Walter & Group........
From Kirk Eberhard on Spey practice:-
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Hi Gordy,
Some thoughts on grass/pond practice with
the two handed rod.
Overhead casts- Practice making tight loops
with a short line gradually increasing to 70 foot (includes the
leader/yarn fly). Make half a dozen casts with strong hand up
and then change to other side/opposite hand up. Promotes learning
with both hands, forward cast is same move as delivery cast for spey
moves. Experiment with different hand/foot positions, applications of
power. Stronger use of the lower hand can promote a tighter
loop.
Switch casting- Possible to use a regular 15 foot
leader with fly when making switch casts on the grass. Trick is to
slow down, make a larger D loop which
will load the rod better for the forward cast.(Anchor may be a bit more
behind. Alternate sides for opposite hand practice.
As mentioned, going up a line weight or use of a grass leaders is an
alternative. Dana Sturn mentioned a tapered15 foot grass leader, 5 feet of
30, 5 feet of 20, 5 feet of 15 pound maxima with knots every foot or so,
leaving 1-1/1 inch tag ends, adjust the final length for optimum turnover.
Pond casting- An alternative to grass/moving
water. All spey casts can be performed on a pond or lake.
Great for lots of switch casting practice, benefit of water
resistance and no need to wait for the line to wash downstream.
Timing and slack however require more attention.
Kirk Eberhard
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From Capt. Greg Rahe:-
Gordy, Back from
Believe it or
not, I have a spey rod in Punta Allen and try to practice as much as
possible on the
water and agree whole-hearted with your comments about
practicing on grass (beach) verses water. I like to equate
it to the roll casts necessary to pass the Masters exam. At the ballpark
on grass or sand, I can kick total. However, out on the water, roll
casting does seem to be from a different world and I find myself
re-tooling my casting stroke. Also, fishing from a panga whose bow is
three feet off the water does not help as I am cheating versus being waist
deep in a river! Capt. Greg
Rahe http://www.flyfishingkeywest.com (305)
923-4369 FFF Certified Fly
Casting Instructor FFF Certified Fly Fishing Guide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've also asked Al Buhr , Simon Gawesworth, Rick Whorwood and Dennis Grant for their thoughts on Spey Practice. Gordy |