Tag Archives: spey casting

Spey Casting: The Double Spey

351px-TheSwitchCast-The_Salmon_Flyfar from the quaint yet confusing spey cast presentations of yore (and not-so-yore… ) here’s a lot of very good explanations and demonstrations on this foundation cast by one of the best, Eoin Fairgrieve.

the double spey’s main purpose is to easily and safely reposition the line prior to D-loop set up on the downwind side of the caster while creating a pronounced waterborne anchor*.
in the video Eoin points out that he’s on river right ** and has a downstream wind, therefore to cast safely, the D-loop needs to go on the downstream side, something the single spey couldn’t do.
whether using a single or double hand rod, short, middle or long belly line, this cast is not only pleasant to perform but can get you out of tricky situations easily. unfortunately,  the whole roll/spey cast family is most often referred to as the casts to use when there’s obstructions behind the caster but that’s just one reason.

often ignored, safety issues such as when fishing from boats with a friend(s), casting very heavy flies or in extreme wind situations are other areas where rolls and spey casts shine.

the only real limitations the double spey might have is casting very far (the single spey definitely outclasses it there) or when using easily water-logged dry flies as they tend to not stay dry when dragged through water during the set up or presentation roll cast but i’ll have an alternative spey cast created just for this purpose for you soon.
on the other hand, the double spey is safer and usually easier to get ‘just right’ than the single spey when using fast-sink tips and specially, big and heavy flies.

to conclude, if you’re new to spey casts or want to get better at them, the best you could do is learn:

a) the roll cast
b) the double spey
c) the single spey

in that order and off both shoulders and preferably with a longish line. (long lines teach us to cast better as there’s less room for mistakes. from there, adapting to shorter lines is a breeze)
once those skills are acquired all other spey casts and spey styles will be a simple matter of slight adjustments as they are only variants of the three above.

*Eoin refers to this as “sustained anchor”, a term coined from the Skagit school. according to Ed Ward, the creator of the term, the sustained anchor, a deliberate and prolonged pause before line reversal into the D-loop can only be applied to Skagi-specific casts with i guess, Skagit lines. this is all being worked on/talked about/debated/and hopefully made clear… these days over on the Sexyloops forum. more on this sustained anchor and other Skagit stuff later.

** river right/right bank- the angler has the current going left to right to the intended fishing area
river left/left bank- the angler has the current going right to left to the intended fishing area
should the angler be in the middle of the river the left or right bank/river designation will be determined as above by current direction and intended fishing area.
if there’s any confusion, imagine you’re on a bridge looking downstream. on the right is right bank, on the left is left bank.

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Barrio Switch Fly Line

just out and designed to do everything listed below very-very well, i’ll add that as an added bonus it also brings a smile to every cast.
after playing with one of the prototypes for the last several months that last part is indeed subjective but that’s what really sums it up to me.

from Mike Barrio’s online page:Barrio Switch

The Barrio Switch floating fly line is a full floating line designed for two handed Spey and overhead use on Switch rods.

Many Switch lines on the market are sold as lines for both one and two handed casting, thus being a little light for two handed use and too heavy on a long rod to be comfortably managed single handed.

The Barrio Switch features a compound rear taper similar to our SLX single handed line, this helps to produce sharp controllable loops from dead line roll casts and allows more line to be carried into the D loop when we have space and the need arises. The head length to the colour change is approximately 30ft on the Switch and up to 6ft can be overhung for long range casts where required.

Barrio Switch Lines are designed to work well with poly leaders or 10 to 15ft heavy butted tapered salmon leaders. With the right leader set up, these lines will delicately present a micro tube on a long leader in low summer conditions, yet will also carry “heavier gear” for fishing bigger waters, high flows on spate rivers, or bouncing flies at depth for Pacific species.

The 7/8 and 8/9 lines will carry fast sinking 10ft salmon poly leaders, lengths of “T” tip material and moderately sized copper or brass tubes straight from the box, however if your fishing dictates that fast tips and big flies are usually the order of the day, then the line can be cut back by up to 18 inches from the tip.

Our 5/6 line will carry any density of trout poly leader up to 10ft in length and the 6/7 will carry 6ft to 8ft salmon poly leaders in any density and short “T” tips, plus long tapered leaders for fishing small flies to spooky fish in thin calm water.

Target head weights:
Switch 5/6 – 340 grains (approx 22 grams)
Switch 6/7 – 380 grains (approx 24.5 grams)
Switch 7/8 – 425 grains (approx 27.5 grams)
Switch 8/9 – 470 grains (approx 30.5 grams)

* Please note that our fly line profile diagrams do not include information regarding any compound tapers that we may have included within the profiles and that the dimensions may also vary for each individual line weight.

since i get asked all the time: Barrio fly lines are not available in any store but only through Mike’s online shop. not going through middlemen explains why they are all at more than reasonable prices and those prices include shipping anywhere in the World.
they are all highest quality premium fly lines more often than not better than any of the big-name brands in their respective category.
click the image to access the Barrio Fly Line page.

related articles

fitting into tight spaces

by Lee Cummings

over the last few years and among a whole lot of other things, Lee’s been doing a lot of research on shooting heads and more particularly, short, mini and micro heads to be used in the tightest of areas where other lines can’t deliver (pun intended), such as this little seatrout stream in northern England. Lee C's tiny seatrout stream

sure, the need for these is situation-dependant but it does give us the possibility to fish in areas we might generally pass. (and if we pass them there’s a good chance other anglers do it as well, meaning that fish who aren’t comfortable in high-pressure areas will happily congregate there)

without going into the micro-short, the set up below directly inspired by the Skagit school is a very good example of out of the box thinking even though it actually comes straight of a box without any cutting up, weighing, measuring or other fancy finagling. taking the Skagit concept and scaling it all down gives this, and that’s a good this !

