How to Cast With a Spey Rod

Spey casting, a form of casting that has no backcast, is a fly-casting technique that originated in Scotland. In a sense, spey casting is a roll cast that involves line repositioning. Spey casting can be done effectively from either side of the river and works equally as well for right-handed and left-handed anglers. The length of the rods generate the power to cast long distances and aid fly control as it swings across the current.

Things You'll Need

  • 5-10 weight spey rod
  • Fly line to match
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Instructions

  1. Casting a Spey Rod

    • 1

      The first cast to learn is the "Snap T," which can be done with the river flowing in either direction. With your fly line fully extended downstream from where you're casting and your rod tip pointed downstream as well, raise the rod across your body to a two o'clock position and snap the tip towards the water. This, in turn, will cause your fly to land within ten feet upstream of you. From here, sweep the rod from right to left, creating a pointed D-shaped loop behind and to the right of you (which is, essentially, your backcast), and cast out to where you want your fly to go. Make sure that you complete the cast with your rod tip pointing up towards a 10 o'clock position rather than down towards the water.

    • 2

      The next cast to learn, the Circle Spey, is fished from a "river right" position, or where the river if flowing from left to right. With your fly and line fully extended down stream, raise your rod tip in order to lift some, but not all, of your line off the water. Next, rapidly sweep your rod in a counter clock wise motion from 12 o'clock and continuing to 3 o'clock. This will cause the fly to lift out of the water and land within ten feet down stream of where you're standing. As you reach the three o'clock position, your line will form that pointed "D" loop, and from here you can make your cast across the river.

    • 3

      The third cast to learn when you a first learning to spey cast is the Double Spey. Again, from a river right position and with your rod tip pointed downstream towards your fully extended fly line, move your rod tip in a complete 180-degree arc from right to left. There is nothing special about this movement: Use your lower hand as the fulcrum, or pivot point, while your top hand basically flops the rod over to your left hand side. This motion will cause your fly to land within ten to fifteen feet downstream of where you're standing. Next, sweep the rod across your body from left to right, using your bottom hand as the pivot, to create the D loop behind and to the right of you and with your rod pointing to a three o'clock position. When your D loop reaches its zenith, cast across the river finishing high with your rod tip in order to achieve maximum distance.