This is my preferred method of making the 90 degree Single Spey. It’s perhaps interesting, that I’ve been a qualified fly fishing and fly casting instructor for close to 25 years – my first instructors’ examination being back in 1996. Even in this relatively short time frame, we have had different expectations as examiners as to what is expected of instructors during exams… to cut in, or to lift vertically, is one such point. Around the time of my first examinations there had been a change from cutting in, as historically the Single Spey was taught, to expecting a straight lift. Now, 25 years later, it is once again expected that an instructor will cut in when teaching this 90 degree angle change.
Fortunately, unless you are preparing for Instructor examinations, none of this will affect you! What you will find – or should find – is that cutting into the bank first and then sweeping out-stream with the line, should help turn the end of the line around 90 degrees so that it’s pointing straight at target. This “in-bank cut”, with the rod tip, is particularly important if you are using a long belly line such as the one that I’m fishing with here.
The dipping and acceleration of the rod tip, that I mention in this video, I’ve discussed in this series before. It’s certainly my preferred method since I feel that I can set a really positive anchor, particularly in windy conditions, or just with these longer belly lines that I fish it helps me to set up a nice V-loop.
To make the longer distance shot, a good tip with this cast would be to do something that I taught in the distance and competition videos earlier on – which is to Drag the rod at the beginning of the Casting Stroke (ie lead with the rod butt) and then to delay the haul until the rod is almost perpendicular to the line’s direction on the delivery (“no power until midnight” – is something I hear often). In distance we teach that as “everything happens late” – it doesn’t happen late of course, but it happens later than it would if it was earlier.
🙂
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Cheers, Paul