Speywater Guide Service is a partnership of three fly fishing only guides; Scott O'Donnell, Mike McCune and Ed Ward. Unlike most other guide services out there, when you book a trip with us you'll be fishing with us. Other guide services are basically booking agents that will farm you out to whomever they can find just to make a buck. Some are guides that are either excellent marketers or have become popular enough to hire employees to take out their spill over. Some are good, most are not. If we're booked on the days that you need, we'll simply refer you to another guide that we feel is reputable. We're not affiliated with any other guides nor do we accept commissions. The one exception to this is the Grande Ronde where we operate both overnight float trips and a lodge simultaneously. In order to do this we hire two other guides to help with the increased work load, but you can bet that they'll be the best casting instructors and fly fishing guides available.
Transplants from all over the U. S. we came separately to the Northwest for one reason and one reason only, to fly fish for steelhead. We share an incredibly deep passion for our craft and believe that destiny has brought us together. We are traditional fly anglers/guides that insist our fish be caught on our terms. We prefer the techniques that were used by the fly fishing artists that came before us. Great anglers such as Sid Glasso, Enos Bradner, Roderick Haig-Brown, Walt Johnson, Al Knudsen, Ralph Wahl, Mike Kennedy, and the more contemporary Lani Waller, Mike Kinney, Bob Arnold, Russell Chatham, Trey Combs, and Harry Lemiere, to name just a few. That's not to say that we haven't refined those techniques (or at least think we have). We don't use split shot, pencil lead or slinkies nor do we use strike indicators or bobbers. We do our best to adhere to the principles of pure fly fishing.
Each of us brings over twenty years of experience. We were at the forefront of the spey casting revolution here in the Northwest and have been heavily involved in the industry, field testing and putting our mark on spey rods and designing spey lines (such as the very popular Skagit Lines), since the beginning. We are the originators of the Skagit style of spey casting and can be seen on the new Rio 'How To Spey Cast' video. We are also accomplished fly tiers and have been published many times for our unique innovations.
We have fished all over the Northwest and have settled on what we believe to be the very best fisheries in terms of their production and ambience. Please give us a call.
Speywater Guide Service is a partnership of three fly fishing only guides; Scott O'Donnell, Mike McCune and Ed Ward. Unlike most other guide services out there, when you book a trip with us you'll be fishing with us. Other guide services are basically booking agents that will farm you out to whomever they can find just to make a buck. Some are guides that are either excellent marketers or have become popular enough to hire employees to take out their spill over. Some are good, most are not. If we're booked on the days that you need, we'll simply refer you to another guide that we feel is reputable. We're not affiliated with any other guides nor do we accept commissions. The one exception to this is the Grande Ronde where we operate both overnight float trips and a lodge simultaneously. In order to do this we hire two other guides to help with the increased work load, but you can bet that they'll be the best casting instructors and fly fishing guides available.
