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Swing Tips: Fish Broadside

January 28, 2023

Fly Fishing Technique

broadside, spey

Ed Note: A great article from John and Mike McCune. Swing Season is in full effect, with a slight hiccup in the fishing with the below zero temperatures and snow! We’re often asked about how we present the fly when fishing…

Missouri River Fly Fishing January Forecast

January 7, 2023

Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Video, Headhunters Life

fishing, January, Missouri River January Forecast, Slush, spey, troutspey, Weather

Missouri River Fly Fishing January Forecast January Missouri River Weather Forecast Pretty stable for the next ten days with air temps in the mid 30’s at night along with daily highs in the mid 40’s. Lots of cloud cover predicted…

Holiday Week Report Montana’s Missouri River

November 21, 2022

November, spey, Thanksgiving Week, Wint4er

Holiday Week Report Montana’s Missouri River Flows just under 3K. Water temps continue to fall at 42.5F. Boat ramps are usable, but with variable weather this past couple weeks, and ahead, you should check any of the steep ramps for…

Weekend Update Early December ’21

December 4, 2021

December, fishing report, spey, Trout, Trout Spey, winter

Weekend Update Early December ’21 Winter this morning on Montana’s Missouri River. Yes. A spot of winter. A small spot. Let’s hope it is the foreshadowing of a terrifically wet and long and cold winter and spring. We don’t often…

2021 Trout Spey Gear Roundup

November 8, 2021

2HTROUT, spey, Trout, Trout Spey, troutspey

Our annual Trout Spey Gear Roundup is typically here to let you know about all the great new gear available! Because there’s not much to report on the “new Trout Spey gear” front, we debated publishing this. The Pandemic has…

Friday Foto Swing Pic

Friday Foto Swing Pic

December 26, 2020

2HTROUT, Friday Foto Swing Pic, spey, Trout, Trout Spey

Friday Foto Swing Pic Brought to us a gain today from Billy. He’s ben swinging here a bundle this December, and November. So probably January too. Said he had hi best day in 15 years last week. He was super…

New Breed Chick Cassie Swings ’em up!

December 5, 2020

New Breed Chicks

spey, Swing, Swing Season, Trout, Trout Spey, TROUT2H

Cassie Swings ’em up! Chris shot this image of Cassie after swinging this Rainbow up last week. Chris and Cassie make the trip up I-15 north to the Mighty Mo Trout Spey Mecca often. And we like that. Both of…

Dick's Top Ten Winter Swing Flies

Dick’s Top Ten Winter Swing Flies

November 30, 2020

Fly Fishing Gear

Dick Magill, flies, missouri river, patterns, spey, Swing, Top 10, Trout, Trout Spey, TROUT2H

The Chronicles of Dick Magill Dick’s Top Ten Swing Flies November is one of my favorite months to swing flies on the Mo. Massive Rainbow and Brown Trout alike will absolutely destroy a swung fly. At times, the take can…

Two-handed Trout Report 11.24.20

November 24, 2020

Fishing Report, Troutspey

We are at the peak of trout spey season here on the Missouri River. A month ago, the water was too warm, weedy and buggy. A month from now, the water will likely be getting real cold. Right now it’s…

Montana Trout Spey

Trout Spey Gear Roundup

November 12, 2020

Fly Fishing Gear, Troutspey

2 Handed Rods, Fly Rod Review, gear, Leaders, lines, OPST, reels, Review, RIO, Running, SA, Scientific Anglers, spey, Spey Lines, Swing, tips, Trout Spey, Trout Spey Lines, Trout Spey Reels, TROUT2H

Ed Note: A re-post of this comprehensive Trout Spey Gear Roundup scribed by John this past month. We thought it important to post again as we now headlong into the TROUT2H Season. Swing Season has arrived! SWING SEASON 20-21 October…

Fall Fishing Report 2020

Wednesday November 4th Fishing Report

November 4, 2020

BWO, DFO, fishing report, HH of Craig, Junkie, November, Nymphing, spey, Streamer, Trout Spey, TROUT2H, Wednesday November 4th Fishing Report

Wednesday November 4th Fishing Report Another winter storm lurking out there for the latter part of the week as we continue to see non-seasonal warm temps coupled with the ubiquitous sun inspired winds. And that is how it has gone…

Montana Trout Spey Headhunters

Two-handed Trout Season

October 19, 2020

Headhunters Life, Troutspey

guided, spey, Two Handed

We’ve started Two-handed Trout season a little earlier than normal this year. Actually, some of are swinging every month of the year, but Late October to late December are what we consider “prime time”. The fishing is pretty good right…

OPST Commando Smooth

OPST Commando Smooth Sale!

