Spey Rods

What a spey rod is

A single-hand fly rod asks you to cast backward, let the line straighten, then cast forward. A spey rod gets around the backward part. It is a long, two-handed rod, and it uses casts that Orvis describes as modified roll or switch casts, in which the line stays on the water and loads the rod. The Orvis spey casting basics page says you won't need a huge backcast, and that the technique suits places where there is little room behind you.

That is the whole reason spey rods exist. On a wide river with a wooded bank, a conventional backcast puts the fly in the trees. A spey cast does not. The rod is also long enough, and the arms are doing enough of the work, that big flies and heavy lines are manageable, which is why you see two-handed rods listed for steelhead and salmon.

Orvis describes spey rods as longer and heavier than single-hand rods and built for powerful casts on wide rivers. Its examples include an 8-weight at 13 feet 8 inches and a 3-weight "micro spey" at 11.3 feet, so the category runs from light to heavy. The same page says single-hand rods can also be used for spey casting, with shorter casts as the result.

If you want the longer explanation of the casts and the vocabulary, the what is a spey rod guide has it. This page is about the rods in the table.

What is in the table

At our last check, six spey rods meet the rule on this page, which is a rod its maker or listing describes as a two-handed spey rod. Switch rods are not included, because the makers draw the switch line in different places and I'd rather not guess where.

The six come from three makers.

• Redington has two Olympus Spey models. The 4113-4 is a 4-weight, 11 feet 3 inches long, in four pieces, with a fast action and a lifetime warranty; the Amazon listing names it as a trout rod. The 8130-4 is an 8-weight, 13 feet long, in four pieces, fast action, with steelhead and salmon as the stated targets. On its maker page Redington describes the 8130 as lightweight, easy-loading and fast with quick recovery, tags it for spey and steelhead, and names two RIO lines to pair with it, one Scandi and one Skagit.
• Thomas & Thomas has two rods. The DNA Short Spey is a 6-weight at 11 feet 2 inches, and the DNA Spey is a 7-weight at 11 feet 7 inches. Both are four-piece rods, and both carry a lifetime warranty for the original purchaser that requires an authorized-dealer purchase and registration within 30 days. In our data the line weight, length and pieces for both come from the Amazon listing, so confirm them on the maker page.
• Greys has two Kite Double Handed rods: an 8/9 weight at 13 feet and a 10/11 weight at 15 feet. Both are four-piece, medium-fast, with cork handles and hard tubes; the line weights are from the listing, and no warranty is stated in our data.

That gives a spread from 4-weight to 11-weight and 11 feet to 15 feet. It is a short list, and it is not a map of the whole spey market. Other spey rods exist, but we only list those on Amazon US that pass the rule.

Reading line weight on a two-handed rod

On a single-hand rod, the line weight is a number from 1 to 12, and the table shows it as a ruler. The same ruler is used here. But a two-handed rod can be harder to read, for two reasons.

First, many two-handed rods give a dual rating, such as 8/9 or 10/11. The Greys Kite is an example, and so is any rod that suits two neighboring lines. The table shows both numbers and fills the ruler for both. The rating is the maker's, and the line you pair with it should come from the maker's recommendation.

Second, spey lines are often described by their weight in grains or grams rather than by the number on the rod. Redington's page for the Olympus 8130 names specific RIO lines instead of giving a rule. I did not find a grain window on that page, and the Amazon listings for the other rods do not give one in our data. So if you buy a spey rod, plan to read the maker's line recommendation. Our Skagit vs Scandi guide explains the two common line families.

The point to remember: the weight number is a starting point, not a complete spec. A spey rod, a spey line and a casting style are a set.

Length and action

Length is the other defining number. Orvis puts its two examples at 13 feet 8 inches and 11.3 feet. The table's rods run from 11 feet 2 inches to 15 feet. Longer rods give more leverage and reach on a big river. Shorter ones are easier to carry and cast on a small one.

The three shorter rods in the table, the Redington 4113, and the two Thomas & Thomas models, are what I would describe as lighter two-handed rods by size. The two Greys Kites are at the other end. Do not read that as a recommendation. Read it as the range you can compare.

Action in the table is the maker's term where stated. The Redington rods are listed fast, the Greys medium-fast, and the Thomas & Thomas models show a dash, because their listings do not state it. For more on what the terms mean, see fly rod action, which is written for single-hand rods but explains the vocabulary.

What else you need before the rod fishes

Buying the rod is the first step of three.

1. A reel. Orvis advises a spey reel with more capacity than a single-hand reel. The reels page lists reels by type, and the fly reels page is the place to start.
2. Backing. The same Orvis page says to spool at least 300 feet of backing. Check the reel's capacity against the line you plan to use.
3. A line. The spey line is the most specific purchase of the three, and it must suit both the rod and the style. See fly lines and the Skagit vs Scandi guide.
4. Leader and fly. Orvis notes that heavier lines pair with larger leaders, or with an integrated line tip, and that larger flies suit spey fishing.

None of the rods in the table are sold with these parts, so a spey outfit is several purchases. That is not unusual for the category, and it is why I'd budget the time to read all three sets of specs together, not only the rod's.

Who a spey rod is for, and who should skip it

A spey rod suits an angler who fishes wide rivers, especially with brush or banks behind, and who is willing to learn a different cast. It suits steelhead and salmon water, where a long rod helps with line control. It can also suit someone who wants a lighter two-handed rod for trout, which is the idea behind the 4-weight in the table.

Skip it if you fish small creeks, where a single-hand rod is simpler, or if you want a rod you can pick up and cast well in an afternoon. Spey casting takes time to learn. The Orvis basics page breaks the cast into an anchor, a D-loop and a forward cast, and lessons from a qualified instructor are the usual advice. I'd follow it (the trees behind you stop being an obstacle and become spectators).

How to read the marks under the values

Under each number or word in the table there is a small mark. "Maker" means the manufacturer's own page states it. "Listing" means the value comes from the Amazon listing and has not been confirmed by the maker, which is the case for several line weights, lengths and piece counts here. "Claimed" is a maker claim with no independent standard. A dash means not confirmed anywhere, and I do not fill it in from a sibling model.

On this page the dashes matter more than usual, because there are only six rods, and several have missing action or warranty. If one of them appeals to you, open the maker page and check the rod's line recommendation, length and pieces before you press Check price.

Switch rods, trout spey and other neighbors

Three neighbors of this page are worth knowing about.

A switch rod is shorter than a spey rod and is the middle ground between one-hand and two-hand. It is excluded here because makers define it differently, and our spey rod vs switch rod guide covers the difference. If you're shopping for steelhead on smaller water, it is worth reading.

Trout spey is lighter spey fishing for trout. The Redington Olympus Spey 4113-4 in the table is a 4-weight that the Amazon listing names as a trout rod, and the maker page lists it as a spey rod. I can't tell you how it performs.

Single-hand rods for steelhead are a third option. If you prefer to keep a one-handed rod, the 8 weight fly rod page lists rods at the weight many steelhead anglers use, and the steelhead guide covers the fish.

The honest summary: six rods is a short list, and I would sooner give you six described fully than sixty described badly. The fly rods hub has the larger tables.