[kush]

Square Cut Cast

MJC is correct, Derek Brown does a decent job of showing the square cut on his video.

Basically it is single spey that Derek uses to cast in a brisk downstream wind. Essentially you "throw" the anchor out into the stream and up from your position rather that in front of you, then you make your D-loop and fire the cast. If I'm using it in a downstream wind (which I'd only do if there was an obstruction on the downstream side of me) I would tend to use a little bit of a "side-arm" motion in the D-loop and forward stroke to try to cut under the wind.

The square cut is one of those "fishing casts" that one needs to get the job done in trying situations - it is a good one to have in your arsenal.

 

[kush]

Ted,

I've been know to try a whole array of casts to get the line out in difficult conditions and situations! Yes, normally in trying to deal with a wind that is blowing towards me I will cast a little side-arm to try to keep the line from being stalled by the wind. If it is not blowing too hard it seems to help, however in a truly stiff wind I just make up my mind to shorten up and really focus on the "in close" water!

It is funny that you bring up me and a side-arm motion - it is sometimes a nemisis of mine. As I normally use long rods they give me the ability to get a bit lazy and I let my right shoulder casts "tip over" a little. Since the length of the rod allows me to get away with the side-arm motion I pick up bad habits, then when I extend out into longer casts I wonder (for a few casts at least) why I'm getting too much line stick.

This topic has got me onto one of my favourite little rants, that is I feel that the mark of a great caster is the ability to present the fly to the fish - no matter what the conditions. Too often we get stuck on how far we can cast, I know - I do it all the time. It is so much fun to fire out monster casts that it is easy to get carried away and forget why we are really there - it is called fishing - not casting.

Many people get into spey fishing because of the lure of the long cast and I'll agree with Dennis Dickson and his criticism of 2-handers fishing the wrong water ( though I did once taunt him by chucking a long cast over his pontoon boat with my 18' B&W as he drifted by me at the Darrington Bridge on the Sauk). The true value of the 2-hander is its ability to fish the water and one of the key ingedients to that is flexibility. By that I mean have an open mind about your fishing and casting - work on all the casts and styles of casting that you can - you'll never know when a strange little cast like a square-cut single spey may catch you the fish of a lifetime!