Quote Originally Posted by Gemrod View Post
With all it's different movements I would think the effective spine would affect the casting of a spey rod.
I seriously doubt it. If you have one, try putting a 4 piece fly rod together so that the sections don't line up any more. Grip section normal, rotate the second 45 degrees left, the next 45 to the right and the tip 90 degrees off either way. Or any way that you think might matter. Then cast it and see if you can tell the distance aside from shooting through misaligned guides. I'll be surprized if you can.
Like you, after struggling with the concept, I eventually came to the realization that it has no real impact on casting or fishing, and the owner will be much happier with the guides built on straight axis because it won't look defective. If there was a real impact, you can make the case for the crooked looking rod, but since it is purely academic (IMO), it's hard to make the case.