Speycasting School

[speyghillie]

Hi Guy's,

I have now booked my flights to Calgary and will be able to do a Speycasting School on the Saturday and Sunday if there is enough interest.

The dates are Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd of September, the classes will be for a maximum of 6 people per day and at a cost of $120.00 per person per day or $200.00 for both days.

The day will cover Speycasting with single and double-handed rods , different applications and casts for different situations.

I will have some new rods ,reels and lines with me for anybody that does not have a Spey set up, or just wants to try Speycasting for the first time.

Please send me a PM if you would like to book a day.

Thanks Gordon.

[DutchDryfly]

Gordon,

 

I think you or Greg have to reschedule.

 

Planned on the 22nd is a FFC-gathering for cleaning up the Bow and some fishing afterwards.

Although I did not hear much about it anymore.

 

Rob

[speyghillie]

Hi Dutchdryfly,

I can't change the dates, as a couple of guy's have already booked for the Saturday, i would be more than happy to help with the clean up after the School, but the dates have to be that weekend.

Thanks Gordon.

[speyghillie]

Hi Guy's,

Because of the river clean up, i will just be having the one day Speycasting School on the Sunday, this way i can come along help with the clean up and meet all the guy's.

I will send a PM to the guy's that are booked in for the Saturday and see if they can make it on the Sunday.

So i hope to be in Calgary and stay for the clean up, and do a bit of fishing on the Friday and Saturday after the clean up, so if i'm coming over for the clean up all the way from Scotland, i hope to see all you guy's there.

Thanks Gordon.

[DutchDryfly]

You certainly will see me there, Gordon, I am coming from even further away.

[speyghillie]

Hi Dutchdryfly,

Will be good to meet up, have an International Bow River clean up, just got my hands on some new fly reels and hope the rods will be here in time for me to take with me.

I still have a couple of spaces for the Spey school because a couple of the guys can't make it on Sunday, so if anybody want to join in on Sunday please let me know.

Thanks Gordon.

[toolman]

I'm looking forward to attending your Spey School again, Gordon. I continue to work on developing my casting skills and need you to evalutate my casting stroke. I'm having difficulty casting my XLT long belly line as consistently as I would like.

 

I would suggest that students sign up for the Spey School on this thread. I would also recommend to anyone interested in learning how to spey cast with single or double hand rods, to take the opportunity and sign up for Gordons' School. He will have you throwing single Spey casts a hundred feet or more by the end of the day. It's a lot of fun and you don't even need to own a Spey rod, as there will be plenty to use at the school.

[speyghillie]

Hi Toolman,

Thanks for the kind words, will see you soon,

 

Thanks to Cheerler for signing up for the Speycasting class on Sunday, still some places available.

Thanks Gordon.

[speyghillie]

Thanks Dino for booking the Sunday Speycasting class.

Gordon.

[lonefisher]

TM or SG

I know this is a stupid question..... but I am gonna ask it anyways LOL...... if you had to put a maximum distance spey castable with a cheap 9 foot 6 wt rod what would you say it is? I know that some pros may be able to launch it to the moon and some gorbs might not make 20 feet but if you had to even ball park it for an average advanced spey caster what would you say is possible? I remember a post by SG that said approx 5x the length of the rod though I may be outta context...... and trust me I am not gonna quote you on it I am just curious as to the approx limitations of certain gear......... And of course this would be under optimal conditions and I realize that this could easily change depending on certain factors......

[toolman]

I would agree the 5x the rod length, of line out of the rod tip to be a good average. There are many variables to account for including, a balanced line/leader/fly system for the rod, casting skill and experience, wind conditions, use of shooting heads for distance vs. DT for dry presentations etc.. So a 9' rod should be able to toss 45' of line out.

That said, somedays I can cast/shoot a WF-6 on my 9' single hander 65' (not acurately and only when the wind blows just right), other days I struggle with 40'.

[lonefisher]

Thanks TM thats as clear an answer as I was hoping for. And thank you though for doing the math cause I thought 9x5 was 54....... no joke........ I amaze myself some days

[speyghillie]

Hi Lonefisher,

The five times rule is a guide for Speycasting a long belly line, set about 100yrs ago but still used today, its a lifting guide rather than a casting guide, a Spey casting rod should be able to lift five times it's length without shooting any line, this is usually used as a maximum guide.

If you use more than the five times rule, you are in most cases forcing the rod to work and it won't load in the correct time or position.

Different for shooting heads, as they are normally three times the rod length or there about, better then looking at a grain weight rather than the five times rule with them.

This can help with deciding the rod and line for the river you fish, i would never go to a big river with a rod of 12ft 6in and expect to cover the same distance as a 16ft rod, also would'nt like to turn up at a stream with a 16ft rod.

Don't get hung up on weights of lines , the best distance speycasters in the world never weigh lines or in some cases never check the length of the line, an example would be the XLT 9/10 was a great distance line but the 10/11 was rubbish.

If your new to Speycasting, start of with a short head line, much easier to get the correct positions for the cast, better still get out with a couple of guy's that have been casting a while, save a lot of time.

Don't do what a guy i met on the Fraser did, spent $150.00 on a rod and $500.00 on a reel, do it the other way round .

Hope this helps.

Gordon.

[speyghillie]

Hey Toolman,

Good answer, and you only beat me too it because i type like a woodpecker, see ya soon.

Gordon.

