"Study Buddy" system / Spey lines

Let's have more of you send in your answers to the quiz on lines for two handed casting. Soon I'll send the answers. Some of the material in this message may help you with this quiz.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

last week Gary Davidson teamed up as ?Study Buddies? and the first thing we get is what Gary does a lot of. Also got some info from his brother Lee. Hope to finish the questions tomorrow.

FFF Certified fly Casting Instructor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jim... Way to go ! If you keep at it, you'll learn a great deal from one another.

One way to do it is to begin with the sample questions in the Master Study Guide and see how you would each answer them. After a few months of doing the question / answer bit, you can really apply the pressure on one another by coming up with questions which require some head scratching and even some research.

This concept isn't new. We used it many years ago when I was in Medical School and again when studying for our Board exams when I was a resident surgeon. My grandaughter is now a second year med student and is doing the same thing. It is used for law school studies and many other centers of learning. I even used that system back when I was a teacher in the Army for the 77th Special Forces Corpsman School.

Gordy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Bob Rumpf :

Hi Gordy & Group,

If there are any serious MCI candidates near the Catskills who are looking for someone to cast with, I would also appreciate a casting companion/loop critic. Some of the people who have asked for casting buddies, did not give their location, that would obviously help. Just contact me at my address below. I cast every day and plan to test this fall or early winter. Casting with another caster is an invaluable way to practice and someone should have instigated this long ago.

Regards,

Bob Rumpf

caddis@xxxxxxx

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SPEY LINES

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

From Jim Bass (His "Study Buddy" arrangement is already paying off ! )

Gordy I got this site from Lee Davidson Thought you mike like to use it. It is from RIO and has some of the same info as the one you sent from Al Buhr and some good diagrams.

http://www.rioproducts.com/photos/file/Understanding%20Spey%20lines%202009.pdf

Jim Bass

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jim ..... Thanks for that link ! It is well written by Simon Gawesworth.

I also placed that document in an attachment in case any of you have trouble activating the link.

Gordy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sent this message to Bruce Richards:

Hi, Bruce....

I need to learn something.

What is the theory and mechanics behind fly lines for Spey casting which seem to have a double or "two stage" forward taper .... such as the "Windcutter" lines ?

Gordy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bruce's answer :

Hi Gordy,

The theory is fairly simple... Many of Rio's spey lines have "step" tapers, with the back part of the head being much larger/heavier than the front. SA designed their spey lines in a similar way, but with more gradual tapers. Jim Vincent developed his tapers before he owned Rio and made them by cutting and splicing, and simply copied those rather crude designs.

The reason for the heavier back ends is that this is the part of the line that is in the "D" loop and acquires the energy from the rod to make the cast. To make long spey casts the back end of the head of the line must be quite heavy to carry the energy needed. Either the line must be heavy, or it must be moving very fast, heavy works better. The line that is in not in the D loop is simply a hindrance to the cast so is made smaller/lighter. Typically, spey lines will have a relatively short, but very heavy, rear section of head, attached to a much lighter, longer front section. The rear section carries the energy of the stroke, transferring it to the lighter front taper for optimal performance.

Most spey lines I know of are made to this design theory, but there is incredible variety in just how these tapers are crafted.....

Bruce

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``