Reviewed by Ron Eagle Elk
When I started noticing that my hands were really tired
after casting a 7 weight rod for a few hours I figured
it was time for a trip to the Doctor's office. Sure enough,
I've got arthritis in my hands. Casting a 5 weight and
under isn't too bad, but a 6 weight and up are almost
impossible for me anymore.
The guys at the local fly shop (now out of business)
talked me into a really nice 14 foot 9 weight two
handed rod to take the stress of casting off my hands.
It was the fall of the year, salmon and winter steelhead
were getting close and that rod would be fine, coupled
with a good line and reel.
That's when I started to run into this wall, headfirst.
I took a couple of free lessons from the fly shop guys,
just before they closed their doors, and ventured out
on my own. Casting a two hander isn't as easy as the
Pro casters make it look on the DVD's or in the books.
Did I mention DVD's and books? I have a bunch, some
pretty expensive, but they all seem to assume you
already know something about casting the really long
rods.
All this time I've been waiting for someone to simplify
the techniques of two handed casting. Someone who
remembers that we really don't already know how to make
a D-Loop and execute a flawless forward cast. Well folks,
Al Buhr has invented the better mouse trap of spey
casting. His new book Two-Handed Fly Casting
is top notch all the way through. Not only that, but the
12x9 landscape format sure looks good on the coffee table.
The book begins witih a discussion of rods, lines and
leaders, breaks the cast down to it's fundamental parts
and walks the caster through all phases of the cast.
There is even an exercise to allow you to get the feel
for the rod loading.
That is followed by well illustrated and photographed
step by step lessons in the casts with a two handed rod.
Close to twenty casts used under different conditions,
each cast building on the one before it. Simplified
so that even I can understand it.
There is also a great section on solving problems with
the cast, faults and corrections, and as a bonus,
sections on fishing with a two handed rod and different
fishing situations.
This is a very well illustrated book. The drawings are
clear and to the point, the photographs are flawless
and overlaid with additional diagrams that clarify
not clutter the photos.
This book is going to add more pleasure to my spey
casting than any other book or DVD has come close
to. Considering that the hardbound book is only
$35.00 and the softbound version is just $22.00,
this one is a bargain that should be in your hands,
not on the book shelf. ~ REE
Two-Handed Fly Casting, Spey Casting Techniques
By Al Buhr
Hardcover; 80 pages
Size: 12 x 9 landscape format.
Hardcover ISBN: 1-57188-396-7 $35.00
Soft Cover ISBN: 1-51788-395-9 $22.00
Published by: Frank Amato Publications
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