“This awesome little set up is handy for fishing the tightest of the tight when it comes to available casting space.
The head in this example compromises of a 5ft Rio floating Skagit cheater coupled with the 1.5″ per second 15ft sink tip that came with the Rio Skagit system.
The running line is simple mono so as to offer minimum resistance and maximum range to this super short and deadly fishing shooting head.”

related articles

fly casting
spey casting
fly lines

“Going fishing without being able to Spey Cast is like making love with your clothes on – you will achieve only half the pleasure”.

~ Mike Daunt

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and if goes about it the same way he casts there’s bound to be a few knots involved as well… :lol:

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The Key to Good Fly Casting: Practice!

by Bruce Richards

fly casting can be very easy and it can be extremely complex, it’s all a matter of how far we want to take it. you can be an expert in history without ever having made history but you can’t cast a fly line with just theory. whatever level we want to achieve won’t happen without a certain learning curve and without practice. Bruce here gives us some very solid advice and ideas. i hope you’ll both enjoy and benefit from this master’s experience and wisdom.

“A lot has been written about how to cast effectively. I’ve taught over 3000 people to cast. The one single most important factor in successfully learning to cast, or improving your casting is practice. A lot of my students spend good money and time to take lessons, but if they don’t practice what they have learned it will be lost. Developing good practice habits is often the key to becoming a good caster.

It doesn’t take a lot of time to practice, but practicing fairly often is important. To make a bad analogy, practicing casting is a lot like training a puppy. The best way to train a puppy is in frequent short sessions, not all day once a month, the same goes for casting. Every day is best, but 3-4 times a week is certainly adequate. I have found the best practice sessions are usually 15-20 minutes long, for me in the evening after work. I like to leave a rod rigged and ready in the garage that I can quickly grab and head to the back yard. Having water isn’t necessary for a good practice session, except for roll casting. If you want to practice roll casting on the grass all you need to do is secure the end of the leader to something, to simulate the resistance of water. I like to use a clipboard, just clip the end of the  leader in the spring clip and you are ready to cast.

Of course it is important to practice the right things. If you are having trouble correcting problems or improving your casting you need to reference a good book or video, or better yet, a good instructor. Books and videos can be very helpful but don’t provide the feedback a qualified casting instructor can.

I think it is very important to practice to a target. Too many casters practice by just throwing loops at the same distance without paying much attention to their delivery. Being able to hit a target is often pretty important when fishing. A technique I have used very successfully when practicing follows. This drill works very well when practicing for demanding casting tasks like fishing for bonefish or tarpon.

Determine a good place to stand in the middle of a good sized open area. Scatter 6-8 targets (I use paper plates) around at various distances appropriate to the kind of fishing you do, and in different directions. Stand in the center of the targets and make a cast to the one in front of you. Strip the line in short, turn your body one way or the other and make your next cast at the target you see first. Try to make each cast with no more than 3-4 false casts. Repeat this process until you’ve made several casts at each target.

This drill will teach you to quickly work out line, judge distance and make good deliveries. If you find that you are unable to consistently come close to the targets, that usually indicates a problem with your loops, time to consult your book, video, or instructor !”

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Spey Casting: the Snap-Slip-Spey

this isn’t exactly new as it came out a few years ago (2009) but this technique is still quite unknown by a lot, if not most spey casters/fishers. i’ve shared it elsewhere and it’s about time it got more attention because it’s one of those rare instances where true innovation happens in the fly casting world.JF & Croc snap-slip-spey
created by Juergen Friesenhahn, friend, colleague, IFFF Master Instructor, drummer and all around good guy, this technique is simply brilliant and really stands out from the crowd.

here’s the situation:
we’re fishing flies on the swing with a 3,35m/11ft switch rod, the shooting head or full-line head is 10m long and the leader 5m (33 & 16 ft). without going into whacky gymnastics that puts the fly roughly 18m/59ft from the fisher when the fly has ‘fished out’ and is on the dangle. sometimes fish will hesitate and follow a fly and it’s a shame to tear the fly out of it’s view just because we think the swing is over.
a fly aint fishin’ if it aint in the water !
so, retrieving the fly closer to the angler is the logical next step and if it works, bingo ! but if it doesn’t we’re left with coils of line and to do the next cast we’ll want to have the line’s head out of the rod tip and maybe a little overhang. typically, this means shaking out or roll casting the correct amount of line back downstream but Juergen’s Snap-Slip-Spey alleviates all this wiggly line splashing rolling business (fish could still be in that area) and turns the set up into the D-loop a smooth, fast, suave and downright sexy move.

in slomo

take note that first, to get the Snap-Slip right the ‘excess’ line made during the retrieve needs to be measured (mark the line with a permanent marker), that specific mark gets trapped under a finger and the rest of the line is coiled and stored by another finger(s) of the rod hand. the snap is done with just the rod hand as when using a single-hand rod, slipping the stored line as the rod sweeps upstream and the line hand comes back to the lower grip before circling up into the D-loop. as an extra bonus, by the how-to description above we’ll easily conclude that this technique is as equally valid for single hand rod spey, a little something for everyone.
fair enough, this isn’t the easiest of techniques to coordinate but with a little practice it’s a well-worth skill to have in your bag of tricks.

the S-S-S in real time

cool, huh ?

