Simon Gawesworth Spey Clinics

We are excited to welcome Simon Gawesworth back to do three days of Spey Clinics this weekend.

Couple of spots left for the Advanced Clinics on Saturday or Sunday. Give us a call if you want to learn from the best.

Saturday Seminar-February 21

Spey Explained 

Saturday, February 21, 10 AM

Terry Antoniuk and Kelly Robertson cover everything Spey. Keeping it simple, they explain rods, reels, lines, and tips. The will also explain when to use different systems, and how.

Ideal seminar for those wanting to give it a try as well as those who just need someone to make sense of it all.

All seminars start at 10:00 am and will end between 11:00 and noon. There is no charge and no pre-registration required. 
Simply drop by the shop and enjoy the seminar.

Figuring Out Todays Spey Lines

Two recent videos from Rio explaining the
new Spey Lines and Running Lines.

As usual, Mr. Gawesworth explains things so us dummies can figure it out.

Helpful Information

Intrepid Steelheader, Scott Runciman sent us this chart this morning.

Thought it might be helpful for those who seek knowledge.

Thanks to Scott!



Product Field Review - Helios Spey Fly Rod 1368-4 Tip Flex

Helios Spey Fly Rod 1368-4 Tip Flex

I'll likely get into trouble for saying this but after a long period of Orvis being somewhat inept at designing and building a Spey rod, I was a little hesitant to get too excited about the new Helios Spey Rods. 

I got my hands on the 13' 6" 8 weight 4 piece late this summer and used it during a Spey Casting Clinic. I was quickly impressed with this rod and decided to use one for my fall steelhead trip. I fished it for 3 weeks straight this past October/November with the intent of finding anything I didn't like about the rod.....I couldn't find anything I didn't like!

The first thing you will likely notice about this rod is it incredibly light, like all of the other rods in the Helios line. I had been using a TCX 12' 6" 7 weight for most of my steelheading as it was so light and a pleasure to cast. The Helios is certainly as light, maybe lighter in the hand.

Like a lot of the Helios rods, the 1368-4 is very easy to cast, very forgiving, but has a quick, powerful feel. This rod will not only please the beginning spey caster, but also the advanced. It has very nice feel when casting short (only a Skagit head out the tip) as well as the jam to throw long casts.

Butt and blank strength checked out all good with lots of power for fighting fish. The blanks seem to be sound as a couple of very nasty sections of overhanging alders led to a few pretty good whacks on the blank when not paying attention. Other rods would have likely broken, either immediately, or on the next fish. The Helios held up just fine.

The 1368-4 will cast a dry line with finesse, as well as handle tips out to 18 feet of T17. I made sure I tried it and it handle even the heavy tips with no problem. Other light rods I have tired tend to power out when you start getting heavier than 12-15 feet of T14. Not this rod!

Fittings (reel seat, guides, etc.) are, like all Helios rods, absolutely stunning. Stripping guides are high quality, with all other guides being recoil style. The reel seat style is akin to all of the Helios saltwater rods and the reversed locking style is different but easy to use and works just fine. The one thing I would comment on is the secondary lock ring sometimes loosens a little, but the primary stays right where it's supposed to.

I fished a Rio Skagit Flight 525 grain on the rod, which seemed perfect but of course everyone has different preferences. For dry line/light tip use, I would recommend the Rio Scandi Short around 500 grain.

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

New Books In Stock

Marriner has distilled more than 40 years of experiences into this book. For example, Chapter 10 - Patterns, focuses on designs to cope with the range of conditions (e.g., pool type, season, water conditions, & time of day) encountered streamside. Although each design is illustrated with a successful pattern, the intent is to simultaneously educate & encourage innovation. 300+ Color & B&W photos; 8.5x11 inches, 240 pgs.
Expert spey caster Gawesworth shares casts adapted from two-handed spey casting that enable you to fish the challenging spots most anglers skip. Includes: the single spey, double spey, snake roll, snap T, side cast, shepherd’s crook, reach cast, & aerial mends. 400 color photos, 88 illus; 8.5x11 inches, 256 pgs.
A fly tiers reference for tying a new generation of dry flies that have unsurpassed floatation & buoyancy. Learn how new materials & techniques that have the ability to revolutionize how dry flies are tied. Unsinkable dry flies are tied using heat shrink tubing as the basis of an air bubble applied to the hook. Full Color t/out; 8x5 inches, 100 pgs.
Sight-fishing expert teaches you what you need to know to spot the trout before you cast—because if you can see a trout, you are more likely to catch that trout. In this comprehensive book on the tricks & skills anglers need to master, Mayer reveals his knowledge of trout & trout water, learned through years of fishing & guiding on prime trout waters. 36 B&W illus; 235 color photos; 7x9 inches, 208 pgs.