Will Turek, born and raised in NE Ohio, has worked professionally
in the fly fishing
industry since 1995. Will received the FFF Casting Instructor
Certification in 1998
and again in 2009 and has 13 years teaching experience with both
single and two
hand rods. In addition to independent guiding, Will is a member of
Steelhead Alley
Outfitters www.steelheadalleyoutfitters.com guide staff specializing in spey casting
and fishing. Will is a frequent demonstrator and lecturer at local
area fly clubs, fly
shops, consumer shows, and spey claves. He is the owner and head
instructor of the
Midwest Spey
School www.midwestspey.com.
Spey Method of Casting and Two-hand Rods
A Brief History
The spey method of casting and use of two-hand rods developed in the mid 19th century on the salmon rivers of Scotland. This method of casting takes its name from the River Spey where anglers developed specialized casts for swinging flies to catch Atlantic salmon. Neither the equipment nor the technique to “shoot line” existed. The only tool powerful enough to cast and control a long length of line was a long rod that required the use of two hands. These rods are commonly referred to by several names: salmon rod, double or double handed rod, two-hand or two-handed rod, and most recently the Americanized “Spey” rod.
Today, the spey method of casting and use of two-hand rods is no longer limited to casting and fishing for anadromous species of fish such as salmon and steelhead. Trout anglers are using shorter, lighter two-hand rods on large rivers for casting big dry flies, streamers and indicators. Saltwater anglers are using stiff, powerful two-hand rods for overhead casting in the surf. Warm water anglers are wade fishing with two-hand rods to cast wind resistant poppers and streamer patterns for smallmouth bass.
What is the Spey Method of Casting?
The spey method of casting allows an angler to quickly and efficiently execute a change of direction cast that moves the fly from downstream at the end of the presentation (dead-drift or swing) back upstream to the target without making an overhead back cast. In essence, a spey cast is a change of direction with a “dynamic” roll cast. Every spey cast is comprised of two parts, a contrived cast and a forward cast. The contrived cast is a made up motion of the rod that initiates the change of direction by repositioning the end of the line (anchor) from downstream to upstream in order to form the back cast (D-loop) directly opposite the target. The forward cast is similar in appearance to a roll cast except it is dynamic; the D-loop is much bigger, the anchor is much smaller and the fly is delivered to the target in the air like an overhead cast.
Spey casts are often named for the movement(s) of the contrived cast. For example, a Single Spey cast has one motion of the rod that repositions the anchor and forms the back cast; Double Spey requires two separate motions to form the back cast. Not all spey casts have intuitive names for the contrived cast, for example:
Snake Roll, Perry Poke, Wombat Cast, Jelly Roll, etc.
Similar to a roll cast, depending on the direction of the wind, properly positioning the anchor and D-loop to the “safe” side of the body is critical to a successful spey cast. Each spey cast will reposition the anchor from downstream to a position either UPSTREAM or DOWNSTREAM of the caster to form a safe D-loop.
Why learn to Spey Cast?
A “dynamic” roll cast requires less effort to achieve greater distance than a dead line or “static” roll cast.
Ability to cast in tight quarters or with obstructions behind the caster opens up more water for fishing.
Ideal for quickly changing direction whether swinging streamers, indicator nymphing, repositioning a dry fly, or setting up the fly line for an overhead cast.
Note: Spey casting is a METHOD of casting. Spey casts can be made with ANY fly rod.
Why learn to use a Two-Hand Rod?
Less effort is needed to repetitively cast longer distances.
Easier to cast large or heavy flies on heavy sinking lines and in windy conditions.
Longer rods make mending line easier and increase line control.
Long fighting butt and use of two hands on the rod makes it easier to fight large fish.
Choosing Equipment
Rods
Selecting a single or two-hand rod for spey casting depends on the casting distance and casting/fishing techniques that will be used to present the fly to a target. Generally, the longer the rod is the better it will before casting, mending and controlling longer head length fly lines; the heavier the rod weight the better it will be for handling heavy sink tips, larger flies and big fish.
