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Try a 7.5-10' poly leader around 50-65 grains and 6 to 9 feet of leader or tippet material on the end of it, things should get significantly easier.
I have some Z Spey rods that I have on hand when I ‘m guiding or coaching spey casting. Older sports or disabled anglers find under hand casting with Scandi lines much easier and less taxing on their shoulders, arms and backs while using these rods. These rods are specifically designed for under hand casting and their curved lower handle is designed to keep the lower hand in the proper position at waist level.Thank you for your response. Underhand casting seems to be the best course of action moving forward. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this subject but how do you cast heavier flies/sink tips underhand casting? I am trying to understand this aspect of the style. Thank you in advance!
I don’t know if someone already here said this, but I have seen that 5 of ten casters have ”problems” with the grip, or better said they do squeeze the rod too hard, especially with upper hand. This causes many problems with the elbow and shoulder area.
When I teach casting, the first thing is to find a proper grip for the caster.
There is kind of two different types, another keeps the thumble on the top of the handle and other let the rod lay down on the hand. I dont know which one you are..
If you keep the thumb on the top of the handle, at the same time you kind of ”lock” your arm from the wrist to shoulder. For many this is not a good option. If you learn to have a light touch/ grip and just let the rod lay on your hands, it just don´t strain your arm that much.
Other casters are used to keep the thumb on the top without any problems, so in this there is no right or wrong way, just have to find out which one is better for you.
Experienced caster can vary the grip depending which kind of rod or line or casting style he is using, or is he/she trying to cast as far as possible.
Especially with Scandi casting and with the fishing it is important to have a light grip. When Im fishing (casting), I just let the rod and reel live their own life. In other words, I dot squeeze at all or just a little, and rod can rotate how ever it wants during the cast.
Im not sure if this has anything to do with your problem or ease it, but it can be worth of trying. I know guys who have had same kind of problems and they have found easier way when they have changed the grip and learn to do it as ease as possible..
Also, what I have noticed, it is not always best to use lightest set up. When it is windy and the conditions are bad, the light set up makes it even harder for your arm cause you have to fight against the conditions with too light set up. With the bit stronger rod it can be very easy. Now a days longer and stronger rods are so light that if you have a proper style of casting it is very easy and enjoyable even with the stronger set up.
Hope you understand what Im trying to say here. My english in not a perfect..
Cheers
Actually, the underhand casting approach comes with a different equipment and this includes the flies. You don't need heavy flies. The underhand technique to fish deep is to use sinking lines. Those lines come in a wide variety of lengths and densities but they sink and they sink even deeper because they are much thinner than skagit tips. So you can fish a 5 inch tube fly very deep on a very light setup and the fly can be as light as a Sunray Shadow. The fish doesn't care about the weight of your fly. As long as it is the right color/size/speed it will be fine.how do you cast heavier flies/sink tips underhand casting?
It also comes with the necessity of becoming ambidextrous, which is fun, very useful and body friendly.Actually, the underhand casting approach comes with a different equipment and this includes the flies. You don't need heavy flies. The underhand technique to fish deep is to use sinking lines. Those lines come in a wide variety of lengths and densities but they sink and they sink even deeper because they are much thinner than skagit tips. So you can fish a 5 inch tube fly very deep on a very light setup and the fly can be as light as a Sunray Shadow. The fish doesn't care about the weight of your fly. As long as it is the right color/size/speed it will be fine.
In Norway, they know well about fishing big and deep and they mostly do this with light sinking scandi lines.
JG
actually it is only 4 days oldOops sorry, I just realized this is an old thread I found while searching info about underhand casting!
Ah! So I am not totally crazy! Maybe.actually it is only 4 days old
Whoa. Lots of good advice here. I will not wade into the casting stuff, shooting head advice, or rod advice, as there is already enough of that here. However, I unfortunately know a LOT about elbow tendonitis, so I will add few things.Hi everyone, so I have been spey casting for about 4 years now. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with tendinitis last October in my dominant arm. I am not ambidextrous at all so casting with my opposite arm is not an option. I went to physical therapy for a few months and I have made some progress. However, I do get pain in my dominant elbow from time to time. I loved fishing with my Echo Glass Spey rod but I have noticed that the extra weight and slower action seems to stress my elbow more. I have discovered that if I use the lightest setup possible (Rio Scandi Body and not a full skagit) with the lightest sink tips (not necessarily IPS) that I can get away with, then I can keep the pain away. Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice? Thanks in advance.
I suggest going ggacc.org, the web site of San Francisco's Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club. Sign up for a Spey Angler Program class. One day in San Francisco and one day on the American River.Hi everyone, so I have been spey casting for about 4 years now. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with tendinitis last October in my dominant arm. I am not ambidextrous at all so casting with my opposite arm is not an option. I went to physical therapy for a few months and I have made some progress. However, I do get pain in my dominant elbow from time to time. I loved fishing with my Echo Glass Spey rod but I have noticed that the extra weight and slower action seems to stress my elbow more. I have discovered that if I use the lightest setup possible (Rio Scandi Body and not a full skagit) with the lightest sink tips (not necessarily IPS) that I can get away with, then I can keep the pain away. Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice? Thanks in advance.
Botsari is spot on. The RIO "Modern Spey Casting" three DVD set has a section with a speypages founder Dana Sturn casting with a bum joint using the underhand emphasis Botsari mentioned.The thing about needing to be ambidextrous is actually a myth! Anyone CAN learn to do things with the opposite hand, and many people find when they get past the initial hump they actually Spey cast in some ways BETTER on the off hand - they haven’t learned and reinforced bad habits they learned on the original side especially the excess power in their dominant hand.
There may be a difference between how hard it will be to learn from person to person, but the main difference is the willingness and deliberateness you take in learning to cast the other way. It’s all muscle memory and if you understand that NOTHING you developed on you dominant side transfers to the other, and that you are literally starting from scratch, it will be possible if you are methodical about the process of learning. It will feel weird as hell at first, but within a day you will be making passible casts and after a while it will feel natural, if different. Eventually it will feel just as pleasurable. But it is not something most people just do - but have to set out to deliberately work on doing, and in the process relearning all the motions. The so-called “handedness” people have is nothing more that learning to do things one way, and then refusing to learn to to it another way because you can already do it the old way. It’s hard or impossible to remember how it felt the first time you learn the muscle memory on your dominant side - but it felt the same as it now feels on your non-dominant side.
So if it really gets painful know that there IS that solution. But most people will need to take the time to methodically train the correct actions. If you conscientiously set out to do it and are patient with yourself it WILL work. There are a number of past threads on this topic that include advice and tricks people used that helped them learn to do this.
On your original side you might focus learning a more more euro-style “underhand” cast. There are whole books and many YouTube videos on this style. You can practice with a belt wrapped around your upper arm to remind yourself not to move your elbow and to keep you upper hand still. Many people with issues such as yours, including the founder of this website, have reported focusing on the hard-core underhand style of casting has helped them get through it, but I’m guessing it will depend on the individual physical issues.