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The Price of Poor Casting

Death…
and a well deserved one as well.dead caster

i mean, just look at how he’s holding the rod. what a creep !

“One could identify a number of plausible reasons to relish in Matthew’s demise: his perfectly combed hair (even in the foxholes), his smirk that wavers between knowingness and idiocy, his decision to pursue the deflowered Mary when the late Sybil was so much nicer and better looking.

We just didn’t think that Matthew would slap the rod down on the water like he was engaged in a joyless bit of sadomasochism with a switch and Lady Mary.  Does he lack a proper casting stroke because of his more modest upbringing?”

for more of this lovely, casting analysis by Chris Santella via Angling Trade click the pic.
enjoy !

the Climbing Curve

by Robert Gillespie

fishing_instruction

whether we’re casting with a single or double hand rod or performing aerial or spey casts the same principle applies. the line (particularly the part of the line closest to the rod tip) will follow the direction and shape the rod tip took as it was pulling it along.

setting aside other reasons why lines can dip for now and focusing on rod tip path and back-cast/D loop set ups, if the rod tip goes too low on the back cast of an aerial cast the fly and/or line usually hits the water, ground, bushes, trees, snags and creates slack and in the best case (which still isn’t good) we’d have to do the forward cast at a much higher angle than intended if we want to have a decent and in-control loop (either that or we’d end up with a big ‘ole dome shaped collapsing non-loop because the cast isn’t following the ideal 180° principle)
with spey casts this becomes even more critical because the fly leg comes in underneath the rod tip on the D loop set up. it’s already low…
since speys are usually done with water all around the caster, dipping the rod tip  isn’t  as embarrassingly bad as snagging the fly on bank-side bushes and stuff but it still leads to a collapsed/crashing D loop that will ‘stick’ too much to the water requiring a lot of unnecessary force to pull it out and we’ll usually have the same non-180° problem as mentioned above.
as Robert explains, none of this dipping will happen if we continuously move the rod tip in either a climbing slope or curve. ok, that’s pretty logical but it’s easier understood than done, specially with a double hand rod because we’re pushing and pulling, twisting the torso and chewing gum all at the same time. it’s a wonder more people don’t fall over while performing such amazingly complexe motions ! :mrgreen:
funning aside, this very well explained  Climbing Curve exercise is well worth spending some extra time getting down just right and this, for any spey casts, single or double-handed. enjoy !

backslash, backslash, backslash, backslash, backslash – forward slash !

by Peter Hayes, IFFF-MCCI Tasmania
in one of the better online casting tutorials there is, here Peter breaks down the key elements of the roll cast, it’s whys, whens and hows.
a lot more than a how-to, the best elements here are the visual, symbolic and practical aspects that the caster should safely file in the back of the mind in an easily accessible place, ready to pull out when working on the cast at practice or on the water when trying to find a solution.
remember,  \////// and a lot more of what we’ll hear and see isn’t just about roll casting as most principles apply to all casts whether they be rolls, speys or aerial casts.
this one’s well worth bookmarking for future reference. enjoy !

Fly Casting Styles

by Bernd Ziesche via today’s Sexyloops Front Page

some very wise words by one of the World’s top fly casting instructors/fishers.
they’re straight, simple, to the point and in a way, put an end to all these endless debates over which casting style is better, cooler, more efficient. regardless of one’s style, it’s the basic elements common to any fly cast and not ego, nationalistic pride or hero-worship that make it successful or not.

this is a real gem geared towards any fly fisher who wants to be a better fisher and not just instructors. hopefully it’ll open up a different mental approach, opening up a myriad of possibilities all leading to what i like to call: free casting or simply, having the essentials down so well, the required cast to fit the situation happens by itself . enjoy !
 
 
Right now you may want to ask: What is a FLY CASTING STYLE about?
That indeed is a question I’ve been asked very often. The reason for that question is based in many books, magazines, DVDs, websites, courses and demos each referring to different fly casting styles. This for example may be the TLT style by Roberto Pragliola (Italy), the Andersson style by Göran Andersson (Sweden), the Gebetsroither style by Hans Gebetsroither (Austria), the elbow on the shelf style by Lefty Kreh (USA), the 170 style by Rick Hartman (USA) or the Loch style (Great Britain) just to name a few.

I like to give a quick overview in my fly casting lessons about styles and why some of them have become so well known. At the end of that quick excursion I always point out the intersection of all styles: The 6 essentials I am going to teach during the lesson. If you like you may call them to be the substance of good fly casting:

1. proper line tension*

2. proper timing (waiting for the line to unroll)

3. proper acceleration to an abrupt stop

4. rotation at the right time

5. adjusting arc + stroke to a) line speed, b) trajectory and c) rod bend

6. keep the rod in plane during acceleration and deceleration

All of the above fly casting legends simply learned how to control these essentials in their (very characteristical) own style, their own way of casting. Peter Morse once told me: “Style is how your technique looks.” I like that short definition pretty well. The important word in it is “YOUR”!

In the end STYLE to me is the most over estimated word in fly casting. To me it’s the essentials which matter and then everyone has to find the best way for him/herself to control them and to fit them into many different situations.

Those who use all kind of styles and just choose the one that fits best to a given fishing situation are the true great casters to me!

I hope I could inspire you not to think too much of styles and instead stay open minded and find your own way to control the 6 essentials in order to shape your loops and match line speed + trajectory to present your fly to the fish.

