[Dana]

We've set up this board (thanks Sean!) as a forum for Q&A and info surrounding the nuts and bolts of spey casting. It's my hope that this board will become a great place for new spey casters to participate and get some of their questions answered. I'll also be including links to stuff on the Spey Pages that might be helpful.

 

[Feiger]

Thanks!!!

tho it's maybe a dozen months to late!!! :hehe:
would really have appreciated this concept about a year ago when i first started researching the world of spey... not that i'm complaining, but maybe it would have made my transition a little quicker, and learning curve not so steep! but hey, what doesn't kill you....
thanks again!

 

[nu-to-spey]

THANKS

Thanks--this spey site is quickly becoming one of my favorites. This new addition is perfect timing for me. Am lucky to have a CND Steelhead Specialist which I won at the clave in Ontario last October-beautiful

 

[Loopy]

Thanks for starting this section. I am waiting my first spey rod and staring at very hard water with a bad case of cabin fever. The more I can learn, the quicker the time will go until the weather breaks.

Jeff

 

[Uflyfish2]

This sounds great... Have lots of questions!!! This is a super sight- Glad I found it- Tight lines from Northern WYO...

 

[Sauk River]

Do Whats nbecessary

Dana,
Usually I just read and learn from your site, would hate to lose the source of so much great info, and exchange of ideas. I figure it this way, if its worth investing your time in the project, then its worth my dollars to see that it continues. Do whats necessary to keep the site up and running!!
Cheers
Mike

 

[Dave McFall]

I am looking for recommendations for Spey Casting CD and video. I already have Derrick Brown's.

Any suggestions

Dave

 

[MJC]

I like the Hazel video/DVD "Introduction to Spey Casting" the best, followed by Rio's International Spey Casting. Some more that are good depending on what your looking for are Dec Hogan's DVD "Modern Spey Casting and More", Andy Murray's DVD "Basic Skills of Spey Casting", "Sandy River Spey Clave" video, and "The Perfect Cast" DVD from Henrik Mortensen.

 

[Feiger]

I'll second that recommendation. I have John and Amy Hazel's spey casting DVD, and even after a year and a half o throwin' the big stick, still find my self going back to that DVD from time to time to brush up and solve some of my problem areas. one of the most straight forward and easy to understand DVD's I've seen. Course, it didn't hurt that I also took casting lessons from them as well!

 

[speyflyman]

Hey, Mike.

Hello, Mike. Good to hear from you again. I have a suggestion for you, OK? Now that you're getting close to your "A" game, I'd like to get you over here on the MO or the Big M and show me some of your new "learning" as I will be like a sponge and sop up as much as I can. Seriously now, if you can get your buns back over in this "neck of the woods" we'll get in my drifter and have a good go at some of our Chrome. Would really like to make a float or 2 or 3 with you as I certainly do appreciate those Speys you tied me up last year. I am now back on the Spey Pages again after a long absence as I've not been able to get logged in except very seldom. Sean, I believe, has found out the problem(s) and walked me through them so I can once again begin to accumulate "frequent flyer miles." Best to you, Mike, and between us have you had any success with some "street justice" as yet? Hoping you can find 'em. Stiver

 

[Feiger]

Stiver!!!

Hey man!
good to be back, been ubber busy with life in general, work in particular...
Am trying to arrainge a trip back to the motherland sometime in August to see family. the only month this summer i DON'T have something going on... you're thoughts on the steelhead possibilities for that month?? probably between runs knowing my luck. not sure on the number of days i'll be back there, will depend upon work and vacation time. I'll keep you posted accordingly...
Heading for the Olympic first part of April, really looking forward to that trip. Sounds like i should be there NOW w/ the fishing reports i'm getting!
No justice... the ****s of being 4 hours away from where my stuff "walked" away... and given everything else, seriously doubt i'll ever see it all again. oh well.. have everything just about replaced. still painfull tho....
later man!!!!
feiger

 

[speyghillie]

Alexander Grant switch cast

Hi Dana,
Many thanks for the welcome to speypages, It has been interesting reading some of the mail and frustrating not being able to reply. Dam computer ...

