Tracy&James | Wednesday, 29 January 2025
I have started learning to Spey cast this year, for competition casting though, not to go salmon fishing. I'm not sure I can be bothered with the fishing aspect when I frequently hear about the lack of salmon being caught in the UK. However one of my friends did catch a lovely salmon last year during one of her annual Scottish trips, so maybe one day I might have a go.
At the moment, I really need to work out how to use the 'correct' hand when casting a double hander. I am so used to casting single handed rods, that to use both hands appropriately is tricky for me. Whether I cast left or right handed, I am finding it difficult to predominantly use the bottom hand. I have started trying to only hold the rod in the top hand with two fingers – whether this is the best way, I am unsure, but it does sort of work – sometimes. I am also finding, as this style of casting is alien to me, that I learn better by watching someone else to understand the movements and the way to check that the cast is correct by seeing how the line should 'anchor' – and also where it should 'anchor'.
I hadn't realised until recently that I am a 'visual' learner for Spey casting. I started single handed fly casting over thirty years ago and I can't really remember how I learnt. When I think about how I pick up new techniques, then I do find it easier to view a video, or watch someone, to understand the cast and then repeat it myself, often by breaking down the cast into movements. Unfortunately when I try to then put all the movements together, sometimes I lose fluidity and the cast doesn't work, so it takes me a little longer (certainly more time than James) to get the technique correct and a lot longer to get it 'perfect'. I have never considered myself a natural fly caster, like James, so I do find I need to practice more, though I never do enough practice to get it quite right.
With Spey casting, I am also finding it easier to hum a rhythm in my head as this seems to assist me in going slow when I should and quicker on the delivery. So perhaps I am also an 'aural' learner. It is often recognised that a person learns in different ways dependant on what they are doing rather than by only one approach. In my work situation, I learn by writing down notes and reading them, however I don't find this approach helpful with casting.
Switching hands is also confusing as I don't consider myself that dexterous so I am practising by performing a right handed cast, then immediately switching to do a left handed one – both with a snake roll or a single Spey cast. Both ways feel odd, so hopefully this way I won't end up dominant with either hand for Spey. For single handed casting, I definitely cannot cast left handed and haul right handed and when I have tried, it goes badly pretty quickly.
I also need to start picking up my practice for accuracy for the first competition this year, which will be in Spain on March 1st. The UK weather isn't helping at the moment as we seem to be getting a series of storms in the UK. The ground is sodden, if not flooded, in our usual casting fields, so it is slippy and muddy. As my knee is still causing me a problem, I am concerned about twisting and causing more damage, however I'm going to do some practise over the next couple of days as it's predicted to be 'dry' and calm.
POD Courtesy of Chris Avery.
Cheers
Tracy