April 3, 2020

Commando, OPST, spey, troutspey

The new-ish OPST Commando Smooth is on sale at 25% off starting today. Most spey anglers are familiar with the OPST Commando Head. It’s the head that started all of this “micro-skagit” stuff, and is the most popular single-handed spey…

Christmas Spey by Jeff Kennedy

Christmas Spey by Jeff Kennedy

December 25, 2019

Headhunters Life

Christmas Spey by Jeff Kennedy, Jeff Kennedy, spey, Spey Pattern

Christmas Spey by Jeff Kennedy Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah. Wishing you the best today, this week and throughout the upcoming year. Thanking all of you for a fantastic 2019. Looking forward to a wonderful 2020. A cool Christmas…

Sunday Snow Report from Headhunters of Craig

Sunday Snow Report from Headhunters of Craig

September 29, 2019

Headhunters Life

Fall, September, Snow, spey, sunday

Sunday Snow Report from Headhunters of Craig Still snowing here in Craig. Not as much as the doomsday report had got us ready for. But thankfully we were prepared. Blowing hard from the north as we write. Drifting snow around…

Trout Spey Gear Roundup 2019-20

September 3, 2019

gear, Guide, spey, Trout

It’s time for our annual Trout Spey Gear Roundup as “Swing Season” approaches. A month from today we will be getting after it pretty hard (some of us are now), and in two months we wont be doing much else.…

Trout Spey Camp Event Page

September 2, 2019

Headhunters Life, Troutspey

camp, spey, Trout

DEDICATED EVENT PAGE We’ve created an EVENT PAGE for our first annual Trout Spey Camp so you can see a complete – but fluid – itinerary. I will keep updating the page as changes and additions are made. We’ve also…

Sage Trout Spey HD

August 26, 2019

hd, SAGE, spey, Trout

“Swing Season” is just around the corner, and we’ve even been out doing some prospecting with our ultra-light Spey Rods already. While we’re still in the middle of dry fly season, we’re starting to get some tackle questions revolving around…

ACR Nova Closeout!

August 25, 2019

ACR, Nova, spey

Anderson Custom Rods (ACR) has been slowly replacing their popular Nova series Spey Rods with the new “Nova 2” series. Last spring we received the 3 and 4 weights, but the 2 weight was a while in coming. But it’s…

McCune Gould Spey Clinics – only a few spots left!

March 30, 2019

Fly Fishing Technique, Troutspey

clinics, spey, Trout

UPDATE – Both Clinics are now full. You can sign up as a backup. Mike and Whitney’s annual spring Spey clinics are coming up and nearly full. In fact the “rookie” clinic on April 20th is full, but there a…

Top Ten Mo River Trout Spey

Top Ten Mo River Trout Spey

March 25, 2019

Fly Fishing Gear

Headhunters Fly Shop, Richard Magill, spey, Spring, Top Ten Mo River Trout Spey, Trout Spey

Top Ten Mo River Trout Spey Ten Things I Like to Have On The Water Even though rain is falling as I write this, winter is almost over as we passed the spring demarcation last week. People are starting to…

Gould McCune Spey Clinics Spring 2019

Gould McCune Spey Clinics Spring 2019

March 4, 2019

Fly Fishing Technique, Troutspey

2019 Clinics, Gould McCune Spey Clinics Spring 2019, Mike McCune, spey, Spey Education, Technique, Whitney Gould

Gould McCune Spey Clinics Spring 2019 Headhunters Fly Shop is excited to announce the ever popular Whitney Gould and Mike McCune Spring Spey Clinics coming Spring 2019. April 20th 2019: Intro to Spey Casting April 21st 2019: Intermediate/Advanced Spey Casting…

