First Danger: Me with a spey rod. I bought a two hander quite a few years ago. It is a Redington rod and reel, a 14′ 9/10 that loads like a telephone pole. It originally came with a Rio Windcutter and typical, I did not use it. I wanted to but stillwaters and steelhead nymphing were productive and easier. But, peer pressure abounds and I decided to try again. On advice of those more seasoned I was told to forsake the Windcutter and go with the running line and a Skagit or Scandi head. Here is the first danger of the day…me attempting to load the unyielding pole (it just does not seem like a rod) and the repetitive closeness of a large feathered object whizzing by so close as to tickle my cheek and ear. I survived this danger, but it was close.
Second Danger: Call it ‘Fly fishers meet drift fishermen in zodiac with pirate flag, ghetto blaster and lack of ettiquette’ danger. Tony and I were occupying a drift at the top of the run. Zodiac Pirate boys, we will call them that to avoid stronger words, approach from below at warp speed up through the middle of our drift and beach their craft just above us. They exit their craft, motor still running, with ghetto blaster spewing something heavy and obnoxious thereby defiling the air, just as they had just defiled our water. They proceeded to start working down stream into our drift casting slinky/eggs. Now the danger mounts. Not for me, for them. However, my son was the calmer (only slightly) and asked me to refrain from commencing my patented ‘start a riot’ rhetoric. Our looks and not so subtle mutterings pulled the ‘Welcome’ rug out from under assholes and they blasted back downstream, through our drift. Some sort of danger was averted there.
Third Danger: It is always sobering to realize that although you are within a mere few minutes from Portland on the Sandy River true wildlife experiences can be had.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2P1EFfHTLw
See the difference between casting a pole and a rod is being able to feel the load or at least sense the loading of the rod. My Skagit is 650 grains on a 30′ mainline (I can’t imagine more weight) and although I can feel the weight of casting and mending etc. I cannot feel any load to the rod and my successes are more from timing and dare I say luck. Now when I borrowed my son’s rod I noticed the following: It feels to weigh half as much as my rod (exaggeration), the casting was infinitely easier and I felt it load and launch easily. Predicaments like this are not a good thing. I know how this could play out.
Fourth Danger: $$$$$ for new spey rod
For now I will keep waving that pole around. Despite myself, I am still doing better than I would be able to with a single hander. A high, snaggy bank behind and an inability or reluctance to aggressively wade would have cancelled a single hander out except for rollcast nymphing. With the two hander, even with a pole, I am casually getting it out 70+ feet with the occasional one farther.
No fish, good day, fished ok despite the casting and other than the Zodiac crew it was not bad. Again, as I hiked back on soft sand and waded back to shore, then hiked back uphill to the rig, I am reminded how the cold, wading, slogging, arm waving, hiking takes it out of you. If I did this more, I would benefit…especially with a lighter rod.
SwittersB & Exploring 