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[Spawn Sack]

I think there was a discussion on this last year or so but I can't find it with a key word search. If anyone can locate it and post a link here that would be awesome.

Anyway, so a buddy and I are spey fishing yesterday. With are both fairly new to it, love it, and have yet to hook a steelhead on the swing. So buddy chucks a cast out, not expecting much to happen I think we were yaking back and forth, and WHAM fish on!! He did a typical gear fishing hook set - straight up high and hard. The fish spat the hook and swam off. He was pretty stoked to connect with one but it would have been nicer for him to play it and land it!

Afterwards he mentioned that he forgot to follow the advice of a friend of his who is a long time spey fisher. The advice was basically to NOT set the hook when swinging a fly like you would gear fishing, but, rather, to let the fish take the hook (not react right away) then once you are confident it's on to do something like a sweeping hook set low to the river...and I think he said to sweep towards the shore not over the water.

Furthermore, my friend was told when swinging a fly to have a foot or so of slack between the reel and where your shooting line is pinched on the cork. I didn't really get this. Something to the effect of...when the fish takes the fly that bit of slack will help the fish set the hook on it's self.

To be honest I don't really get any of this. Why can't you just hammer a high/hard hook set like when gear fishing???

Like I said I have yet to hook a steelie on the spey rod, but I did get into several salmon last fall, and each time I did a gear fishing style hook set. Seemed to work just fine, although yes some did spit the hook, and maybe a better style of hook setting would have helped?

Also I am wondering if this applies to swinging spoons and/or spinners?

[ByteMe]

You'll prob get a hundred different answers, but for me towards the bank usually depending on which part of the swing the take comes at, and where my rod tip is at. I should add, depending on your fly setup, with an unweighted fly or a bead head weighted fly, it would be swiinging hook down, so a hook set upwards might pull the fly out of his mouth, where as a weighted fly with dumbbell eyes would be riding hook up, so a hook set upwards might be more beneficial, it's not the gospel, just the way I swing

[RalphH]

as Byteme said.

As far as leaving an foot or so of slack - can't remember which magazine I saw it in but a half dozen 'experts' split either way. The advice from your buddy's veteran is basically right on.

When swinging on top or with a dry line the advice I am familiar with and what worked for me was to hold the rod so the tip is above the horizontal and puts some slack in the line from the tip to the water - this provides some delay when a fish takes and that allows the fish to turn back to the stream bed and pull hook into the corner of it's mouth. I learned that yanking back on a fish that rolled to my fly usually left me with just that - the memory of a nice rise. If the water is very fast and/or the line is dangling close to directly down stream a loop of slack at the reel should acheive the same purpose.

When swinging with tips I usually hold the rod so the tip is below the horizontal or even all but touching the surface.

[HOOK]

If your fishing using only a clicker style reel then there is no point to hold a loop between your hand and reel. They can peel line from the reel quite easily. Most people using drag reels have them set where they want the drag while fighting a fish and this is where the loop is needed, if you backed off the drag then again it would not be necessary.

Of all the ones I've hooked when I'm actually paying attention I use the shore sweep. I do this because its my understanding that this will pull the loop of line in the direction forcing the fly into the scissors of the fishes jaw.

Honestly though I would say 90% of my steelhead hookups come while I'm daydreaming while looking around or chatting with a buddy upstream and yes I have had the rod almost pulled from my hand   

[Rieber]

I honestly get too excited and experience total brain freeze. I don't even think when the strike happens and just instinctively swing hard upstream.

In a boat or standing at a lake I give a sharp strip and begin quickly stripping in until I get a good rod bend and line tension, then I'll either hold the line and get the slack up onto the reel or continue to strip play the fish.

The river drift is too damn exciting for me - especially with Steelhead. At least with frequency of salmon hook-ups my mind gets over the adrenaline rush and I'm able to control myself. But even with salmon, that first one of the day has me looking like a raving lunatic out there. 4 years have passed and I still think I'm bottom bouncing whenever I stand in a river. 

