice guy). At that time, I had WAY more pressing basics to master, so it sort of fell to the wayside. But now that I've got solid skills in the fundamentals, I'm very intrigued by this technique.

Doesn't seem like the tight-and-twisty Pere Marquette requires more than a standard indy rig (though I might do some two-handing with a standard floating line). However, I think this approach could be solid on the bigger steelhead rivers like the Manistee, Manistique, and could even FINALLY get me to go check out the Muskegon.

But for now, I'm in the land of considering configurations -- regular or short Skagit? Cheater section? Sink tip section length and grain rating? Fortunately, I have access to some solid advice that should help me figure out what's right for this rig.

I've long been intrigued with the beauty of two-handed Spey and Skagit casting. After a little taste with some borrowed gear, I'm eager for the coming steelhead season!

-Sean-