Few moments in fly fishing compare to the unmistakable smashing grab of a steelhead aggressively taking a swung fly. 

Unlike indicator fishing, where the fly drifts naturally with the current, swinging a fly presents a fly in motion across the river and through the current, not with it.  A swung fly often triggers an explosive hard hitting take from fish that “attacks” or rises to meet your fly, instead of a subtle sip of an egg or nymph dead drifting gently in the current.

Swinging is as much about the experience as it is about catching fish. If you enjoy covering water, making beautiful casts and feeling that unmistakable hard grab from a powerful fish, swinging may become your favourite way to fish for Steelhead.

Why Swing Flies?

Ask a room full of experienced Steelhead anglers why they love swinging flies and you'll probably hear the same answer: the grab.

Unlike indicator fishing, where strikes are often subtle, a Steelhead taking a swung fly can feel sudden, powerful and unforgettable. Every cast carries anticipation, and every swing through a promising piece of water could produce the fish of the day, or the most memorable fish of your lifetime. Rather than making repeated drifts through the same run, you'll work your way downstream, exploring new water with every cast.

It's also an incredibly enjoyable way to fish. Rather than making repeated drifts through the same run, you'll  work your way downstream, exploring new water with every cast.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR:

Swinging Too Deep?

- If your fly is often hanging on the bottom, or you are feeling the river bottom occasionally, try a lighter sink tip, a shorter sink tip, a fly that sinks less, or a slightly faster swing.

Swinging Too Shallow?

- If your fly stays too high in the water column, too high in the water to motivate a fish, try switching to a fly that will sink quicker, slow your presentation by changing your casting angle, allow your fly to sink before the swing engages, or switch to a faster sinking sink tip.

Adjust & Experiment

- Sometimes small adjustments go a long way to hone in your presentation, other times big changes are needed.  The speed of the water, how bulky your fly is, how quickly your fly sinks, the depth of the water, the angle you cast, and how you mend all have an impact.  You’ll have to learn how each of these impact your presentation, so head out, fish around, and find out!

*Key Takeaway

We often get asked in the shop “What sink-tip should I use?” – frankly, we have no idea.  For us to know exactly what sink-tip to use, we’d have to be on the water with you to evaluate conditions, river flow, size of fly, and much more.  Every day on the river is different, every riffle, run and pool is different – head out prepared with a variety of gear to meet the conditions you may face and adapt to what’s in front of you.

The Gear You Need

Swinging flies places different demands on your equipment than indicator nymphing.

• The best setup depends on the rivers you fish, your casting experience, and the style of swinging you enjoy. Some anglers prefer the simplicity of a single-hand rod, while others appreciate the efficiency and casting ease of switch or Spey rods on larger rivers.
• Your outfit also includes specialized fly lines and sink tips designed to present flies at the correct depth while maintaining the broadside swing that makes this technique so effective.
  
• Depending on if you choose to use a single or double hand rod, your gear may include a general purpose weight forward fly line with a selection of sink-tips,  or specialized fly lines and sink tips  typically used with double hand rods.

For a detailed breakdown of rods, reels, lines and sink-tip systems, visit our Swing Gear Guide.

Building a Swing Rig

One of the biggest misconceptions about swinging flies is that it requires a complicated setup. While there are many line systems and types available, most successful anglers build a set-up they know well, know how to use it, and keep things simple and reliable after that.

A typical swing outfit consists of a floating fly line, an appropriate sink tip for the water you're fishing, a short leader, and a fly. The goal isn't to dredge the fly along the bottom - it's to present it naturally through the zone where Steelhead are holding or slightly above the fish. Fish often hold off the bottom of the river, especially if they’re active – fishing too low in the water can put your fly below fish and out of their sight.

Successful anglers on the swing adjusts sink-tip density and length, and how they are presentation their fly, before changing flies.  Flies, once again, are not the most important part of the equation. 

Choosing Flies for Swinging

One of the first questions new swing anglers ask is, "What fly should I use?" The good news is that you don't need dozens of patterns to get started.