[ByteMe]

Even though I use click/pawl reels, as HOOK mentioned above, I still keep a loop of line in my hand, the hardest transition for myself is to watch the loop of line straighten out before setting the hook, if I focus on the swing works great, but like HOOK says a lot of takes come when I am daydreaming and instinctively lift the rod..........OOPS!........lost another

[RalphH]

usually I set the drag on my disc drag reels to avoid overrun then tighten if need be. Last week I was into 4 steelhead in one day. I don't really recall what I dig on the strike - I just felt the take and pulled back to my downstream side. I landed 3 and had my fingers on the one that got away. I long ago learned not to reef up as hard as I can when fishing a fly - works 90% of the time  . I very seldom miss a take or pop the leader. The length of line off the rod, line stretch and the amount of bow (inevitable with tips) will all play a factor.

[NexusGoo]

Last week I was into 4 steelhead in one day. I don't really recall what I dig on the strike - I just felt the take and pulled back to my downstream side. I landed 3

Glad to hear someone is hooking into some chrome on the starvation stick 

[ByteMe]

The length of line off the rod, line stretch and the amount of bow (inevitable with tips) will all play a factor.

Absolutely, I like swinging on a short leash

[Spawn Sack]

Thanks for the replies guys. Alright that makes sense about the "shore swing" as opposed to setting the hook straight up. As far as leaving some slack in the shooting line, I use a reel with a disc drag and I have it set a bit lighter than I would likely need if I hooked into a big one. I reckon better than having it cinched too tight at the beginning of the battle, and I can always apply palm drag for a bit then give the drag a few more clicks once the fish is under control (at least this worked well for salmon).

As others have said I will likely experience brain-freeze if I hook into a steelie on the spey rod and there is a good chance I'll do a gear fishing style hook set. But, I'll try to remember not to. Likely something I'll have to practice more on salmon until it becomes habit, then hope that habit becomes reaction when steelhead season begins.

[ByteMe]

Glad to hear someone is hooking into some chrome on the starvation stick 

.............too funny!!....but true, never heard spey fishing  as a starvation stick before . I think the fun is in the casting that brings us back, definitely not the numbers of hook ups

[NexusGoo]

.............too funny!!....but true, never heard spey fishing  as a starvation stick before . I think the fun is in the casting that brings us back, definitely not the numbers of hook ups

oh for sure the fun is just being out on the water. Seeing more and more anglers give spey a shot every year. Haven't tried it myself but seems once you get the casting down, you'd be in for some fun

[ByteMe]

oh for sure the fun is just being out on the water. Seeing more and more anglers give spey a shot every year. Haven't tried it myself but seems once you get the casting down, you'd be in for some fun

Spey casting is totally addictive, especially with the mid to long belly lines, even though my hook up ratio is way down compared to other methods, I still enjoy it the most,.............call it conservation fishing or starvation stick as you would put it

[tburns]

Thanks for the replies guys. Alright that makes sense about the "shore swing" as opposed to setting the hook straight up. As far as leaving some slack in the shooting line, I use a reel with a disc drag and I have it set a bit lighter than I would likely need if I hooked into a big one. I reckon better than having it cinched too tight at the beginning of the battle, and I can always apply palm drag for a bit then give the drag a few more clicks once the fish is under control (at least this worked well for salmon).

As others have said I will likely experience brain-freeze if I hook into a steelie on the spey rod and there is a good chance I'll do a gear fishing style hook set. But, I'll try to remember not to. Likely something I'll have to practice more on salmon until it becomes habit, then hope that habit becomes reaction when steelhead season begins.

My understanding behind the reasoning on the foot or so of line is that if a steelie has bitten your fly it has probably come out of its natural holding spot and followed your fly as it swings to shore.  It bites your fly, then turns back to its natural holding position.  That foot of excess line allows it enough slack to turn back so you can set it in the side of its face.  Or so i'm told (only caught one)

[Spawn Sack]

Interesting, that was sort of how my friend explained it to me but for some reason it makes more sense now

As I mentioned I have never hooked a steelie on the spey, but when I do I want to try and "do it right" and give myself the best odds of fighting it and landing it.

I am assuming this logic also applies to setting the hook on salmon? I connected with a decent # of pinks, chum and coho (okay few coho) last fall and I was always doing gear fishing style hook sets and I never had the bit of slack at the cock.

I'm not worried about losing a salmon or two BUT I figure it is smart to "practise properly" salmon fishing, form good habits, so when I connect with a steelhead in the winter doing it right becomes more of habit.