A newer type of rod called a “switch” rod is becoming very popular. Switch rods have a longer top grip than a single hand rod and a shorter bottom handle than a two-hand rod to facilitate use with two hands. They are designed for overhead, roll, and spey casting and can be fished with either one or two hands on the rod. This allows an angler to quickly switch between single-hand and two-hand casting and fishing techniques for ultimate angling versatility.
Reels
A reel for spey casting needs sufficient capacity to accommodate larger diameter spey lines plus backing. Keep in mind some spey lines may require additional room for a shooting/running line. Often overlooked though critical for a properly balanced outfit, reels for two-hand rods must have enough weight to properly balance a longer rod. General recommendation is a 8-10 wt reel for switch rods, and 10-12 wt reel for two-hand rods.
Lines
Almost any fly line will work when spey casting with a single-hand rod. There are several line tapers however, which perform best for this application: 3M Scientific Anglers’ Steelhead taper, Royal Wulff Product’s Steelhead Triangle Taper and Rio Product’s Steelhead & Atlantic Salmon taper and Switch Line. Two-hand rods require a specialized spey line that is much thicker in diameter and heavier than a single hand line to properly load the rod so that it will cast well.
NOTE: Switch rods are designed to be cast with both single hand lines (listed above) OR spey lines. Because switch rods are relatively short compared to two-hand rods, as a general rule they require a shorter head length spey line.
Spey lines, similar to single hand fly lines, are available in a variety of densities: full floating, full sinking, sinking tip and multi-tips. They can be divided into four categories by head length: shooting heads, short belly, mid belly, and long belly. Listed below are the most applicable head lengths for the Great Lakes region:
Shooting Head - 20 to 48 foot head length. Skagit (pronounced ska-jit) and Scandinavian heads are short shooting heads for short to moderate distance casts in tight quarters with little room for a back cast. Best for heavy sinking tips and larger flies. Must shoot line to achieve distance. Good choice for beginning casters.
Short Head/Belly - 50 foot head length. Versatile line for most spey casting styles and fishing techniques. Good control over moderate distances without needing to shoot line. Handles sink-tips well. Requires fair amount of room for the back cast. Multi-tip configuration good choice for beginning casters.
Spey Casting Rod Selection for the Great Lakes Region
Small Trout, smallmouth, steelhead
5-10 ft sink tips
10 ft single-hand
10.5-11.5 ft switch
5-8wt
Medium Trout, smallmouth, pike, steelhead, salmon, stripers
5-10 ft sink tips
10.5-11.5 ft switch
5-8wt 5-15 ft sink tips
12-13.5 ft two-hand
6-9wt
Large Steelhead, Salmon
5-24 ft sink tips
13.5-16 ft two-hand
8-10wt
Mid Head/Belly - 60 foot head length.
Versatile line for spey casting styles and fishing techniques on larger rivers. Very little stripping and shooting line needed when casting long distances. Longer head length better for mending and control at long distances. Handles lighter sink-tips OK. Requires a good deal of room for the back cast and intermediate casting skills to carry to a longer head length.
Resources for Practice and Further Study
A good casting stroke takes practice, practice, and more practice!! Since there's no point in creating ''bad'' muscle memory it's best to start with some form of instruction from a reliable source such as an experienced casting instructor.
In addition, there are several excellent books and videos that will aid in quickly mastering the principles and mechanics of spey casting and fishing with a two-hand rod.
Spey Casting, a book by Simon Gawesworth
Two-Handed Fly Casting: Spey Casting Techniques, a book by Al Buhr
Single-Handed Spey Casting, a book by Simon Gawesworth
Spey to Z, a DVD featuring Way Yin and friends.
Rio’s Modern Spey Casting, a DVD featuring Simon Gawesworth
Skagit Master, a DVD featuring Ed Ward
Skagit Master II, a DVD featuring Scott Howell
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