Spey Casting is a term that covers a wide variety of casts that can be performed with both single and double-handed flyrods. In its traditional sense, the Spey cast is quite a specific cast performed with rods and lines with certain characteristics.

Today, Spey casting is used to describe a wide variety of casts and casting styles, but with one certain element in common. They are all “water-borne” or splash-and-go casts, as the Americans would say. The key element is the anchoring of the leader and some of the flyline on the water instead of a normal backcast.

So, I assume most of our readers have a good idea what a Spey cast is. Simon Gawesworth has been teaching and studying the Spey cast since he was a child and has funnelled his vast knowledge and experience into this book.

Beginning with a definition of the Spey cast, Simon then covers a variety of issues such as getting used to the long rod, stance, grip and balancing the outfit.

In describing the casts, Simon operates with a number of different terms that he nicely explains and lays out for the reader – for instance, “the white mouse”. This is not a steelhead pattern, but a term used to define the line leaving the water in the initial stages of the Double Spey or the Snap T. Other interesting terms are “The Bloody L” (you get the feeling that this is something you definitely don't want happening in your cast) and “Point P”. These terms keep coming back and defining them has made the reading and understanding of the casting more simple and clear. One term that was slightly confusing to me was the term “Belly”. I usually understand this as a specific part of a WF-flyline, but Simon uses it to define what I would call the “D-Loop” (not that that makes any more sense).

The casting itself is explained using text, pictures and drawings. The pictures are clear, sharp and obviously a lot of time has gone into planning the photo-sessions. Drawings are used to explain certain stages or elements in the cast where the still is not enough.

On the more complicated casts, Simon begins by showing the movements of the rod without the line and then proceeds to show the cast as it should be executed. The combinations of text, pictures and drawings is really good and for every cast, common errors and the way to correct them is outlined as well. This is what proves that Simon is a casting instructor. He has seen so many people perform these casts and knows the common mistakes. There are of course many other mistakes and errors the caster can make, but outlining the common ones, sometimes in both text, pictures and drawings, helps the reader to understand the cast and to understand what he or she might be doing wrong.

The rod Simon is using is painted white making it stand out very clearly in the pictures. It is impossible in a review like this to go over all the issues and chapters that is the book, but suffice it to say, that as far as I'm concerned, all important aspects of Spey casting are covered and well explained, including details on bellysize, belly speed, reels, lines and more.

From an instructional point of view, it can be slightly confusing when, on some of the casts, the sequence of pictures is broken, either by a drawing or by a number of pictures showing different errors in a specific element or stage of the cast. I would have preferred to see a sequence of pictures showing the correct execution of the cast and only then proceed to showing the common errors. This is the case for instance with the Switch Cast. Also, more pictures of outgoing loops on the completion of the cast would have suited the book well.

Although mainly dealing with the double-hander, the book also covers Spey casting with the single handed rod, and here Simon introduces a definition new to me; the Turbo Spey, which is really just Spey casting with a haul. In the chapter on single-handed Spey casting Simon also covers “The Dry Fly Spey”, “The Side Spey” and goes over combinations of different Spey casts.

With clear photography, drawings and text “Spey Casting” by Simon Gawesworth covers modern Spey casting. Being a Scandinavian, I would have liked to see a little more on the Underhand Cast (or Andersson Cast, as Göran Andersson calls it in his book on the cast).

Oh yeah, and you just have to love a chapter on “Weird Casts” :-))).

Congratulations Simon on a wonderful book that will prove an interesting read to anyone interested in Spey casting with a double handed rod.

Spey Casting.
Simon Gawesworth
Stackpole Books
ISBN 0-8117-0104-2

Review by Lars Chr. Bentsen.

Regular Edition HC: ISBN 0-8117-0104-2 = $49.95 Limited Edition: ISBN: 0-8117-0129-8 = $200.00. Both copies are available direct through Simon