Walter & Group....
Howling wind here at Big Pine Key, today. Came back early and fishless.
Yesterday, jumped 5 big tarpon and landed one enormous poon on a "dawn patrol" starting at "O: dark hundred" (5:00 am). Site fishing for those fish as dawn breaks is a super turn-on for me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've got to run my skiff out about 12 miles between flats and islands in the pitch dark to do that.... but it pays off. Once I hit a crocodile on the way out. Glowing orange eyes in my spotlight beam which I foolishly ignored.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apparently Ally's questions on the quartering and "in your face" 30 mph winds when Spey casting has stumped most of you..... Or (hopefully) has you thinking before answering. The only answer I've gotten so far is from Dusty Sprague (The green is for Liam Duffy) :
The least-frustrating way of dealing with 30 mph winds is over a cold one at the nearest Pub. Ideally we'll run into Liam with a pocket-full of money...LOL
Dusty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In trying to come up with ways to handle those vicious wind problems of Ally's, I can think of some issues such as:
1.) Always keeping your D-loop on the down wind (or quartering down wind) side.
2.) Meeting any strong head winds with tight loops, high loop speed, and having the forward stroke aimed directly at the target .... not up above it.
3.) Making "windage" allowances as the cast is aimed and sure to be blown off course to the right or left depending upon the direction of those quartering winds.
4.) Using a double Spey when the quartering wind is a partly down-stream one.
Now, with those and other considerations I may not have thought of, some of you Spey buffs can come up with the specific recommended casts for the circumstances described in yesterday's QUESTIONS ON THE TABLE.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``
Comments re answers to Kirk's quiz by Ally Gowans. My brief additional comments in red italics... G. :
Hi
Gordy,
Just a couple of points
about two of the questions, answers that I would expect from a Master
candidate.
3. What do you tell students about stance? The most important thing about stance is comfort and balance. Casts should always be made whilst casting into comfort so you should be positioned facing your desired casting direction in whatever way you can with comfort and balance. Spey casting with a genuine open stance I think is dangerous in a fast current and for me at least inhibits turning into comfort. However where you put your feet is often not optional and you should be able to make most casts with various foot positions. I give students the exercise of false casting from extreme open to extreme closed foot positions with SH rods.
Yes... Comfort, Balance and, to emphasize your poing about danger, I'll add SURVIVAL. Once, salmon fishing the Laerdal in Norway I fished a beat called "Fox & Strocks" where the river was at top speed roaring down to the Fiord. Couldn't keep footing any deeper than 18" ... slippery rocks ! ...
Then there were the super slippery slabs of broken limestone with crevasses between them which swallow boots when fishing Penn's creek.......One foot slides down the rock and gets caught. If you are too deep, the current pulls you down. Good place to use a wading stick ..... but one can't do that easily when fishing two handed. G.
There is the issue of how one should stand for best results with relation to the "target" provided there is a safe and comfortable as well as balanced situation. Twisting about and dipping or rolling the shoulder can sometimes be a problem with this is ignored. G.
19. Tell us one advantage of using the Spey casts to fish a river ? The whole reason for Spey casts existing is to sensibly minimise the space required to cast, this is “the one advantage” of Spey casts although we can think of other benefits like not cracking flies off so easily and less likelihood of flies tangling (in addition to the other answers you have received).
You're certainly right about some other benefits as well when river fishing. Going to two handed fishing with properly chosen tackle has made it easier for some as they age. I've pointed out before that Jim Greene was one example. Of course, one reason for this is that you have two hands sharing the workload. Another is that with one cast, one can gain needed distance and presentation whereas with single handed casting, more time and effort is spent retrieving enough line from the dangle to start the cast and even more with false casting.
I've also been in a salmon fishing circumstance where I was using a 9' single handed rod, but the salmon were taking on the swing farther out in the river. The Europeans who were using long two handed rods (some 18' !) were able to place the swing out where it needed to be. They caught fish when I couldn't. It wasn't that they could CAST farther .... in fact those anglers really couldn't. But with those long rods it enabled them to place the SWING way out farther than I could. G.
Now that we've come up with a few ADVANTAGES to Spey fishing, can anyone come up with a DISADVANTAGE ?????? G.
