Nice Quite Day Spey Casting - 6 May 2023-v1 Short

Spey casting is a casting technique used in fly fishing and can be accomplished with either a single handed fly rod, or a double-handed fly rod, often called a Spey rod. Spey rods can also be used for traditional overhead casting.

Spey casting is used for fishing large rivers for salmon, large trout such as steelhead and sea trout. The spey casting technique is also used in saltwater surf casting. Spey casting allows the angler to cast the fly avoiding obstacles like trees and high banks on the river bank. The two-handed Spey technique allows more powerful casts with more distance to be achieved often on larger rivers.

Spey casting originated in both Wales and Scotland in the mid-1800s. Before the name Spey cast was popularised in the late 1800s, named after river Spey in Scotland. This style of casting originally went by the name of the Welsh throw and under-handed casting. Therefore, the Spey cast was developed so one could successfully cast on a large rivers such as the Spey and the Wye and avoid any potential obstacles on the river bank that could not be managed using the over-head casting technique. When Spey casting was introduced, 22-foot (6.7 m) long rods were used. These rods were made of greenheart, a heavy wood imported from British Guyana, today, rods are only 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) in length, so a proficient fly caster can cast a line up to 80-90 feet (24-27m).

 

There are two groups of Spey casts, the "air borne anchor" and the "waterborne anchor". The air borne anchor casts contain a backstroke that is in most part in the air. The line then falls to the water, and the forward cast starts as soon as the tip of the line touches the water (touch and go). The waterborne anchor casts are different, as they contain a backcast that stays on the water (a sustained anchor). In these types of cast, there is no requirement to achieve perfect timing in order to create the forward cast.

 

While there are many variations of the Spey cast, the basic technique is broken down into a few simple actions. With the fly line floating directly downstream on the dangle, with the line in tension, the angler first lifts the line off the water by raising the tip of the rod. The angler then sweeps the line backwards just above the water, and allows just the fly and leader to "anchor" the cast by touching the water, one to two rod lengths away. This back-cast is often referred to as the "D-loop", from the curving shape of the line between the anchor and the tip of the rod. While swinging the "D-loop", it is important to make one continuous, deliberate motion with the rod tip climbing at a 45-degree angle off the water. It’s important not to over power this part off the cast otherwise you will not achieve an anchor, this is known as ‘blowing the anchor’. As the D-loop comes around, the cast is completed by moving the rod forward (forward stroke) with a two-handed "push-pull" motion on rod handle while making an abrupt stop about 10 o’clock with the rod tip at the end of the forward cast. The cast is most easily compared to a roll cast, although by using the fly as an anchor, a Spey cast allows a greater loading of the rod and thus achieves greater distance than a roll cast.

The two most commonly used styles of Spey casting are the "Single Spey" and the "Double Spey". Mastering both the Single Spey and the Double Spey cast technique is essential if the fly angler is to be able to cast from either bank of the river in whatever type of wind that may be present.

 

Single Spey Cast

The Single Spey cast may be considered better by some, as one can usually cast the line further, and it can be used with winds blowing upstream. This Single Spey cast is part of the "air borne anchor" (or touch & Go) group of casts.

 

Double Spey Cast

The Double Spey cast is considered to be easier to perform than the Single Spey, but only because this cast can be performed more slowly and deliberately, and corrections made more easily during the break-down elements of the cast. It’s a sustained (waterborne) anchor casts in that some of the fly line stays in contact with the water at all times until the final forward casting is made. The Double Spey cast is useful in downstream winds. Other spey casts include the Snake Roll, Circle-C, Snap-T, Perry Poke etc.

 

Alexander Grant (1856-1942), born at his family’s croft at Battangorm near Carrbridge in the Highlands of Scotland, he was one of the most gifted individuals and a major contributor to the sport of Spey casting and the development of the modern two-handed rod and was the inventor of the "Grant Vibration" rod. Rather than one piece of wood , he sectioned the rod using lap joints (which he patented on the 28th May 1894, No 10,385) bound together with linseed-treated leather lacing (later replaced by insulation tape). The lap joints enabled the rod to flex as one unified spring, with none of the dreaded ‘flat spots’ that have plagued rod builders and caused the load of the fly line to distribute evenly throughout the rod allowing longer casting distance. Another unique feature of the ‘Vibration’ rods were the ‘Drop-Down’ rod rings, which folded as the rod was lifted from the horizontal into the backcast. As the rod tip neared the vertical, the oscillating rings clasped against the rod, thus trapping the fly line and preventing any little bellies of line forming between each ring.

