What did you say? Trout, erm, Spey?
You heard that right. Trout Spey.
Whether a natural progression from Switch or Spey rods, these rods are definitely niche, but they are also nice, and fill a gap in the market. What do I mean by that?
The de facto trout rod is a single hand 5wt. It’s a great rod — for almost everyone, and for most situations. But not all.
Consider the person who has such bad tennis elbow that, despite having just retired, they fear they can’t trout fish any more — the very thing they have worked so hard for for decades. In that lens, what some people view with skepticism (yeah, the very sam trout Spey) is a savior.
Or consider some of the larger trout water we have here in New England. The Androscoggin. The Pemigewasset. Parts of the Deerfield. They are legitimately big water. A little bit extra umph! is helpful here. Welcome, even.
As some may know, I love Spey casting. I do it salmon fishing, and just love the rhythm. It’s like telemark skiing. Or dancing. Or shifting through gears on a standard. It feels good and, when in it, induces a kind of physical memory that at its best takes place in a space free from thought and effort. It just happens. And it feels great in the way that the small but effortless accomplishments in our life amount to feeling like somehting larger, something more important.
That’s why I was interested in trying the Beulah G2 Trout Spey rod. I’m a longstanding fan of Beulah’s —they have a full flex that provides a lot of tactile feedback, they look great, and they have East and West coast roots, as their owner spends time in Maine every summer.
The G2 doesn’t disappoint. It has that great Beulah flex, beautiful details, and comes in at a decent price point. I’ve taken it fishing a few times, and enjoy it more than I thought that I might.
For one, I was worried that the rod might dampen the feedback from fish. Not so. This past weekend I caught brown trout in the mid teens and low 20 inches, and had the same electric shock from the strike. The latter trout went on the reel (a Hardy Lightweight) and drew a few satisfying screeches from the drag.
The one thing that does cause a bit of cognitive dissonance is that a 3 wt is really more like a 5 weight. Consider the length — 12′ versus an 8 or 9 footer — and you simply have a bigger lever. And then consider the grain weight on the spey line: 265 grains. That’s not quite a 3wt in my mind. That’s not to knock it, necessarily, but I would plan on ordering down a weight or two when you consider buying one.
Niche? Maybe. Nice? I’m thinking so.
Beulah G2 Trout Spey – 12′ 3 Wt
Four sections
Price: $695
