FLYMPH FORUM

I've gotten into trout spey fishing wooly buggers, leech patterns, micro-intruders and of course teams of soft hackles. Has anyone here swung old fashioned non-salmon-fly-style winged wets on a trout spey setup? Any tips on fly design for this? I'll be giving that a serious try this coming year.

You should check out UC Steve’s website (http://soft-hacklejournal.blogspot.com/). I’m sure he could give you some great feedback. Steve gave a great podcast interview on The Wet Fly Swing at the link below:

https://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/2/f/c/2fcd0 ... 8e7f46f296

Otto would also be a great resource.

If you have/do FB, you can find Steve and some other great spey guys on 'The Trail Casting Club'.

I'm on the same quest. I have been using single hand spey casts while swinging soft hackles for some time. I've used my 10'6" Cortland Competition 3wt nymphing rod. I have found overlining this rod works well for me and have put the Rio Single Hand Spey line in 5wt on this rod. I can easily make snake rolls, snap T and circle C, and single spey casts well with this setup. I fish on sections of the Middle Deschutes River and the Crooked River here in Central Oregon and there are stretches where a back cast is nearly impossible.
This has work so well for me, I've been working to set up my 9' single hand 4 wt for trout spey. OPST sells its Commando Head Skagit lines for smaller single head rods. I've already set up a 9' 6wt rod with the 225 grain Commando head and added various sink tips for casting larger streamers on the larger water of the Lower Deschutes and the Metolius.

My plan for my lighter rods i to buy the OPST 175 grain Smooth Micro Spey line. Its an integrated head and running line designed for short rods. As soon as my local fly shop gets one in stock, I plan to give it a go.

That soft hackle journal blogspot is fantastic! Thank you for the recommendation!

Ronr, I'm doing the same thing as you with the single hand rod conversions just by getting a new line setup. Love the Rio Single Hand Spey and especially the Single Hand Spey 3D. I put an OPST on an old 9 foot 3 wt XP and it rocks. I should look into their integrated lines. Thanks for mentioning that.

Hope all had a Happy Thanksgiving.

I have an older Sage 12 1/2 foot 6 weight that I like to use in bigger, rougher water. It was designed before all the Scandia, Skagit, and etc lines became available, and It fishes well with a DT 6 using the classic British spey casts. What I like is the extended line control, which allows me to cover more water with my now diminished wading skills.
I basically stick to the classic winged wet fly patterns such as the light Cahill, and especially the March brown. I strongly prefer flank feather type wings, as opposed to the quill slip wings, favoring the movement and translucency that comes with a fiber wing. For example on a Leadwing, I would likely use dun dyed mallard or something similar.
People do not often mention the delicate feel such a rod can have. Putting the extra hand on the lower grip, even if it is just a thumb and a couple fingers changes the whole dynamic. People around here consider a 6 weight to be a blunt instrument, but with the 12.5 footer, it feels more like a 3 weight to me.
Trying different water and different methods keeps the sport interesting, for me anyway...