Walter & Group.........
Ally Gowans has done some interesting research into the, "definitions" of these various casts. Read his message carefully. (I took the editors liberty of highlighting ).
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Ally:
Hi
Gordy,
The definitions of Roll Cast, Switch Cast and Spey Cast are vague and differing to say the least with opinions in literature varying somewhat over the past 100 plus years. In The Badminton Library classic Fishing Trout and Salmon the section on casting refers to the “overhand” and “underhand” casts and states that of all the various methods of underhand casts the Spey is the most pleasant and satisfactory to make. After describing the cast there is a lovely paragraph which states: “The Spey fishermen who I think are the finest underhand casters in the World, use rod specially made for the purpose. The upper portion instead of being straight is made in a curve, and, when fishing, the curve faces the stream, which gives a rod made in this fashion a greater lifting power than an ordinary one, but I have always found that I could make as good a cast withy the latter.”
In 1931 that classic The Lonsdale Library “Salmon Fishing” by far the most comprehensive work ever written on Atlantic salmon fishing describes a “plain” Switch cast that appears to be similar to a basic Roll cast and the line does not go behind whatsoever but states “The essential to success is an absence of pause from beginning to end, save for one instant just before the rod comes forward. The rhythm is necessarily accented, because there should be slight acceleration on the upward path (backwards) and a decided finish to the forward stroke.” (My italics) The book has no mention of variations to this cast but it has always been common to see a more dynamic version of the switch cast where the rod tip and D loop projects behind and the fly remains in front. This cast allows for some limited change of direction (as does the basic Roll cast) provided that crossover can be avoided.
I think that the best descriptions of Spey casts are by Alexander Grant as contained in “Fine and Far Off”. He of course calls his cast a Switch cast and describes the Spey cast as “making a good deal of splash and pother”, something that I have seen performed and being often taught by others! A true Single Spey (or Switch according to Grant) cast is a thing of beauty and minimum effort it is a “body cast” and this is what learnt from the river and what I have always taught. The book says: “No line rests on, or touches the water at all; there is none of this anchoring we hear about in connection with the Spey. The only thing that touches the water is the fly, and that only gives an instantaneous flip to the water as it turns to go out”. (Perhaps a slight exaggeration here but minimum contact and a sliding anchor is best).
I
hope that this is of interest. Your Roll cast was a
Roll cast with a change of direction – not a Spey cast and a basic Roll
cast need not be an elliptical cast – but if you are teaching it properly
it should be and there is a very good reason
why.
Best
wishes,
Ally Gowans
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Pat Blackwell:
Gordy,
My understanding
of a Spey cast is that it is a continuous tension cast (perhaps better
said as a continuous tension, change of direction roll cast), therefore
your example would be a change of direction roll cast. Very usefull, but not a
Spey cast as I understand it.
Pat
Blackwell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ally and Pat ..... That was the point I was trying to make. Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Lou Bruno:
Hi
Gordy,
The
popularity on Switch Rods is growing? As instructors do you think they are going
to be more for us to understand, know and teach? Would our knowledge on single
handed and double handed rods be enough to teach switch rod
casting?
Lou
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lou.... SWITCH ROD CASTING ! A new term for me. ( I'm learning.) Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Guy Manning :-
Gordy,
I
found this on Dan Blantons board:
http://www.rioproducts.com/photos/file/Understanding%20Spey%20lines%202008.pdf
It
is a pdf file by Simon Gawesworth about understanding Spey
lines.
Guy
Manning
See my web sites http://www.letsflyfish.com and http://www.flyfish-scotland.com
Trout fly fishing and
fly casting school "Tackling Trout"
at The Kenmore Hotel May 16/17/18. Spey Casting and Salmon
Fishing School at The