Best
wishes,
Ally Gowans
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Answers to the Spey quiz by our newest member, Rene Vaz. I can't possibly show you all the answer messages from our Group , but the ones I've chosen are representative yet with differences of opinion on a few issues. (We now have 208 members ?) :
|
Hi Gordy A quiz on two hand casting
instruction. Those preparing for the Master's exam should be able to
answer these questions. Kirk 1. What is an ideal location for a two hour beginning
two hand casting class with four students? Why? A. Running water B. A pond C. Large grass area [Rene]B:
A Pond. This way the students get the benefit of learning how to get
traction (line stick) off the water, but are able to be closer together
than they would be on a river (due to the swing of the line on the river
the students would need to be spaced out). 2. What do you tell students about
grip? [Rene]
The rod butt shout sit in the palm of the bottom hand with the thumb and
forefinger lightly gripping the rod. The top hand should sit comfortably
in the upper half of the foregrip, the grip should be the same as you
would grip a single handed rod. 3. What do you tell students about
stance? [Rene]
The body should always face the target. Either an open or closed stance
can be adapted. I encourage my students to use an open stance which makes
it easier to use a longer translation in the
stroke. 4. What is your definition of a spey
cast? [Rene]
A Spey cast is where the back cast is done under the rod tip to a point
where the tip of the line anchors on the water. 5. Define "river right". [Rene]
When you are standing looking downstream and you have the river on your
right and side 6. Define "river left". [Rene]
When you are standing looking downstream and you have the river on your
left hand side 7. Define "Left bank". [Rene]
When you look downstream on a river, it is the bank on the left hand side
8. Define "Right bank". [Rene]
When you look downstream on a river, it is the bank on the right hand side
9.. Define "upstream wind" What casts
would you teach ? [Rene]
When the wind is blowing in the upstream direction ie from downstream to
upstream. Casts
from the true left bank would be: Single Spey and Snap T with the Right
Hand Up Casts
from the true right bank would be: Single Spey and Snap T with the left
Hand Up 10. Define "downstream wind" What casts would you teach
? [Rene]
When the wind is blowing in the downstream direction ie from upstream to
downstream. Casts
from the true left bank would be: double Spey and Snake roll with the Left
Hand Up Casts
from the true right bank would be: double Spey and Snake roll with the
Right Hand Up 11,. A body building, testosterone poisoned
fellow insists on applying excess power and speed to the cast. Any
suggestions on how to slow him down? [Rene]
1.
Get
him to close his stance to reduce his stroke size. 2.
Get
him to bring his top hand down reducing his leverage on the
rod 3. Work on his grip to ensure he is holding the rod lightly.
12. What is "spey waltz" timing ? [Rene]
Spey waltz timing relates to adding a count into the casting process as
you would when doing the waltz. For example, when making a Single Spey, it
would work like. Lift, 2, 3Sweep 2, 3cast 13. What is the difference between a SINGLE SPEY CAST
and a SWITCH CAST ? [Rene]
A Single spey cast includes a change of direction caused by the dipping of
the rod tip (to reposition the anchor) through the sweep whilst the switch
cast does not include a change of direction 14. In as few words as possible, describe the main
differences between a Spey cast and a "Straight line overhead cast" using
a two handed rod. [Rene]
A Spey cast is where the back cast is done under the rod tip to a point
where the tip of the line anchors on the water. Versus an overhead cast
the line is back cast over the rod tip and allowed to straighten behind
the angler. 15. We hear the term BALANCED TACKLE . What is
usually meant by this : a.
When talking about single handed straight line casting
tackle ? The rod should balance (ie without being tip heavy
or reel heavy) in the casters hand. Additionally the fly line should be
the correct AFTMA weight for the fly rod in order to load it
correctly
b. When discussing two handed Spey tackle ? [Rene]
The Reel should be of adequate weight to draw the balance point of the rod
into the casters hands whilst the line should be of an adequate weight to
load the rod and of an appropriate belly length to suit the casters
expertise 16. What is a "white mouse"
? [Rene]
It is the trail of water the follows behing the fly line as it is cast off
the water. The idea is to have a small white mouse and not a white
elephant!! 17. What is meant by the term, "anchor"
? [Rene]
The anchor is the part of the fly line that touches the water during the
back cast. Ideally the anchor should be kept to a minimum to ensure
minimal energy is required during the forward stroke. 18. What is a "D-loop" ? [Rene]
The D-loop is the loop of fly line that falls below and behind the rod tip
(in a D shape) at the end of the back cast 19. Tell us one advantage of using the Spey casts
to fish a river ? [Rene]
Keeps heavy flies safetly away from the body during casting
20. Which is the best angle of alignment
between the target and the D-loop when making a single Spey
cast ? a. 90
degrees. b. 45
degrees. c. 180
degrees. d. No
particular angle of alignment. [Rene] c. 180 degrees ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`` On our answers to question 11 ..... the one about Mr. Testosterone .... the Rambo caster: Just a few days ago, Dennis Grant and I were casting together and he taught me a new teaching trick. As I over powered my cast, particularly with my upper right hand (I'm right handed) he had me try using my right hand as a fulcrum only .... no real power . All the power had to come from my lower (left) hand as I drew it in. I found that it was actually very difficult to overpower my cast ! Gordy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |||
|
|