[Doug Duncan]

Hey guys,
Since taking up spey fishing a year and a half ago, most of my fishing has been from the left bank. I feel really good about the snap T and single spey. I can bang out casts to 100' without a problem.

Well, I found a new spot to fish and its on the right bank. I knew I should have been working on my snake roll more!!! I have been using the snake roll to get my line out and have had some minor problems.. I can't seem to get much of a punch with my cast. Ok, the forward loops starts to go out nice and then sort of dies. It seems to lack power. Every once in a while, I will hit it right and the line just fires out, but a lot of times it goes out around 70' and dies. I can't get a good leader turnover like I can with the snap T cast. The leader will turn over, but kinda dies at the same time. I am shooting line with windcutter and using the type 6 head. What I think is happening is that I am starting the forward stroke before the D loop is at its max, causing this problem. I have also noticed that if I get *ANY* kind of upstream wind, I am screwed. The wind almost blows my D loop on me and a couple times I have been wearing my D loop.

How do you overcome the upstream wind?

Any suggestions on what to do with the lack of power or when my cast dies.

Thanks,
-Doug

 

[Nooksack Mac]

I have no useful advice for straightening out leaders for anyone who snaps out 100-foot casts.
But as to overcoming wind: There's no way to make it go away, but we can live with it. You can, and really should, learn to cast ambidexterously. (I did, so I figure anyone else can, even though I believed myself to be entirely a port-sider for my first half-century.) Why, I can even switch sides in mid-cast -- I often have to, when what started out to be a double spey cast slingshots the fly placement too far upstream, and the double spey cast must be hastily converted to a single spey from the opposite shoulder.

 

[juro]

I'd prefer to do a left hand single spey, but still working on getting that to be comparable to my right side. If you don't like leftside casting you could do a reverse snap-T over the opposite shoulder. I find it pretty easy so you should find it to be a breeze especially w/ a Windcutter.

 

[ChromeFever]

Casting

I know this goes against the way that most people are taught to cast. That you need to switch hands dpending upon which way the river is flowing. However I only use 3 casts, the snap T personal favorite, single spey and double spey. When faced with fishing the river flowing from the opposite direction I still snap T most of the time and DO NOT change my hand position. I always keep my right hand on top or out in front. When fishing in a river flowing from left to right I still snap T and simply cross over my body with my right arm. It takes a little getting used to but I think its easier than switching hand positions and learning to cast with either hand on top. Good Luck and Tight Lines.

 

[kush]

Doug,

While I do not normally cast a short belly line like the Windcutter it sounds to me like the problem has more to do with the considerable "stick" of the Type VI head. When I am spiral roll casting with a tip I consciously speed up the timing of my forward stroke. As soon as the anchor sets I hit the cast, any longer and too much energy is wasted trying to break the tip out of the water. The spiral roll is a very dynamic cast and even with an extreme long belly line like my Speydriver I don't have to wait very long. With a Windcutter the D-loop will comparatively be tiny - so try hitting the cast as soon as the anchor sets on the water.

As for the upstream wind, you are right the spiral can be susceptible to blowing in on you (again, with your short belly line this problem should be minimal). The problem is that there is a tendency by the caster to continue to lift the rod-tip toward the firing position while the spiral is stiill "jumping" the line upstream, this will have the effect of pulling the D-loop into the caster - therefore any upstream wind is deadly. The answer is to be patient with the lift, let the spiral do its thing, then focus on the moving the D-loop straight back - opposite to the direction you wish to cast.

If the wind is too strong I go to a back-hand single spey and don't temp being impaled on the spiral!

 

[Rick J]

A common fault with the snake roll is after the first roll and coming up to the firing position casters sometimes tend to kick the rod tip around behind them and bring the rod close to vertical. This will really bring the line into you and create all kinds of potential problems. If you really focus on keeping the rod out at a 45 degree plane when creating the d loop this will help keep line away from you - more critical with upstream wind. I also can't switch hands but agree the snap T over the opposite shoulder works well with an upstream wind