You got a spey rod? You must be a tremendous fisherman.....

Its an expensive leap jumping into the world of spey rods, and a lot of people are doing it. There is no doubt that a spey rod is a great way to catch fish, but you have to learn how to use it. I have been fly fishing with a single handed rod for some time, but when I first purchased my spey rod I thought I was going to walk out onto the river and cast all the away accross to the bushes on the other side. Little did I know I would end up with so many holes in my jackets and so few fish on the bank. In a perfect scenario a person could go to a fly shop and have someone help them pick out a setup that is perfect them and then take them outside for a casting lesson before they ever went to the river. But we cant all afford $1000 spey setups and $300 casting lessons. Lucky for us there is a wealth of knowledge on the internet, in books, and in DVDs. I watched Skagitmaster Vol. 1 multiple times in a week before going fishing, it provides many things to think about on the river. Look up any book Lefy Kreh has ever written, it may not be about spey casting, but for general fly fishing knowledge there is nothing better. Peruse the inernet, you can learn how to do anything on Youtube. Check it out:

 

 

 

 

Learning to use your gear properly makes being on the river much more enjoyable. There are always going to be those guys on the river that are there to put on their $900 waders and lean their $1200 spey rod up against their truck while they stand on the boat launch and take pictures of eachother. Dont get me wrong, I want the $900 waders and the $1200 spey rod too, but they dont do you any good if you dont take the time to learn.