Zack is a full time fly fishing instructor & guide who specializes in teaching spey casting and the art of swinging flies for steelhead. Whether it be guiding, teaching a beginner casting class, competing at Spey O' Rama, building custom spey lines, or working as the founder & editor of Swing the Fly Magazine; Zack is always living and breathing spey casting and steelhead.You can also find him as owner and head guide of PNW Spey Guides.
When did you first get into spey casting?
I bought my first spey rod when I was 16 so that would have been in 2000. Growing up in Michigan there was the belief that Great Lakes steelhead wouldn’t move for a swung fly. But I had been reading Trey Combs’ Steelhead Fly Fishing over and over for years and wanted to give it a try. After a couple of futile years of exploration on my own I met a few select people who were swinging flies and being successful.
Where do you guide/what do you guide for?
I guide mainly steelhead on Idaho’s Clearwater River and Washington’s Grande Ronde and Snake Rivers. The winter/spring season I do some guiding on the Olympic Peninsula as well.
Favorite season?
Fall in Idaho/Eastern Washington without a doubt.
Instructor, guide, editor get any off days?
Oh yea there are slow times of the year. I get to fish when the weather is nasty and during non-peak times which is fine because I like solitude.
The magazine was conceived a few years ago just in seeing how many friends were taking great photos and writing great stories that I thought needed to be shared with the angling community.
It is published quarterly. Issues 7 will come out Jan. 1, 2015
Do you have a writing/editing background?
No! I am a hack. I consider it my main job to find the people with way more talent than myself. I am always trying to improve on the editing/copy part but I operate under the assumption that most people are more concerned with the actual story than a few typos.
You’ve got some great contributors, how were you able to pull everyone together?
I am fortunate with some friends who have made Swing the Fly happen, guys like Marty Sheppard, Jonathan Barlow, and Poppy at the Red Shed Fly Shop. Without them, it wouldn’t happen. Everyone has been extremely generous with their time and efforts, proof of how great the spey community is.
What can we look forward in the upcoming issue?
Secrets! Some really great stories and photos from British Columbia and elsewhere. A great casting piece by a legend in the sport.
Be sure to subscribe to Swing the Fly Magazine and if you need to tune in your snap T or looking to chase some chrome, check out Zack at PNW Spey Guides.