Weekend Update: Swing Report

December 15, 2018

Fishing Report, Uncategorized

Montana, report, spey

Fishing reports vary from good to great right now. Remember, it’s all relative in December. To most, a pleasant winter day on the river that brings 6-10 nice fish to the net is “great”. To others that’s just “good”. Either…

Weekend Tip: Keep Those Hands Down

December 14, 2018

Troutspey, Uncategorized

mccune, spey, Trout

Look at this picture and let it burn into your memory banks. For you spey junkies planning on hitting then river this weekend, here’s a tip. In fact it’s THE tip. This is without a doubt the #1 mistake that…

Turkey Day Spey Report

November 22, 2018

Fishing Report, Troutspey

Montana, report, spey, Trout

We’ve got some great fishing weather in the forecast for the next couple of weeks, and Trout Spey anglers will find the fish are pretty receptive to the swung fly. Pressure has been light lately, as most Montanan’s are out…

Missouri River Spey Report

October 29, 2018

Fishing Report, Troutspey

Montana Spey, spey, Trout, Trout Spey

Trout Spey Fishing Report for Late-October We are in full “swing” on the Missouri River, and it’s easy to spot anglers exploring the Missouri River with their Trout Spey rods. Recent warm weather has hurt the fishing for both the…

Headhunters Spey Especial Trout Spey Trips

October 23, 2018

Fly Fishing Technique, Troutspey

spey, Spey Espacial, Trout Spey, Winter Guide Special

Headhunters Spey Especial Trout Spey Trips Headhunters is hosting Full Day Trout Spey Trips for $400. October 15th thru December 31st. Lunch, snacks, and a spey rod if you need one are all included. This especial pricing trip is Spey…

Trout Spey Lineup 2018-19

October 18, 2018

Review, spey, Spey Lines, Spey Rods, Trout Spey

Swing Season has arrived on the Missouri River, and at Headhunters that signals the start of our “second season”. Most of our new Trout Spey rods, lines and tackle arrive in the fall. Here is a rundown of our primary…

Missouri River October 16th Fishing Report

Missouri River October 16th Fishing Report

October 16, 2018

Fall, Nymphers, spey, Streamers

Missouri River October 16th Fishing Report The only updated fishing report in Craig, or beyond. Strange huh? The fishing is good. We would like more cloud cover, moist weather, and calm winds. We have slipped into this common, not what…

Mike McCune teaches Perry Poke

Mike McCune teaches Perry Poke Scumliner Media

September 26, 2018

Fly Fishing Video

Mike McCune, Mike McCune teaches Perry Poke, spey, Swingers, Technique, Trout Spey, video

Mike McCune teaches Perry Poke Check out Mike KcCune today teaching the Perry Poke. Trout Spey Season is underway. Spey trips out this week already. Hooking up too. The newest of the ne Trout Spey lines and rods are in…

Single Handed Spey Video

Single Handed Spey Video

April 5, 2018

Fly Fishing Video, Troutspey

RIO, Simon Gawesworth, Single Handed Lines, spey, Trout Spey, video

Single Handed Spey Video w/ Simon Gawesworth of RIO Today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog we bring you this fantastic video with Spey Casting Guru Simon Gawesworth of RIO Products. We get lots of questions about this newer style…

Missouri River Trout Spey Spring Swing Report

March 19, 2018

Fishing Report, Troutspey

Demo Rods, Headhunters Fly Shop, spey, Swing, Trout Spey, Two Handed

Missouri River Trout Spey Spring Swing Report In one word. Good. Some days great. The fish do make the ultimate decision. Fished with Ninch and our Sage rep Thursday and Ninth put on a show. Outfishing Kurt and I by…

Swing Tip: Anchor Placement

December 15, 2017

There are a few critical components of a Spey cast that I like to emphasize in our trout Spey clinics, because they are the keys to troubleshooting when your cast heads south. Clinics, demonstrations, books and YouTube are all great…

