Spey Practice / Hook cast (?name?)

From Al Buhr (THCI & head of the Two Handed Casting Committee) on practice for Spey Casting: -

Hope you can make it to the Monday spey workshop. We have a good group of students and a hand full of instructors as well.

I am with you Gordy, there is no substitute for water for master the spey casts. However, any practice is better than no practice, so grass practice can instill good habits. There is simply no better cast than Overhead to master rod mechanics and easily done on the grass. The basic moves to all spey casts are easy to learn on grass first, then shifting to water as rod positions become understandable. Think of it as having “training wheels” for spey casts. Water tension can be a stumbling block for those new to spey, so removing it can simplify rod movements for the student. Then as an understanding develops add water and mix.

Now moving or still water for practice, I have heard every notion for moving water and every view could not explain the pace of current best for practice. In a realistic fishing situation, one pool can have extreme fast water riffle to a dead calm pool, all having fish holds and all at different current speeds.

Casting off still water will develop a stronger lift, force good practice in rolling the line out ahead straight, and not waiting on the flow to swing the line, three times the practice can be done. As well, I have fished still and reverse flowing water for steelhead with success, so practice on moving water would not have help in those situations.

Any practice is better than no practice, and always practice for improvement. Easy said….

Material for a grass leader? Try a soft mono in 15 to 25 lb. range. I like a 20 lb. P-line. It is very soft and lies with the grass contour. The super bright yellow/green is easy to see too.

The Mt. Home workshop is coming up next weekend. The spey class I have there is single-handed, I will have some light two-handers along. Hmmm, I will have to pose the world is flat or round idea. I got Jim Valle puzzled on this notion of a 3 dimensional thought.

Just got back from a fishing trip on the Caney Fork in Middle Tennessee. Fish weren't hitting too good but I did realize that I was throwing a cast that I'm not sure has a name. I have a favorite spot where there are alot of over hanging dead branches and beneath these limbs are some excellent current and pools that are great feeding lanes. To position my fly right I usually do a LOW side arm cast and with a twist of my wrist and arm I actually hook the line to the left in order for the fly (nymph) to have a good journey down throught the current. The cast is subtle and very quick with the twist to create the hook to the left. I have not had to use a right hook, but am very good with this low hooking cast to avoid snagging on a limb and to position the fly a little upstream in the current to ride out the 30 to 40 foot lane. What is this cast that I am doing? It is so simple and the about five feet of line actually hooks to the left for perfect positioning under the overhanging limbs. I've been doing this cast unconciously for years. It is just a technique that you develop without thinking about it.

Tom White was never very interested in, "names" for specialty casts: just wanted to have you be able to describe and do it, and know the reason for it. Naming them, as I look at it, does save descriptive words when discussing these things, so long as we all know what is meant by the name.