Switch cast. I spent all day yesterday at Craigellachie on the spey enjoying the cast that Grant invented 100 hundred years ago.
How is it done?.
With line out, lift the rod high and slow (in front of you), at around 10.30 to 11 then the turn your wrist (out) the way, quite sharply, you can even screw the bottom section with your lower hand. The line will lift off the water very quickly and give you a perfect D or bag, part two requires you to keep your upper hand and arm very high, The result will produce a line completely in the air and with practice, only the fly will kiss the water.
The distance acheived is surprising and very easy, just remember that the travel distance of the rod is 10.30 infront to 1.30 behind you, just keep the rod high and turn your wrist, thats all.

To finish, Mr Grant did not like the traditional speycast because it required 2 lots of effort to use the line. His cast requires no effort or turning of the body and with a greenheart of 18ft, plus a very long silk line. The rest is history.

Speygillie will be teaching this cast over the next two weeks in BC

Tight lines,
Harry

 

[mgignac]

desert spey

I've just joined these pages and hope no one takes offense if I'm not posting correctly. I appologize ahead of time. Maybe I'm not alone on this but casting a spey rod as the books show requires water, preferably flowing. This is the problem for me. I want to practice and the most convenient place is in my yard on the lawn. Mr. Gawesworth mentions "grass leaders" near the end of his recent book. The ones I've tied leave something to be desired in terms of function. Does anyone have an optimal construction technique?

 

[MJC]

Hey mgignac...

Welcome to the Spey Clave. If you type grass leader in the search function you will find quite a bit of info.
I would blood knot 6" sections of 15# Maxima until I had 10' or 12' and leave the tags cut off at about 1". They seem to work well enough but not as good as water.

 

[Snake Roll]

Thanks Dana, For setting up this web-site I have learned many new things and will always swing for the holy grail (steelhead)

 

[Mike Beliveau]

Sage Rods

I have a sage rod 9140 with a wind cutter line it cast about 100 feet is itabout normal . W/C is 7/8/9 and a mid spey by rio 8/9 ,they both cast about the same. I am expecting more from the sage ,what do i need to do . to get more distance. thanks for any help

 

[sean]

Practice :lildevl:

Really 100' is better than 80% of the guys out there do. If you can cast that far in varying conditions with both hands, and all the casts you can pass the THCI test.

-sean

 

[Feiger]

Mike -

I posted a reply to your comments on another thread, something about the number of spey rods or something. You basically asked the same question... I concur w/ Sean, if you're getting 80-100' w/ that 9140, or any spey rod, for that matter, you're doing quite well. That's a lot of line, and like i said in the other post, can't imagine that NOT covering all your fishing situations out there!

If you're happy w/ how the rod feels and fishes, i recommend being content w/ that performance, if not down right happy about it. You can go to other rods, but i doubt you'll find significant differences in performance that'd make the investment worth it...

 

[stesiik]

Hi guys!

I guess this is the thread to say hello in?

Hi! My name is Stefan and I live in Sweden.

I visited this site time and again since a few years ago. Now, as a pretty seasoned (read reformed over and over again) sizzycaster I am here to learn the true way of the twohander.

I practise with the Sage TCR 12,4ft 8wt and a 12,5 meter head (does feel short after a while of practise) that weights 31 grams.

I love to learn new things and to share what I already know. I teach casting with the singlehand as a EFFA instuctor and will accuire the single hand master grade soon, but with the twohander I am average at best (by Swedish skill levels, guys here cast a ton).

Best Regards
Stefan

 

[Zo2]

Stefan,

Welcome. I have read a lot of your stuff over on Paul's site and it has helped my single and double hand casting quite a bit. Good to see you here.

Zo2