And who knows you may even get a strike. I have done it myself a few times. Good luck!

All my best

Bernd

*Thanks Will Shaw ;)

and thanks Bernd ! :wink:

Fly Casting Physics Explained

” It’s all quite simple, really… “

A=TLC Einstein logo

… and if you’re interested in more complex matters regarding fly casting (without the dreariness of physics) you can click the image for the Cobra’s complete fly casting archive or HERE  for a more pertinent selection of reference articles. enjoy !

Related articles

the AnchorSwitch

yet another ingenious cast devised and performed by Lee Cummings

“A method of switching from a down stream anchor spey cast to an upstream one Mid-Cast. This is done by repositioning the line ” and subsequent D loop” to the new delivery side by casting it behind you using rod tip movements similar to that of the Circle cast “but done directly overhead”. 
With practice this cast can be used in swirly winds such as those on the video or to not commit and quickly reposition mid-cast to a new target, a useful trait for a salt water angler… The line lay for the intial set up was that of an aerial double spey “which is a downstream wind cast”, the line was swapped to the upstream side, repositioning the line lay, then a D loop was formed on the upstream shoulder , just as if a Snap or Circle cast was initially performed….”

underlined are the key ‘why’ points to this cast. what’s not underlined is the fun part but you’ll have to try it out yourself to discover that aspect.
’nuff said, this is brilliant. enjoy !

and if you’re still hungry, click HERE for a whole display of previously featured groovy single-hand spey casts performed by Lee. woW…

Grassing the Salmon !

here’s a little light-hearted, big bellied and strangely Pythonish spey casting tutorial by “Spey Casting is like making love to a difficult woman”  Mike Daunt* that’ll hopefully relieve a bit of this festive stress.
it’s really not worth going into what might or might not be valid or useful spey casting instruction, so, let’s just take it for what it is, a funny, tacky, bank-side 4 min 44 sec acid trip. sort of…enjoy !

* yes he really said that… :lol:

No left, No right. -fly casting with the non-dominant hand-

via hooked4lifeca, casts performed by Peter Charles

here’s a very nice casting drill to learn to cast with the non-dominant hand.
although not the ultimate solution for every caster, i particularly like the idea of trying to remove the thinking process as the “Now let’s see, what should i be doing with this dumb arm ?” can very often build up a wall when the idea is to tear it away.
indeed, unless a person has reduced motor capabilities, i’m firmly convinced that most anglers can cast just as well with either hand once they’ve realized that it’s just a mind-frame that’s holding them back. sure, anything’s possible but i’ve never heard of someone sticking a fork into their eye or ear when eating with the non-dominant hand !

primarily geared towards the double-hand rod and being comfortable in interchanging the top hand from the usual right to left hand or vice-versa, this drill is equally effective for the single-hand rod user as rolls and speys are a very good way (if not the best, imo) to learn the fundamentals of fly casting.
note that the drill increases in speed, further reducing the time to include confusing thoughts…

“Learning to cast with our non-dominant hand up can be a real challenge. I’ve found that trying to think our way through the cast, rather than just letting it go, causes much of the problem. This drill is designed to build muscle memory and making the non-dominant hand up cast, automatic.
The video was shot in a howling wind from an awkward casting position, which created some challenges, but it serves to show that the drill can be done anywhere a Spey cast can be made.”

if your interested in increasing your non-dominant hand’s capabilities, apart from pantomiming the moves or using just a rod butt section at home or work, here’s a few more non-casting activities to keep you busy (or amused !)
- brushing your teeth or any other bathroom activities. :mrgreen:
- using your computer mouse or trackpad.
- throwing and catching a ball.
- use your imagination to add to the list and if you’re really curious and want to find out which actions you automatically do with your dominant hand (we tend to take these things for granted or rather, thoughtlessly as they’ve become automatic through repetition)  you could always wear a boxing glove or oven mitt around the house for a while…

a roll cast tool

courtesy of Mike Heritage

one of the most ingenious casting practice tools i’ve seen, this one’s not only perfect to practice roll casting but accuracy as well since the fluff needs to be in the bottom of the tool to do the former ! another bonus is we don’t need an assistant (my experience is assistants get bored after two-three casts, run away as fast as they can walk away and never come back… ) or to be walking back and forth to replace the fluff after every cast as with some other devices.

also, whether performed with a single or double handed rod, since all spey casts are concluded with a roll, this tool will be a great asset to work on this part of the cast.
don’t go searching for a place to buy it as it’s not sold but luckily, a little steel wire and some elbow grease is all that’s needed to build your own. enjoy !

tip- you might want to slightly increase the size/volume of your fluff-fly so it doesn’t pull out of the groove before the completion of the cast.

Loops versus Coils

a while back i’d posted this managing running line video

and as the dozens of questions i got by email said, “what the heck is he doing ? we can’t see !”

after a lot of searching i finally found this ‘loops vs coils’ video below that will hopefully clear things up. as we see and is well explained, it’s simply a matter of alternating palm-up to palm-down which places loops on both sides of the retrieving hand instead of around the fingers.
smart and simple, this is one to practice at home before heading out to the water because as we all know, the fish waits for the angler to f’up to grab the fly…. ;-)  enjoy !

Gram to Grain chart

here’s something useful for those trying to make sense of fly line weights.
not exclusive to, but of particular use for the double-hand casters, here’s a quick reference chart that avoids finding a calculator and even worse, finding out what in the heck a Grain is and what it refers to in the real world…
feel free to lift the chart and save it somewhere in your files. hopefully this will prevent a few headaches !

brainwashem’ young- Angelica

from poppa Tobbe Hedin whom we saw demonstrating the Bubble Spey yesterday.

