Chuck & Swing

Found a nice combo last week on our frustrating steelhead day on the Pere Marquette. Brought along my Orvis Clearwater/Orvis BLA IV set-up for chuck n' duck and my Scott A3 switch with Ross Momentum V and Rio Skagit short for swinging. With high water, my go-to indicators seemed rather pointless. This proved to be the ideal combo for an enjoyable day.

With a thin running line (I use Climax Zip Line on mine currently) and a good bit of weight, c-n-d was a good way to get down to the bottom with a lot of water. On a tough day, it was a good choice. However, I generally can't fish this style all day. I find it tedious and too repetitive after a while -- especially if the fishing's slow.

Enter the swing rig! If you haven't cast a set-up like this, it's just pure fun. Once you get timing down it's very low effort and relaxing. There's a kind of Zen groove to it. And it's easy to cover a bunch of water. Stop your cast high, use the upper hand as a pivot point, and put the power in the bottom hand and BOOM!

For me though the best part of swinging is trying out some of the streamers I've been tying over the Winter to see how they behave in moving water. My earliest efforts definitely lacked much action, but the later flies with schlappen collars and bulky wool heads make a huge difference. Totally "swimmy" action. Of course, it would have been validating to actually hook something!

This combo was a nice way to work a hole. Chuck n' duck through, then swing by starting at the top and making a few drifts before stepping downstream and repeating the process.

-Sean-

Spey to Play

As expected, fishing the switch rod has gotten me to thinking about a full-on spey rod. Just when I thought I was done. And then I stumbled on a deal on a gently used Scott ARC 12' 8" spey rod with a Rio Skagit line included. After doing a little reading I find out this rod is extremely well-regarded.

There's something really cool about spey fishing. It's like the first time you see a really good telemark skier. It's all power and grace.

It's not surprising. From the first time I saw someone belt out a long, beautiful cast with a spey rod it got my attention and somehow touched my soul. Just a beautiful way to fish on big water. Like so many things, it's all about proper form. Watching a gifted spey caster is just a beautiful moment. A few accelerating movements, a quick flip of redirection and BAM that line's 85 feet over THERE.

Much like centerpin fishing, this is just a super-efficient way to cover water. It'll be interesting to see if I can learn to put the brakes on when needed. That's my main issue with the centerpine. I can bang out some pretty long casts - into the trees, the opposite bank, whatever gets in my way. With a 550 grain Skagit line on and some momentum, I'd imagine shortening up may be difficult. But that's what I have my switch rod for!

Can't wait to get the new stick out on the Manistee, Manistique, or some other big waters and see what it can do. Report will follow soon.

-Sean-

The Right Stick

On recent trip I took the perfect trio of rigs. Each has a purpose and suited it well.

Scott A2 9' 6-weight/Ross CLA 3/Rio Gold

My all-rounder. Casts beautifully, excellent balance. I'm continually surprised at how well it performs -- especially in windy conditions. Winds were pretty high on both Two Hearted and AuSable and I had no trouble covering the water I wanted to. I think a real strength of this combo is that it's well-matched; the reel complements the rod and the line (Rio Gold is AWESOME) is ideal for the rest of the package.

TFO Signature Series 7"6"/3-weight/Ross Flystart/generic Ross line

On small streams, I have tons of problems with 9' rods - lots of flies lost in trees. Two casts in on the upper Two Hearted with the Scott, I realized I'd selected the wrong rod. So back to the truck for this one - MUCH better. It was also perfect on the very-small Blind Sucker. Great for short casts in tight cover. I didn't put much money into this one, but it seems to outperform my expenditure. Another bonus -- TFO rods come with a lifetime warranty. Nice!

Orvis Clearwater II 9' 8-weight/Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor V/Orvis Wonderline Steelhead

Originally set-up for indicator steelhead fishing, I now realize I'll get a lot more use from this big monster. It's outstanding for chucking big bugs - streamers, bass poppers, and more. And I love it for steelhead. The Orvis BLA reel is a solid, reliable performer, even in the coldest winter conditions. A recent deal on a Scott S3 in 9'6" means this one's getting an upgrade, more on that later.

I feel like I've found the perfect quiver for most of the conditions I'll have the opportunity to fish in Michigan. For relatively little money, I'm assembled a set of tools that have served me well and should enable me to pursue most species in most settings.

-Sean-

Here Fishy, Fishy...

After yesterday's deep topic, I thought a few more photos from early May UP fishing trip could be fun! Starting at top left - Big Murphy Creek in western Schoolcraft County, fly rods in the toaster, fishing on Big Murphy Creek (turns out they were suckers...), me in the morning on Bear Lake, Black River just north of US 2 in western Mackinac County, and outside my favorite up north watering hole/dining spot. Enjoy!