Spey 101 Information
Hey all-- I have been long intrigued by spey casting and am looking for a good resource, starting from absolute scratch, to get started with information. Looking for anyone who would share a good book, site, link, etc that would get me going from the ground up on spey casting, equipement, lines and terminology. I do not have any local access to a club, guide, shop that would be able to help. Thanks! Chuck
Hi Chuck, one of the best places for spey info that I have found is here http://www.speypages.com/speyclave/index.php
If you are looking for a dvd then I would suggest "Spey to z" Or Rio's modern spey casting which is a 4 dvd set that covers everything. I have not yet seen this dvd but it has been recomended by quite a few guys who have.
I had some Spey casting lessons on the weekend and I think I advanced more in 2 hours than I have in a year of figuring it out on my own. So if you can afford it I would go get some lessons.
As for gear and lines the basics are a spey rod of any kind, then one of 3 types of spey line, Traditional, Scandi, or Skagit. It gets a bit confusing from there but the Traditional lines have a head of 55 to 75 ft so you need a bit of room behind you to form your D, a Scandi will have a shorter head and a long forward taper, so less room needed and very good presentation of small to medium flies. A Skagit line is a very heavy short head for shooting long distance with almost no room and will handle heavy, big flies and heavy sinking tips to dredge the bottom.
Hope this helps.
All the best.
Mike.
Speypages is an excellent website. Several of the big names in two-handed casting frequent that board and love to talk shop and help newbies. There are many here who are knowledgeable as well and will probably chime-in soon. A good video is by John and Amy Hazel called Introduction to Spey Casting.
Trout don't speak Latin.
Shorter rod, shorter head. I got in trouble by buying and 12'6" rod and a 70' head. The head should be no more than 4.5 times the length or your rod (though some will say 5 times).
Shorter head lines means you'll have to strip in more line. Scandi lines are great for lighter flies, Skagit lines for heavier flies.
With Scandi lines you'll need a Versi-tip leader. With Skagit lines, depending on the length of your rod, you might need a cheater (a line extension), and a special leader.
Also, forget the Mackenzie style of casting with shorter-head lines.
Randy
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