Montana trout spey fishing

McCune on Trout Retrieves

December 12, 2017

mccune, retrieve, spey

“Exactly how do you retrieve or work your fly?” We still get this question A LOT. Spend a few minutes with our pal Mike McCune as he goes over a few of the techniques he uses while fishing for trout…

2017-18 Trout Spey Lineup

November 15, 2017

Fly Fishing Technique, Troutspey

spey, Swing Season, troutspey

The 2017-18 Spey season has begun on the Missouri River, and it’s time to layout the gear we use while swinging the Mo’. Last season we began a transition from 6 and 7 weight spey outfits down to true ultralight…

Winter Rewards Fishing the Missouri River

November 5, 2017

Headhunters Life, Troutspey

Friends, Snow, spey, Swinging Flies, Trout Spey, Weather, winter

Winter Rewards Fishing the Missouri River Trout Spey casters up all the way from Big Sky. Bill, Jason, Rob, and Todd ventured up the state to the Mighty Mo to swing a few flies. And they were rewarded with nice…

Swing Season 2017-18 is Here!

October 17, 2017

Headhunters Life, Troutspey

spey, Swing Season, Trout, troutspey

We’ve been swinging with our two-handers for a few weeks now, and we know a few of you have as well. In our brains, the 1st of November is the beginning of “Swing Season”, but as the weeds disappear from…

Hangman Spey Video – Mike McCune

May 8, 2017

Fly Fishing Technique, Troutspey

Casting, Hangman, mccune, Mike, spey, Trout

Here’s a valuable casting video Mike McCune and I recently shot. Valuable because it is the spey cast I see Mike executing more often than not when we are trout fishing. I have had a number of customers ask me…

Troutspey Reels and Running Lines

May 3, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear, Troutspey

coated, lines, mono, reels, Running, spey

There is always a lot of talk about running lines for trout spey rigs around the shop. Some like mono, and some like a coated running line. I think were at about a 50/50 split among our customers and staff.…

New Scientific Anglers Spey Lite Lines

March 22, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear

Lite, Scientific Anglers, spey

A couple of months ago, Scientific Anglers sent me a few prototypes of some new “Trout Spey” lines they were working on. I’ve been fishing them regularly and have been really impressed. They cast extremely well, and feel right (not…

Headhunters is the Trout Spey Line HQ

Headhunters is the Trout Spey Line HQ

February 2, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear, Troutspey

Airflo, Bucket, iMOW, OPST, Poly Leader, Riffle, RIO, Run, SA, Scandi, Scientific Anglers, Skagit, spey, Spey Accesories, Switch, Trout Spey, VersiLeader, Wulff

Headhunters is the Trout Spey Line HQ We have them all. Almost all of them. We may not have every trout spey line ever made but we have most of the bases covered including well over 100 trout spey demo…

Mike McCune Spey Clinic

January 24, 2017

clinic, mccune, spey

Mike McCune will be returning again this spring offering two days of intense Spey instruction in Craig. We are offering two different 1 day session with Mike on March 31, and April 1. Class size is limited to 3, so…

Trout Spey Rigs: Braden

Trout Spey Rigs: Braden

January 6, 2017

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Technique

braden, gear, MOW Tips, OPST, Rigging Techniques, RIO, SAGE, SIMMS, spey

Trout Spey Rigs: Braden Today on the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog we have Braden’s Trout Spey Rig. We thought it would be helpful if we outlined what we use here on the Missouri River during the Swing Season. Braden, and…

Sub Zero Saturday

December 17, 2016

Fly Fishing Technique

Not much to report on this sub-zero Saturday. Too cold for pretty much any and everything. So, lets learn through observation. Here’s a short clip I shot at the request of a customer a couple of weeks ago. Aerial shots…

ECHO TR2 SPEY and TROUTSPEY

December 10, 2016

Echo, spey, TR, troutspey

The ECHO TR (Tim Rajeff) has consistently been one of our most popular Spey rods over the last several seasons. It’s combination of price and performance is unbeatable, as it’s ability to throw a variety of lines and casts. ECHO…

