Redington Dually Trout Spey Review

Trout Spey has become pretty popular over the past few years, and we’ve jumped on the bandwagon and have found it to be very effective and tons of fun! We got into two handed casting from going on steelhead fishing trips, but steelhead water is far enough away that we only got to do it a couple times a year – trout spey is very similar, and with the lighter rods an average big river trout in the 14-18″ range is a hoot. We’ve fished a ton of trout spey rods over the past couple years, and have had a chance to try out some of the new models – one that stood out in particular was the Redington Dually Trout Spey. These are incredible rods for the money, and are a great way to get into Trout Spey at a very reasonable price. We fished both the 10'6" 3 weight and 10'6" 4 weight on a trip to the Miracle Mile and Grey Reef stretches of the North Platte River last week. After fishing a wide range of different trout spey rods over the past few seasons, we can say without a doubt that these rods are great fishing tools and an incredible value. We paired the 3 weight with a 250 grain Rio Skagit Trout Spey, and the 4 weight with a 300 grain in the same line. With a 20-30 pound mono running line and a 10' sink tip, these rods can cast incredibly accurately and quite a distance. A 50-60' cast was a breeze, and I'm sure they could be pushed beyond that fairly easily with a competent caster. After trying coated running lines versus mono, we're pretty sold on mono. The distance you gain is worth it by itself, and it's very easy to mend and manipulate to get the swing you want. The rod itself is nice and light, and is easy to fish for a long period of time. Fish in the 14-16" range are a hoot on either weight, but you can easily tangle with bigger fish and not have an issue. The Dually is a smooth, medium to medium fast action that is easy to learn on, but has plenty of reserve power for a more experienced spey caster. The handle is larger than most 'trout spey' marketed rods, but I didn't mind it at all. We paired them with a Redington I.D. Reel - a 5/6 on the 3 weight, and a 7/8/9 on the 4 weight seemed to balance the best. The Rio Trout Skagit Spey head was a good fit for the Dually, and is nice because it's a bit longer than some of the really short heads - the 14-16' head is long enough that it allows you some movement in your cast, rather than the super compact cast from a really short head. The Skagit Trout Head creates a ton of power, and you need little to no backcast room. Once you get the hang of the minimal amount of movement needed to cast this setup, you can create some super powerful casts with very little effort at all! 3 Weight or 4 Weight? For all around versatility, the 4 weight is probably the best bet, but the 3 weight is a ton of fun as long as you're not fishing big flies. We fished sink tips up to 7.5' of T-8 on the 3 weight, and it handled it well. If you're fishing articulated flies or heavy tips frequently, we would recommend the 4 weight. If you're fishing lighter tips, soft hackles, or bugger-sized flies, the 3 weight is a great option. Both rods will handle standard big river sized fish up to 20" easily. Trout Spey enables you to fish all of the 'in between' water that folks that are nymphing don't pay much attention to. You can fish most of the normal seams and holes with some creative line manipulation, but broad, long runs are where swinging a fly really shines. You can effectively cover flat, relatively featureless water with a trout spey setup, which equals being able to fish more water than you'd be able to nymph fishing. We spend most of our time in walking speed or slower water that has a nice, even current more or less the whole way across - water you can get your flies to swing nice and evenly. You know all of the spots on the Bighorn River you float through on your way to they next spot? That's where we spend a lot of time fishing. Because of that you oftentimes don't have a lot of competition for spots either, which can be an advantageous bonus! If you're to get into Trout Spey, this is one of the best inexpensive outfits out there. We offer the Dually in several outfits - you can get it with sink tips, flies, etc. Here's a link to them on our webstore - Redington Dually Trout Spey Outfit. We spool the reel up and have everything ready to go when it ships out, so when it gets to your door you're ready to head out and swing some trout up. There hasn't really been a good entry level outfit available in the $400 price range, so this is a game changer - call us at the shop at 605-341-2450 if you have any Trout Spey questions!