• Most Steelhead swing flies are created with movement in mind, and a profile that can be seen/stands out in the water. Intruders, leeches, bait fish patterns, traditional Spey flies and other modern streamer patterns all have their place, with the best choice depending on water clarity, river conditions and the time of year.
• Many anglers begin with a handful of confidence patterns in black, blue, white, olive, and pink. When you’re first getting into swinging, stock-up on the staples, and learn when to fish each style and how to present your fly effectively.
• In the Great Lakes region our fish are conditioned to eating baitfish, crayfish, and sculpins.  Natural colours are great producers, colours that match a Great Lakes steelhead’s diet.   Colours such as fluorescent pink, orange, shrimp pink, and other West Coast influenced fly patterns do work, and we carry them and use them ourselves, but a lot of our fish come from natural colour pattern reflecting Great Lakes forage. Generally speaking it is more effective to reserve brighter flies for higher and more stained water.
• As you gain experience, you'll develop confidence in a selection of flies that consistently produce fish under different conditions.  When you start tying your own flies, you’ll be able to dial those patterns in to suit your local waters perfectly, and land fish on swing patterns you’ve tied!
  
  

Looking for specific fly recommendations? Our Swing Gear Guide covers the flies, colours and patterns we recommend, along with the gear and sink-tip combinations we fish throughout the Steelhead season.

What Kind of Water is Right for Swinging?

One of the biggest differences between swinging flies and indicator fishing is the type of water you'll target.

• Long, even runs are often ideal because they provide a smooth, controlled swing from the beginning of the cast to the end. Walking-speed current is usually a good starting point, giving your fly enough movement to attract attention without racing through the run.
• Current seams, the heads of pools and tailouts, and long glides can all be productive, particularly when they allow fish to hold comfortably while intercepting a swung fly. Turbulent pocket water is generally less suited to swinging, as it's difficult to maintain a consistent presentation, but short swings through pocket water and smaller riffle water can produce great fish, especially when there is a lot of pressure on popular areas.
• As you gain experience, you'll begin to recognize the type of water that simply "looks fishy." Every run is different, every pool is different, every riffle is different, you will learn to identify where to swing your fly for the greatest chance at success with experience

Presentation is Everything

It all starts with a cast…

• More often than not, steelhead respond best to a steady, controlled swing that allows the fly to remain in the strike zone.
• At the end of each swing, let the fly hang briefly if the water if it is deep enough for a fish to swim over and grab your fly.  The very end of the swing when the fly is downstream of you and not crossing the current any further is called “The Dangle” and it can be very effective. Often fish follow your fly across the river and then hit at this point.
• As you start casting and presenting your fly, start swinging very close to you if there is water a fish may hold in.   Start with just the sink-tip out of your rod tip, then start to add more line, a couple or few feet at a time, until you start fully casting.
• Don’t forget you’re fishing… we know this sounds odd, but we often see folks casting as far as they can right out of the gate, missing all of the quality water within 30’-40’ of their toes, and not changing up anything in their cast or presentation through the course of the day.   We love casting, but we love hooking up with fish even more. Use casting as a means to catch fish, don’t get too lost in it.
  

How to Set the Hook

Don't Set!

• If a steelhead grabs your fly, the worst thing that you can do is pull that fly out of its mouth. Just because you feel the pull of a fish, it doesn’t mean the hook is planted in the fish and is secure. You need to wait… and wow, is it hard!
  When the fish takes, don’t react at all, let the pressure you feel build up for a few seconds (sometimes 10 seconds, or more!), then apply pressure using the butt of your rod which you will move firmly in an opposing direction to the fish, all while maintaining control of your line, and reel spool.  
  If the fish takes on the dangle (the dangle is covered above) let the fish take, then swing for the fences, applying as much side pressure as you can – not pulling the fly upstream and out of the fish’s mouth.
   
Let the fish run.  Chances are, if you lock-up your reel by gripping it tight, or having the drag set too firmly, you’ll break the fish off. 
• Let the fish run and take line in a controlled manner, don’t let your reel free-spool, and enjoy the experience!

Continue Your Steelhead Journey

Now that you understand the fundamentals of swinging for Steelhead, continue building your knowledge with these resources:

• Indicator Nymphing for Steelhead
• Indicator Nymphing for Steelhead Gear & Fly Guide
• Euro Nymphing for Steelhead
• Euro Nymphing for Steelhead Gear & Fly Guided