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Like swing fishing for steelhead, the spey rod is a major advantage on the Rio Grande. In fact, with open plains essentially devoid of trees to break the typically relentless wind, I think they are an absolute must have piece of equipment. Toward the end of the week, the anglers in our group who limited themselves to a single-hand rod were icing their elbows after every session and one decided not to fish the last day because he could no longer pick the sink-tip line up and out of the water. I convinced him to try the two-handed rod and set him up with a Z-Axis 7136-4 and a Rio Skagit system. At dinner that evening he told me it not only saved his day and would lead to at least two rod sales, he also said it meant he could return again to chase the giant browns. For those that did fish the spey rod, some were competent enough to manage the various spey casts dictated by the wind and line systems and truly enjoy the advantages that spey techniques offer. Others simply used them as long, powerful, two-handed overhead rods that easily picked up and delivered a range of tips and flies to the far bank without beating themselves up. All of those that fished them hooked and landed more fish.

It was a great opportunity and experience for me to see one of the pinnacle fisheries in the world and to follow in the steps of fly-fishing legends that went there when it took DC-3’s, rubber waders, and a big-time commitment to find these giants.

Following is my list of key equipment if you are going yourself or outfitting someone for the Rio Grande.

Rod and Line Systems: The most important rod to have in the lineup is a “go to” two-handed model for windy conditions. My top three choices were:

Z-Axis 8129-4 with a Skagit 600, no Cheater, and a set of 150 grain 15’ tips (Floating, Intermediate, Type 3, Type 6, Type 8) with a Big Boy 200, 300, and 400. This set-up will deal with the most varied and adverse conditions and the shorter length is easy to overhead cast in the wind.

Z-Axis 9143-4 with a Skagit 600 and a 5’ 9/10/11 Cheater. The same tip options listed for the Z-Axis 8129 are perfect. This is an all-around powerful and easy to cast model for moving and mending a lot of line.

VT2 8139-4 with a Skagit 550 and a 5’ 8/9/10 Cheater with the same 150 grain tip options that work for the Z-Axis 8129 and Z-Axis 9143. This is an excellent rod for overhead and spey casting and will appeal to consumers who are intimidated by the $700 + price tag on the Z-Axis. It’s a sleeper.

For light wind days and some of the smaller beats up river, I really liked these three rods:

Z-Axis 7136-4 with a Skagit 450, 5’ 8/9/10 Cheater, and the following tips: 129 grain Floating, Intermediate, Type 3, Type 6; 150 grain Type 8, 13’ T-14. This rod is simply sweet and a really fun fish fighting tool. It also is excellent for Pacific Coast steelhead applications. It does not, however, have the power to be the primary rod for the Rio Grande.

Z-Axis 8110-4. While not a substitute for the larger rods, this 11’ “switch” model with a Skagit 400 and 109 grain tips was ideal for shorter, precise spey casts and mends and has plenty of power for overhead casts in the wind. It was fun to play fish with and will certainly become a “go to” instrument on the Rio Grande and the steelhead and salmon rivers of the Pacific.

Note on Skagit Lines: For those that have not yet experienced them, the RIO Skagit line systems are absolutely the easiest spey lines for most people to cast, particularly if sink tips are involved.

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