” 12 years old Angelica is doing a C-Spey cast “
and a fine one at that ! what a joy to see, you’ve got a fine teacher Miss A !

The Bubble Spey

from  Swedish buddy Tobbe Hedin

” an upstream Snake Roll followed by a sweep Poke “ and a perfect example of how a creative caster will mix and match different cast elements to meet the demands of the moment.
the kind of thing that doesn’t happen (read can’t) to those that don’t prepare in advance and practice … :wink:

Boring Poetry

brilliant Sexyloops Front Page today from Aitor Coteron addressing a rather big issue contemporary casting instructors are experiencing. needless to say, i couldn’t agree more.

” The late Mel Krieger classified casters in two broad groups: “engineers” and “poets”. The first group needs to know how things work in order to learn them; the other one relies more on feeling and doing those things than in any analytical approach.

Mel didn’t make any qualitative distinction between the two groups; although he himself was a “poet” instructor I think that he never dismissed those more inclined to the engineering way of seeing things. In fact he saw both views as equally valuable and complementary.
When in the recent history of flycasting instruction this has changed I don’t know for sure, but currently those who claim themselves as “poets” like to dismiss on a regular basis those of the “engineer” class.

To be honest I am able to differentiate very easily those instructors of the “engineer” kind: they just can explain, when necessary, casting issues by means of applied physics.
I have a hardest time, however, when it comes to distinguish those who consider themselves “poets”. Of course you find them using examples and similes to explain casting mechanics, but I don’t see why being an “engineer” prevents you from doing the same. There is, however, one key trait that makes “poets” as noticeable as a priest on top of a mound of lime: they proudly declare that concepts like “inertia” or “acceleration” are utterly unintelligible, whereas you can find tongue twisters like “kinaesthetic” appearing frequently in their conversation. “

continue reading here

Spey Кастинг на русском языке

всегда поражаюсь его литья и инструктаж мастерство, здесь Симон Gawesworth дает нам прекрасный урок из основных и передовых одного литого Spey.

Здесь, Stickman Борис демонстрирует одну Spey брошен в био-механический stickmany пути.

я не мог рекомендовать более его фантастический тройной DVD “Рио Современные Speycasting для thourough введении к этому супер-заводной семьи рыбалка бросает в основном английский.

наслаждайтесь!

a spey cast for dry flies

ordinarily, spey casts are reserved for sinking flies and nymphs or big deer hair Bomber-style dries that don’t require being constantly dried before being cast out again.
but what about your average trout-size dry fly ? wouldn’t it get drowned by being repeatedly dragged through the water during line repositioning and the subsequent anchoring before rolling out the line ? yes it would but there’s a way out and it’s not only fun and efficient but it lets you present your fly in situations where you couldn’t have before.
from Christopher Rownes, here’s a single-hand rod spey cast version of what both him and Simon Gawesworth call a Dry Fly Snake Roll. the cast is basically the same as Simon’s, but Chris initiates the snake roll part from the right side of the body instead of Simon’s left, combining a Jelly Roll and a Turbo spey (either single or double hauling with a single-hand spey which just like with aerial casting, increases line speed).
as an ex ample of this cast’s usefulness, on the video below let’s imagine that Chris is near the bank and has  trees or rocks behind him and he wants to cast across the river.
this cast avoids casting into the trees, enables to dry the fly by false casting left to right out of the presumed holding area of the fish, initiate the Snake Roll and cast the fly out towards it’s target all in one smooth move. a really nice cast to add to your repertoire.

Birth of the Barrio Fly Lines Pro Fly Fishing Team !

great news today ! i’m very pleased to be part of the brand-new Barrio Fly Lines Pro Fly Fishing Team along with ‘Lineslinger’ Will Shaw !

you’ll hear plenty more about this fantastic range of super-quality fly lines soon but for the moment i’ll leave you this nice video of Ben Dixon testing out the very new SLX line, which is as you’ll see, very well suited to both single-hand speys and overhead casting.

not only is Ben a funny joke teller, darn good curry maker and fishing guide but he’s also a fantastic fly caster. enjoy !

be sure to watch it in full screen and adjust to HD !

the Snake Roll Spey Cast

devised by Simon Gawesworth in the ’80′s as a quicker alternative to the Double-Spey, this one can be of use for any fly angler. not only fun and quick, it’s usefulness extends to any situation whether it be on large salmon rivers or teeny-tiny trout streams, a boat or lake or sea, basically whenever a quick change of direction cast is needed.
here’s an example: i’m on a lake shore fishing to my right and suddenly i see a rise or a cruiser on my left. instead of lifting the line and doing several aerial back and forth false casts to get the line in the fish’s direction, i simply lift the line, initiate the ‘e‘ mentioned below and bang ! it’s out where i want it in about what ? two to three seconds !
cool, huh ?