 

It must be noted that Grant was also an acclaimed violin maker and solo performer. An accomplished musician, his knowledge of acoustic design no doubt laid the foundation for building his "vibration" rods. He applied techniques derived from violin making to his greenheart rods, matching joints in frequency to the note of a tuning fork.

 

Born in Scotland, Grant fished on the River Ness and it was here in 1895 he was invited by the local magistrate and angling author, Mr. J.H Corballis to a casting competition that "The Wizard of the Ness" would made history. There would be no switching of the line involved and the cast would simply be executed straight downstream alongside a measuring board, which had been specially constructed for the event. Grants competitors, a selection of notable casters from across the Highland region all took their turn casting from from an anchored boat on the River Ness and with a colossal effort, a roll cast of 56 yards was achieved.

Grant with his 21 foot rod had his longest cast officially registered at a staggering 65 yards of line, lifting the entire 65 yards clear from the water and returning it without shooting any fly line on the forward cast. This record remained in place for some 110 years before Scotland's local ghillie and three-time world speycasting champion Scott Mackenzie cast 68 yards with an 18-foot rod in 2005. However it’s not comparable to the cast that Alexander Grant made using a greenhart rod with a silk square plate line and lifting the entire line of the water to make the cast.

 

As well as being a gifted caster, Grant was also an accomplished fly dresser and in 1884 started a large-scale fly tying business in his hometown of Carrbridge. This was to prove a challenging way of trying to make a living and the following year he took up the position of ghillie to Lord Burton of Glenquoich Forest on the River Garry. In 1887 Grant moved from Carrbridge to Inverness to start up another tackle business and at the back of the premises, a hairdressing shop. To subsidise his income he also continued to ghillie for Lord Burton and during the same season became a member of a very small group of anglers that can lay claim to landing an Atlantic salmon in excess of 50lbs. Whilst fishing the River Garry in September at the outlet of Loch Quoich, Grant hooked this creature on a Thunder & Lightening fly. After much heart-pounding runs and a titanic struggle, the fish finally gave in to the greenheart and his prize lay at his feet – the salmon weighed 55lbs.

 

The world's longest 15 ft 1 in (4.60 m) rod using the single spey cast was made by Geir Hansen from Norway. The cast measured 65.5 metres (215 ft), and was made during the Hemsedal Spey Competition in 2021. Hansen also set the world record for the 18ft class, with a 77.0 metres (252.6 ft) cast, at the same event.

 

Cuckoo-flower, also known as Lady's-smock, Mayflower or Milkmaids with the scientific name, Cardamine Pratensis, is a member of the Brassica family. This is a pretty springtime perennial found in damp, grassy places like wet meadows, ditches, riverbanks and road sides. With its beautiful cruciforme pale pink flowers which bloom from April and are thought to coincide with the arrival of the first cuckoo, a sure sign that spring has arrived.

Cuckooflower has a rosette of leaves at its base and an upright stem up to 50cm that bears the delicate, small, white to pale pink or mauve flowers. Each flower has four petals, although double-flowered varieties do appear. The common name 'Lady's-smock' arises from the cupped shape of the flowers, however, 'smock' was once a slang term for a woman and the name may have alluded to certain springtime activities in the meadows!

It’s current conservation status is classified as, ‘common’. Before flowering theCuckoo-flower could be confused with some of the other Cardamines or cress family members but these are all edible.

The leaves taste of hot mustard or wasabi, the flowers faintly of cress with sweet and hot hints.

 

Rapeseed, also known as rape, or oilseed rape, with the scientific name, Brassica napus subsp. napus, it’s a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassica (mustard or cabbage) family, cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains appreciable amounts of erucic acid. The term canola denotes a group of rapeseed cultivars that were bred to have very low levels of erucic acid and which are especially prized for use as human and animal food. Rapeseed is the third-largest source of vegetable oil and the second-largest source of protein meal in the world.

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