[lonefisher]

Perfect thanks a lot guys I appreciate it...... Oh and I have no intention of purchasing a 9 foot for spey casting I just broke my good 10 foot rod and have been very surprised with the distance I can "spey cast" with my old dragonfly I used quotation marks as it is very liberal to call what I do real spey casting

[lonefisher]

very bottom of the rod list 13'4" 5/6 wt trout spey

on sale 150 bucks off....... I just became dangerous.......

 

 

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...&hasJS=true

 

 

any suggestions for reel and line setup? or should I just try and balance a reel and wing it with the line ect......

[speyghillie]

Hi Lonefisher,

Sorry i have'nt got back to you sooner, but been so busy its not funny.

If you can get along to the River clean up, there will be some guy's havin a cast after , so might be a good chance to try different rods, lines ect.

I for one will have a couple of rods, loads of reels and lines for single and double handed rods.

Gordon Macleod of the clan Macleod.

[toolman]

Lonefisher,

I casted/fished with the Metolious Stream Dance 13'4" 5/6 wt. for a few weeks back in January. This is a sweet dry line Spey Rod. The price is certainly a bargain. Have you purchased this rod yet?

[lonefisher]

yeah its ordered..... i like the other stream dance rods I have casted including shorter metolius's that I have tried but I have never had the luxury of casting this specific model....... should be a good week if all goes as planned I get a brand new 10ft streamdance glx back from warranty and a brand new metolious trout spey....... and after a few weeks with the crappier rods I feel I have improved my casting stroke. You say a great dry line spey have to admit thats lingo I don't know.......

 

Also what is the cast where at full dangle on the river with your right hand side being the downriver side you sweep the rod tip (starting low tip pointed downstream) backwards up and around fully once so the line make a huge loop and anchors just in front of you. meanwhile you have continued the first total loop into the D loop of the cast............ I really wish I could describe that better LOL. I hadn't seen that one before but it popped out tonight while I was mucking around and its a pretty sweet cast....... does it have a name?

[lonefisher]

Speyghillie i'd love to meet up with some real spey casters some time ...... normally weekends suck for me but I am trying to see if I can pull enough strings to get the whole day off. Hopefully but we will see.......

[toolman]

Sounds like a cast called a "single spey". You should consider attending Gordons Spey school coming up in a couple of weeks. I describe this rod as a great dry line rod because it is a very long rod for a 5/6 wt., which gives it a slower action for good feel and accuracy and the long length is an advantage for line control and distance, when swinging drys on a light 5/6wt. line. The 5/6 wt. line will have a small casting/mending imprint on the water when dry fishing the surface with long leaders. This rod also has a very wide casting grain window as well, so it performs at short or long distances. As for line systems, it will cast very well with an Airflow 6/7, Delta Spey Line and also with the Airflow 6/7, 450 grain Skagit shooting head system, for use with sink tips. I have both of these lines on spools/reels, so if you can attend the spey school, I will bring them along for you to cast. I also have an Airflow Scandianavian Shooting head system and a SA XLT, long belly, distance line that should work well on your rod. I have a good selection of sink tips and polyleaders, which are an important component of a balanced line system. I use Pfleuger Trion #1912, 11-12wt. reels, with spare spools loaded with 250 yrds. of 30lb. Dacron backing, for the line systems on both of my 12'6" Spey rods. Very nice set up.

Also, Gordon has some nice Large arbor reels that he is bringing over with him that are going to be for sale and well priced.

Welcome to the world of Spey...and you are right, you are gonna become dangerous with that new stick.

[lonefisher]

Found it it was not the single spey but the snake roll..... although I have now seen two diffferent casts called a snake roll..... either that or I am confused.

 

http://www.questoutdoors.net/skills/spey/video/

 

the very last vid on the bottom right single handed snake roll.... Love that cast.....

I also really like the running T and and the one where you go up, left, up, right accross your body anchor to your right side sweep the D loop

[speyghillie]

Like to thank Tim for booking the day with the little fat Scotsman (thats me).

I will post the detail and time to meet for the Speycasting School as well as sending everyone a PM with the details, thanks Tim.

Gordon .

[lonefisher]

Toolman in a Calgary nightclub? Don't know the TM that well but I know its tough to be drinking at the Back Alley or Cowboys and drifting skid bitchs for monster night time browns at the same time.......

 

 

PS Gordon your Canadian is getting good eh? I have however taken the liberty of correcting your previous post so it fits with proper Canuckish.....

 

 

Oh thats enough with the Scottish thing eh? Well two weeks to go eh and I will be in Calgary ? I do the Kilt wearing and the haggis eating, as for the cheap whisky eh.... well everybody knows that goes to Canada and the US anyways eh.

I think it's about time I came to Calgary with the Kilt on for a night oot, then the Bow for some troot eh?

So if you see Toolman in a Calgary nightclub saying he's not with the guy with the Kilt on, that will be me eh.

Gordon Macleod (Clan Macleod rep for Calgary)

 

You will also notice I corrected the capitalization errors....... Were Canadians eh.... not savages ;-)

[speyghillie]

Lonefisher,

Thank you very much for correcting me, i never heard the word canuckish before, kinda like it, i never ever get enough time to pick up all the words and sayings, but working on it, will try my best when i get there, and i have never been in a nightclub in Calgary, so it was'nt me and you can't prove it.

Thanks Gordon.