Steelhead were introduced to the Great Lakes water system in 1872. They are a strain of Rainbow Trout that migrate from the lakes to their spawning grounds several times a year. In Part 2 of Spey Daze, award winning film maker Robert Thompson continues his study of how the Steelhead population, which is under threat from lack of prey food, parasites and changing water conditions, is maintained by an extensive stocking programme. They are not the only species in trouble and the film also covers the plight of the Brown Trout, Chinook and King Salmon that at various times have proliferated. The thousands of tributaries flowing into the lakes provide an enormous range of fishing opportunities and this film covers just a few of them. It also introduces us to a few of the anglers devoted to the Steelhead, all with stories of how catching them has changed their lives and all with an opinion on how best to do so. More and more of the anglers have switched to a two handed Spey Rod enabling them to enjoy the art of 'Swingin' the fly across the current. Advocates claim that the hits with this method are far more dynamic than when using conventional cast and retrieve tactics and even on a blank day, the act of casting is in itself reward enough.

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