11. Fishing a Swing like the Pros (11 of 15)
Some guys are just fishy. There some piscine attraction there that’s hard to understand. It looks like they just pitch it out there and hold on. They don’t though.
A fly rod is tool. It’s highly specialized and requires your constant input to preform its best. Throughout your swing there are things that you can do that will elevate you to “fishy” status.
One of the most important considerations is rod position. During the swing you can lag your rod behind the line to slow the drift or even reach way across to try and maintain a position in a lie longer. Leading the line will do the opposite and speed up the fly. Remember the more parallel you head is travelling with the current the less belly will develop.
Another consideration however is tension on the line. If you try and dramatically slow a fly by mending or reaching and holding it this will create tension on the line. Try holding your line still in a frothy shoot and you’ll see everything rise up to the surface. There is a balance between the slowest presentation possible and trying to achieve some additional depth.
Also remember that the vast majority of spey caught steelhead are encountered during the swing. Swung fly fishing allows us to cover large volumes of water quickly and efficiently searching for excitable fish. With this format the vast majority of fish are caught while the fly is swimming under tension. With this game of cat and mouse in mind consider how to show your
A fly rod is tool. It’s highly specialized and requires your constant input to preform its best. Throughout your swing there are things that you can do that will elevate you to “fishy” status.
One of the most important considerations is rod position. During the swing you can lag your rod behind the line to slow the drift or even reach way across to try and maintain a position in a lie longer. Leading the line will do the opposite and speed up the fly. Remember the more parallel you head is travelling with the current the less belly will develop.
Another consideration however is tension on the line. If you try and dramatically slow a fly by mending or reaching and holding it this will create tension on the line. Try holding your line still in a frothy shoot and you’ll see everything rise up to the surface. There is a balance between the slowest presentation possible and trying to achieve some additional depth.
Also remember that the vast majority of spey caught steelhead are encountered during the swing. Swung fly fishing allows us to cover large volumes of water quickly and efficiently searching for excitable fish. With this format the vast majority of fish are caught while the fly is swimming under tension. With this game of cat and mouse in mind consider how to show your