” Many, many years ago my father and I ran a fly fishing school in Devon, England on the river Torridge. The pool we used to teach Spey casting on was almost ideal. It was wide enough to throw a full line, shallow and gentle enough to wade to the other side and teach casting from both banks and had a nice high bank from which we used to video casters under tuition. The only thing that was wrong with it was that there was not a lot of current. The caster would stand on the left bank (river flowing from right to left) cast a Single Spey across the pool and then have to wait quite sometime for the current to wash the line back to the dangle. This got frustrating and so I used to use two Roll casts to get the line back downstream (there were too many trees lining the pool to do an overhead cast). The first Roll cast was to get the line in the right area and the second to straighten it out. Over the course of time I started to speed the two roll casts up, merging them into one fluid movement and thus became the Snake Roll. “

read Simon’s full article here.

drawing the ‘e‘ shape with the rod tip to pull in the line and set up the D-loop

in the video below we see Christopher Rownes‘ absolutely gorgeous  performance of the Snake Roll cast with a single hand rod. trés suave !

let’s always keep in mind that contrary to what many people perceive them to be, Spey casts are casts that can be done regardless of equipment, with both single and double handed rods. they’re not a designation of how many hands are holding the rod.
in it’s simplest form, we’ll define spey casts as ‘change of direction casts’: a repositioning of the fly line followed by a roll cast.
the Snake Roll is one of the alternatives in doing this all in one continuous, graceful and highly effective motion.
it’s an easy and quick cast to learn and a definite bonus to your casting repertoire, give it a try !

related articles

Casting sideways and upside down, Uppsala-Style

today i’ll be demoing upside-down Uppsala Roll and Spey casts at the Moler Bil mini fair in Uppsala, Sweden. not only am i gonna wear a tie but i’m quite sure the Swedes have never seen anything like this. i hope they bring video cameras !

the fair is held in a car dealership and i’ll be casting between parked cars. the availible space is very limited so the focus will be on small stream tactics, how to maneuver the line and present the fly.

here’s a pic from last year. except for all the cars being all shiny and new, it’s like fishing in a junk yard, including three big and bad and blue yard dogs to make it a bit more  realistic  !

as it’s the first fair of the season it’ll be great to catch to catch up with old and new friends, try out a new bamboo prototype and i’ll be doing my best to empty the coffee machine.

hope you all have a fine day !

Single Handed Rod Spey Casting Session

performed by  Lee Cummings
Lee, simply put is one of the best fly casting instructors there is. he’s definitely a person who thinks outside the box and this is reflected in his approach, studies and development of contemporary casting. having had the great opportunity to witness several of his demos (and even a surprise solo thrash guitar mini-concert in Scotland !), what i’ve taken away each time is a sense of awe and great inspiration. motivation… 
this video is an absolutely stunning display of single-hand spey casts. a reference for anyone interested in these casts and hopefully an eye-opener for all those who think that fly casting is just about slinging a line back and forth overhead.

The Six-Steps Teaching Method

by Bruce Richards

Since the inception of the FFF Casting Instructor Certification program I have had the pleasure of working with, and certifying, quite a few instructors. About half the instructors I’ve tested have failed. Some have not been able to make the necessary casts, but more have failed because they did not exhibit the ability to adequately analyze and correct casting flaws. Some of them fully understood casting, but lacked a method to clearly and concisely communicate that knowledge to a student. If followed, this 6 step procedure provides a logical way for an instructor to analyze any casting problem, and communicate the cure in a way that most students will understand.

The heart of good instruction is communication. Too many instructors try to cure a casting problem before the student even knows what the problem is or why it is a problem. Also, some instructors try to cure every problem they see at once, and don’t use clear, concise language that the student will understand. All of these things lead to a confused and often frustrated student, and instructor.

I have been using a six-step method that helps instructors more effectively convey their knowledge to a student.
The six steps analyze the cause of the problem from “top to bottom”, then the cure of the problem from “bottom to top”.

The first step of the CAUSE is describing to the student what is wrong with the (1) LINE. The next step is to explain what the (2) ROD is doing to cause the line problem. The last step of the cause analysis is to explain what the (3) BODY (usually hand/wrist/arm) is doing to make the rod and line misbehave.

The CURE part of the process tackles the same steps, but in reverse, “bottom to top” order. First, explain what to do differently with the (4) BODY. Next describe what this makes the (5) ROD do differently, and then how that affects the (6) LINE to get the desired results.

Each step should be as concisely stated as possible, extra words can confuse, especially beginners. Only work on one flaw at a time, start with the one that is most detrimental to progress. Speak slowly and clearly and demonstrate what you mean with the rod if appropriate. If you demonstrate, make sure you cast as slowly as possible and exaggerate what is right and wrong so the difference is clear to the student.

This can be an interesting exercise for an instructor. It is imperative that the instructor has a very thorough understanding of the dynamics of both good casting and bad. If you try this and find you struggle with any of the steps it may indicate that your understanding is not as complete as you thought. I often suggest posing a particular casting problem then writing down the 6 steps of cause and cure. Better yet, have someone else pose the scenario and analyze your 6 steps.

Here is an example of the process, analyzing a typical beginners big loops. Assume loops and loop terminology have been explained to the student.

CAUSE (top to bottom, line to body)

LINE – “See the big, wide loop we talked about?”
ROD – “Remember that the big, wide loops are caused when the rod tip travels in a big, wide arc?”
BODY – “See how your wrist is bending a lot and how that makes the rod tip travel in the big arc?”

CURE (bottom to top, body to line)

BODY – “Don’t bend your wrist so much”
ROD – “See how that makes the rod tip travel in a much straighter line?”
LINE – “Look, your loop got much smaller”

I know this seems simplistic, but it really works for both the student and the instructor in most cases. The student will probably not be throwing perfect loops after the exercise, but the loops should be improved and the student should know why. At this point the instructor should re-analyze the students cast, decide what is now the biggest problem, and proceed to the next series of 6 steps. It may be that the loops are still too big in which case the same steps would be repeated. The caster might be throwing tight loops now, but they are tailing. Applying the 6 step process to tailing loops works exactly the same.