Troutspey Clinic

Next Troutspey Clinic – Jan. 28 & 29

December 8, 2016

Fly Fishing Technique, Headhunters Life

clinic, spey, troutspey

Our next Troutspey Clinics will be held Jan. 28th and 29th. You can expect the emphasis to be on trout and Skagit techniques with lightweight rods. Over the years our clinics have slowly morphed from a Scandi influenced general casting…

Monday Snow Day, Trout Spey, & Shop w/Headhunters

Monday Snow Day, Trout Spey, & Shop w/Headhunters

December 5, 2016

Headhunters Life

Christmas Shopping, Cold Weather, Monday, Snow, spey

Monday Snow Day, Trout Spey, & Shop w/Headhunters Cold and snowing today here in the Missouri River canyon. We like it. While it is colder than most would like for tossing a fly into the famed winter waters of the…

Montana Guided Spey Trips

December 1, 2016

Headhunters Life, Troutspey

guided, guiding, john, spey, trips, Whitney

Headhunters has been dabbling in guided spey trips for the last two winters. We’ve run a few, but haven’t really pushed it too hard. Most of our guides have no interest in more work during the winter. They’re more interested…

Mike McCune – Perry Poke Video

November 30, 2016

Fly Fishing Technique, Fly Fishing Video, Troutspey

Casting, mccune, Mike, perry, poke, spey, troutspey

If you haven’t had a chance to attend one of our clinics with Mike McCune – and wife Whitney Gould – this will give you an idea what it’s like to spend the day with him on the water. For…

2016-17 Spey Lineup – Rods and Reels

November 29, 2016

Fly Fishing Gear, Troutspey, Uncategorized

reels, rods, spey, troutspey

The season is in full “swing” for the folks who enjoy swinging trout up on a two-hander. Most folks are done chasing Steelhead in the upper Columbia drainages, and big game season has just ended. The balmy autumn has plenty of folks…

2016-17 Spey Clinics

September 30, 2016

Fly Fishing Technique, Headhunters Life

clinics, spey, troutspey

MONTANA TROUTSPEY The Swing Season is upon us, and we are starting to line up our free Spey Clinics for the 2016-17 season. Folks are asking about it and many have already swung a fish or three this season. Our…

McCune/Gould Spey Sessions Recap

May 3, 2016

Fly Fishing Technique, Headhunters Life, Troutspey

Gould, mccune, spey

Another long weekend of Spey Casting instruction with Mike McCune and Whitney Gould is in the books. We held 3 classes this year in what turned out to be absolutely perfect weather. No wind. 3 days in a row. In…

McCune Gould Spey Clinic

McCune/Gould Spey Clinic 4 Spots open Sunday May 1st!

April 25, 2016

Fly Fishing Technique, Troutspey

April 29, April 30, clinic, May 1st, spey

McCune/Gould Spey Clinic 4 spots available on Sunday May 1st for the McCune/Gould Spey Clinic a week from now. This is a world class spey event held here on the Missouri River for those who want to go to the…

Last Headhunters 2016 Free Spey Clinic

March 7, 2016

Fly Fishing Technique, Troutspey

clinic, HEadhunters, Montana, spey

In some incredibly balmy weather on Saturday – high 60’s – we held our final free spey clinic off the 2015-16 winter season. The full house enjoyed the usual classroom presentation, light winds, a wide variety of lines and rods,…

Montana troutspey

In Defense of Switch Lines…. Just Kidding.

February 16, 2016

Fly Fishing Gear, Fly Fishing Technique, Troutspey, Uncategorized

spey, switch. lines

Lately I’ve seen a resurgence in the dreaded “switch” line. Particularly on newer spey rigs purchased regionally. At our last clinic there were no less than 3 new outfits present rigged with switch lines. All were recommended as part of a rod/reel/line…

Superbowl Spey Scenery

Superbowl Spey Scenery

February 7, 2016

Headhunters Life

Scenery, spey, Super Bowl

Enjoy the game today. About half and half at the shop. Some default Bronco’s fans because of the Newton hatred. Some because of the nostalgic Peyton love. Some lean toward Cam because of the dominance. Others because of the athleticism.…