Techniques for Spey Rod Casting

Spey casting originated in the highlands of northern Scotland more than 150 years ago. It was developed as a means for fly fishermen to overcome brush, steep banks and other obstacles that prevent standard overhead casts. It gained popularity in North America during the 1990s by anglers fishing medium-sized to large rivers for steelhead trout. But fly fishermen on smaller waters also utilize the accuracy and efficiency of spey casting for other species as well.

  1. Spey

    • The primary advantage of a spey cast is that it doesn't require a backcast, hence brush or a steep bank doesn't hinder the cast during this backward motion. Although a standard fly rod measuring 10 or 11 feet in length can be used to spey cast, spey rods that are 12 to 18 feet long are usually employed. Spey rods are also called two-handed rods because of the two-handed method of spey casting. Shorter fly rods that are flexible and able to "load" under a fly line's weight can also be used. Load means the rod will bend with energy that is transferred into the line, enabling a long cast. Spey casting also works best with specially made spey-casting lines.

    Side Motion

    • When an angler uses a standard overhead cast, the rod is loaded during a backcast that is directed 180 degrees from the intended target. During a roll cast, the line's resistance on the water creates energy that is loaded into the rod and then transferred to the line to make a 180-degree loop from the target before being flung forward. Both methods require ample space along the banks of rivers and streams. Spey casting involves a sideward cast, as opposed to a backcast that can become entangled along a bank. The leader and several feet of line are allowed to touch water during a spey cast. This contact with water creates an anchor that halts the momentum of the cast, which loads the rod with energy that is used to propel the line forward. In addition to avoidance of brush and steep banks, a spey cast can be used when deep or fast-flowing water hinders wading.

    D-Loops

    • To cover as much as water as possible with their lures, anglers often make change-of-direction casts, and a spey cast is an effective method to achieve this. There are two basic spey casting techniques for anglers to acquire: downstream and upstream. A downstream spey cast places a downstream anchor and forms a D-loop outside the rod's tip and downstream for a downstream wind. An upstream spey cast forms a D-loop on the upstream side and in an upstream wind.