I will grant that this tool works best for students with a more analytical mind set and may not be effective with everyone, but then no instructional technique is. I have found that it works with a large majority of students, and offers a good, clear, easy to remember guideline for an instructor to follow. Every casting flaw can be addressed with this process, but it does demand a complete understanding of all casts. Pose a scenario for yourself and see how you do !

From the Loop © Copyright by the Federation of Fly Fishers

_________________________________________________________________________

brilliant by it’s simplicity, along with other seminal articles such as The Five Essentials (coming soon) or Making Adjustments on the Fly, The Six Steps method of fly casting analysis, though originally intended for instructors is of great value for every single fly fisher and not just instructors.
we can all use this to great effect by observing the three basic elements: line, rod and body and how they work together in our casts but also to work out how to deviate from straight line casts to get the line layouts we’ll want to perform when fishing. as with all other aspects of casting mechanics, the exact same principles will apply to double-hand rods as well as single-hand.

related articles

the Voodoo Cast

performed by Michael Mauri

what is it ? it’s just a fancy pick up leading to a switch cast.
a switch cast is a dynamic roll cast where instead of dragging the line back to form the D loop, the line is picked up, lifted from the water and swept back in the air to form a D loop. both casts will require anchoring either the line tip or leader and both casts are concluded with the same basic forward cast as in aerial casting.
(more on this as we dig deeper into the Roll Cast series)

is it of any real, practical purpose when fishing ? it can’t hurt but not really.
will i catch more fish using this cast. most definitely not.

is it fun ? yes !
will it help me have a better sense of line dynamics in the three real dimensions of fly casting as opposed to the typically described two ? oh yes !!
will it make me feel sexy(er) ? you got it babe !!! (provided i don’t f’ it up and make umpteen knots in both line and leader… )

i have a few issues with the verbal explanations and prefer to watch it without sound. it still works. we’ll also notice how the line is literally torn from the water. Michael is one of the finest casters and instructors there is, so it’s a bit surprising the ‘tearing’ was left in the video but i guess it’s ok. we still get the basic elements of the cast.
the cast works as well (and even better!) with a slower and gentler pick up. a good thing to remember in casting is ‘slower means more time to get things right’.

Snap-Lift Switch Cast Sequence

here’s a really cool photo sequence taken from a casting movie Paul Arden, “Mister Sexyloops” filmed several years ago. originally he had named this a ‘Snap-Lift Single-Spey’ but a lot has evolved in fly casting understanding and terminology in recent years so i changed the title because a single spey is a change of direction cast and this one doesn’t change directions ! it’s a Switch Cast (or Jump Roll) with a Snap Lift instead of the more traditional Lift and Sweep normally associated with the Single Spey.

a fun thing to do is to focus the eyes on one area of your screen and scroll down with your mouse or trackpad to sort-of see it as a film made in the early days of cinematography. i’m a sucker for watching fly lines dance in the air so that makes it specially nifty but it’s also very informative as we can easily see how the line evolves from varying rod tip movements, enjoy !

via The Limp Cobra : Snap-Lift Switch Cast.

“DON’T look at the branch” !!!


because what invariably happens is we’ll cast our fly right into it… *

as a follow up to Turn Around ! where the subject was about looking where our fly line is throughout the cast, this time let’s see how we can use our vision to not only stay out of trouble but to cast the fly exactly where we want.

an example i always bring up with students of all levels is: ‘if i want to throw a ball at you and hit you on the nose, i’m not going to look at your feet !” see the point ?

since childhood we are conditioned to look where we throw things and fly casting isn’t any different. however, while casting we don’t always have the luxury of a nose to aim at. we’ll have to be a bit creative, sometimes picking out a far away object as a cloud or maybe a treetop. it doesn’t matter what but find something specific to look at and focus on just that and your fly will go there.

in the case of obstructions such as the branch above on the bank we need to train ourselves to NOT look at the fly snagger but in a nice, open snagless place instead. if the casting space is between two trees, concentrate on some object in between and behind them. this usually is a bit more difficult as we all have lost flies to trees and have those memories deeply engrained. i guess we could call it a form of ‘fear’, the apprehension of loosing yet another fly but fear not ! once we practice this a bit and get used to selective visual aiming we’ll find it quite amazing how easy and safe it is to cast in situations where we didn’t dare cast before, opening up a whole lot of fishing possibilities.

the important thing to remember is that in throwing, and casting fly lines is a form of throwing, our body automatically reacts, adjusts and compensates to deliver the object where the eyes are focused. trust your body to do the work that your eyes are telling it to do.

* yup, the pic wasn’t staged. i unwillingly reverted to looking at the thing i wanted to avoid as described above and bingo…

related articles

Eoin’s rod cam

casting and filming: Eoin Fairgrieve

it’s a real treat to see such World-Class spey casting from this perspective. 

shot in both real time and slomo with a head and rod-mounted HD GoPro, Eoin’s testing the final sample of the soon to come out Signature Series Multi Tip Line.

Snaps Z, T and C, Switches, Snakes and his signature “Wind-Up Spirals. it’s all smooth, extremely well executed, powerful and beautiful. enjoy.


