Swing the Fly

Fly Tying

• B.T.S. & S.B.S: The Isonychia Swung fly

  

  "…the steady flow of Isonychia seem to be a great time to chase browns with a swung fly.  "
• The Fire Tiger Spider

  

  As in steelhead and salmon fishing, many of the flies we swing for trout are attractor patterns resembling nothing found in nature.  These are ‘trigger…
• New Subscriber Discount Code for “Crafting The Swung Fly”

  

  New Print & Digital subscribers (9/1/2025-now) get a discount code for $30 off "Crafting The Swung Fly."
• S.B.S. & B.T.S. : The Olive Fiery Brown

  

  Step by step, and behind the scenes. The how to tie it, and the why: the Olive Fiery Brown.

Atlantic Salmon

• Elegance, and A Grilse

  

  Elegance on the Gaspe
• “So, You’re Saying I Shouldn’t Use a Skagit Line On The Skagit River?”

  

  Photo: Joe Rossano. Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. At least insofar as we’re talking a standard Skagit head with a floating body and a…
• Luck Is Never Far Away

  

  It's early October in eastern Canada. A misty drizzle gives the air a pregnant, mysterious quality. My guide and I carefully are driving along a…
• Icons: Simon Gawesworth

  

  Icons, a web series from Swing the Fly, looks at the most influential figures in spey casting and swinging flies from North America and beyond…

Great Lakes

• Streamer Spey

  

  I’ll have it to myself. The water was just beginning to stain and rise, timing seemed perfect.
• An Interview With Keith Butler, The Mayfly Project

  

  "What makes it (Spey Nation) such a good fit with The Mayfly Project is that the two-handed community is so generous. People really want to…
• On Speed and Depth

  

  From his book, 'Modern Spey Fishing'
• Rods and Rigs for the Great Lakes

  

  "What is the best rod configuration for the Great Lakes region? " Great Lakes Editor Rick Kustich's answer: It depends!

International

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• Do Not As We Did: Lessons From The Estancia

  

  You can't say we didn’t tell ya. Whether you listen or not is up to you.
• Lady Gray

  

  The rise of a gray here is soft, smooth and tender, a kiss from the surface.
• The Huchenwaschl

  

  Do you know what a "waschl“ is? I'll guess not, so you get a short crash course in Bavarian dialect. Actually, there are many variations…
• Icons – Thomas Woelfle

  

  Get to know the Bavarian way of swinging flies with Thomas Woelfle, the renowned speymeister of Munich.

Spey Casting

• Off The Kuff With Kapitan Kruk: Using Your Rod As A Lever

  

  https://youtube.com/shorts/Qiz8iLR_n6Y
• VIDEO: Final Rounds, Spey-O-Rama 2026

  

  Watch the Men's, Women's, and Master's Finals of Spey-O-Rama 2026 at Golden Gate Angling And Casting Club.
• Spey Casting With Travis Johnson: The Anchor

  

  https://youtu.be/odPNbc93lRI For more, be sure to subscribe to Travis Johnson’s Everything Spey channel on Instagram. You can book a day of fishing for Trout, Summer,…
• Off The Cuff With Kapitan Kruk: Setting Up Your Snake Roll

  

  Bruce Kruk, Trail, British Columbia, shares a few of the most common mistakes he sees in folks Snake Rolls.

Trout Spey

• The Fire Tiger Spider

  

  As in steelhead and salmon fishing, many of the flies we swing for trout are attractor patterns resembling nothing found in nature.  These are ‘trigger…
• Our Shifting Baseline

  

  The frog is swimming in a pot of water on a stove, still comfortable as the water approaches boiling: He gets used to it. Until…
• Partner Highlight: Big Sky Anglers

  

  STF sits down with Big Sky Angler's Matt Klara to discuss the History, Culture, Community, Pursuits, and Place at the core of this West Yellowstone,…
• The Fall Orange Spider

  

  "The swung fly is a tactic to tease out a predatory instinct in a fish that months earlier would refuse all but the most accurate…

West Coast

• Partner Highlight Series: Two Hand Hardware

  

  Sponsorships are transactional. Partnerships are long-term. Genuine, authentic partnerships are collaborative, born out of mutual respect and trust. Swing The Fly is proud and grateful…
• Our Shifting Baseline

  

  The frog is swimming in a pot of water on a stove, still comfortable as the water approaches boiling: He gets used to it. Until…
• The Big Storm

  

  "The travelers sit in jangling silence tracking the yellow line, riding a hot grease and steel hound lined out for the bleeding storm. "
• Counting Steelhead With Shep

  

  My family is unskilled at small talk; to compensate, we avoid social gatherings. Defying that legacy, I sat uncomfortably in a packed room of mostly…