The MEND.

June 15, 2017

The Mend.  Perhaps the most important skill in fly fishing.  There are many different types of mends, and thousands of situations that will require strategic adjustments of the line.  The definition of the word "Mend" is to "fix or repair something".  In the case of fly fishing, the Mend fixes your cast or your drift.  It can repair mistakes in your cast and fix up your drift and strategically adjust your fly line, leader, or strike indicator.  Ultimately you set up your position in the river, casting angle, and your cast to minimize the need to mend, please keep this in mind.  The Mend is there to fix and repair.  Minimizing these adjustments is a skill that the fishiest and most experienced anglers possess. 

Steve Joyce and I recorded a Podcast yesterday about The MEND.  You can listen here on the blog page, or download the Podbean App for your smartphone which is what I recommend.  Be sure to follow the Red's Fly Shop Podcast and get all the updates. The app is awesome because it will always save where you left off listening so you can pick it back up later.  Listen 10 minutes here or there when you can. I listen to a lot of these while I'm driving. 

We will be doing an episode with Q and A from our Blog Readers as well. Put any topics and/or questions that you might want to hear about in the comments down below.  

  1. Can't thank you enough for your ongoing commentment providing outstanding and insightful fishing tips. ~ Rick in Spokane ~
  2. Good stuff. Now we need one on spey/swing mending.... please.
  3. Great idea Jim, casting spey rods is too common of a topic. We want to FISH our two handed rods/swinging rods better! Thank you.
  4. I know one thing I think about a lot is how to get flies down where they need to be while maintaining a natural drift. I think about it with small nymphs, big nymphs, emergers just in the film, trout streamers, spey streamers, and flies out in the surf. I guess if you're catching fish, then you know you're doing something right, but it sure would be nice to see some tried-and-true techniques I can add to my bag for different situations.
  5. Hi from Australia as the guys above have stated Spey and switch are getting very popular also Down under mostly in Surf Thanks

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