The Three-Point Grip

well known among the casting community but quite obscure in the mainstream fly fishing world, the Three-Point is a nifty grip i highly recommend to add to your repertoire. i personally like it because it’s a blend of the finger-on-top, thumb-on-top and V grip, effectively combining the qualities of each style. as noted below, the “heightens tactile awareness while still providing casting authority” aspect is what makes it exceptionally useful for maximum accuracy and ‘out of the box’ presentation casts that involve quite a lot of precise hand/wrist/forearm movements and twisting. it’s not like it blocks the wrist or the hand but i find that it helps to get a better control of the rod for those who flex their wrist excessively, a movement i find to be the number one ‘bad habit’ among many casters from beginners to advanced levels.

“The Three-Point Grip (not to be confused with the “Finger-On-Top Grip” or “Forefinger Grip”) is one of a number of grips that I was taught as part of my youthful training in fly casting. The Three-Point utilizes the thumb, the forefinger and the heel of the hand to produce a grip that heightens tactile awareness while still providing casting authority.”  Jason Borger

click on the image below to get to Jason’s blog and watch the descriptive video.

a variant of this grip i often use is to have the thumb and index finger bent instead of straight. also, the heel of the hand over the reel at times can feel a little strange so i’ll just slide my hand back up the cork grip towards the bottom of the grip but the same hand/finger configuration remains.

grip styles are just that, styles. styles allow us to use substance in the way we feel best. like we say, ‘if it feels good, use it. if it don’t, recommend it to someone you don’t like !’

shooting line management

as a sequel to this video and maybe a little easier to manage,  here’s another method of managing shooting line from Andrew Moy of Tight Lines Fly Fishing. the key point is as he points out, creating and keeping the loops in decreasing sizes, from big at first to smaller at the end of the retrieve. the same principle will apply when shooting loops in single-hand rod casting, the only difference being we’ll want to make smaller loops as they should be held (as much as reasonably possible… ) above the water, land or boat.

managing running line

as i used to work with ropes the ‘belay roping trick’, a rope management method while belaying other climbers mentioned at the beginning of this film caught my attention.

here’s a nice tip on reducing shooting line tangles, knots and other nasties. cool ! something new to try out next time i’m on the river !

3 – 2 – 1…….. 0

today’s topic: Learning to count backwards in Norwegian.

another great video by André Brun with a super-sweet single-handed, off the shoulder Snake Roll cast just to make it spicy.

for those who miss the  hard-core soundtracks traditionally associated with fly fishing : Norwegian Music

The Sexyloops Fly Casting Model

first published on the Sexyloops Board a few years back as an effective and logical approach to define fly casting terms, i thought i’d post them here as well in an attempt to share this set with a larger public. there are other models within the fly casting community around the world but this one in my opinion surpasses the others in it’s thoroughness and compatibility with all styles of casts, not a particular school.

this model will also serve here in the future as a reference point for our readers.

THE FLYCASTING MODEL : Core Definitions

Magnus Angus, Paul Arden, Lee Cummings, Ben Dixon, Grunde Løvoll,
Stefan Siikavaara, Walter Simbirski, Mark Surtees.

THE WHOLE CAST

Stroke (or Overall Stroke): A coordinated series of movements which includes a Casting Stroke.
A Stroke starts when the rod hand first moves in the direction of the cast.

Casting Stroke: When the rod applies force to the line in order to form a loop.

Pause: Period between Casting Strokes.

THE CASTING STROKE

Casting Arc: Change of rod-angle during a Casting Stroke.

Casting Stroke Length: Distance the rod hand travels during a Casting Stroke.

Drag: Rod translation during the early part of a Casting Stroke
Drag establishes momentum in the direction of the cast with little or no rod rotation. (Not essential to all casting styles.)

Loop: A moving length of line delivered past the rod tip, formed when the rod tip curves the line under or over itself.

Static Loop: A length of line formed into a D under the rod tip.

ROD AND LINE POSITIONING

Drift: To position the rod between casting strokes.
Moving the rod to adjust Casting Arc, Stroke Length or Casting Plane. Drift applies little or no force on the line.

Slide: A form of drift where the rod is moved along the line towards the line hand.

Sweep: To position the line.
Sweeping or pulling the line into position.

Mend: A form of Sweep after the Casting Stroke.
A mend may be made, either while the line is in the air (aerial mend) when the caster moves line in the rod-leg of the loop, or later when the line has straightened or fallen.

Lift: An upward Sweep.
The primary purpose of Lift is to begin to clear line from the water prior to a further line positioning movement or Casting Stroke.

FAULTS

Creep: Unintentional movement of the rod in the direction of the next Casting Stroke.
Creep is a persistent casting fault where the rod is unintentionally moved so the Casting Arc and/or Casting Stroke Length of that cast are reduced.

Rio Spey Line Recommendations 2012

” A newcomer to spey casting would be forgiven for peeping into this sport, trying it out, or listen to the many different opinions out there, and then turning tail and running away from the mass of confusion.

There is a mind boggling array of theories, techniques, tackle and styles, and it is very difficult for the beginner to make head or tail out of the world of spey casting. To explain the subtleties and intricacies of this spey world would be like trying to explain the rules of cricket to the average American, or of baseball to the average Brit. However, as fly line manufacturers, we only need to make it easier to understand the fly line – the most important part of your tackle. “

Simon Gawesworth, fly line designer at Rio just updated his spey line recommendation chart in this new pdf : Understanding Spey Lines 2012 

it’s often a debilitating experience when it comes to choosing the right line for the right application, this easy to read chart should help demystifying the process. Simon is one of the best Instructors and casters in the World, his shared experience is invaluable to anyone interested in the craft of casting fly lines.