I love casting two-handed fly rods. Swinging traditional flies on a
floating Scandi line. Standing knee deep in 100-yard runs cobbled with basketball-sized boulders. Stepping up to the challenge when the river taunts me to cast a little farther, a little farther.

Not all rivers are this way.

Sometimes a fisherman needs to sit and listen to the river. Observe. Absorb.  Try something different and break the chains of tradition.

Give it a try and you might be rewarded like I was today.

 My brother Dave, also known as “Red”, perfecected the Nymph Swing years ago as we began our journey into fly fishing for Steelhead. He started with a single hand rod but now prefers fishing two-handed rods. This technique can be used with either.

Select a long leader, the length of your rod or three to five feet longer, and your favorite buggy flies for the water you are fishing. I like to start with small weighted natural flies fished in tandum. A Steelhead Price Nymph and a Copper John. Start at the head of the pool or run, as summer Steelhead like the oxygenated water. (Don’t underestimate how far up they will hold in the head of a run.) Cast up stream, holding your rod up to keep a tight line. As the flies drift down current slowly lower your rod and begin following the flies. Then lower your rod completley and allow the flies to swing all the way to the bank.

It’s pretty simple, but what makes someone an expert with this technique is their fish sense. Stay connect to your flies. Use a sensative hand. Listen to and feel the river. If you need more weight, you can add a split shot or fish a heavier lead fly. A weighted Egg Sucking Leech can be an effective lead fly. Sometimes Steelhead will grab your fly early in the drift or as your flies transition into the swing. Where ever this happens, be ready. It can be violent.

Enjoy!