An illustration of a double-handed fly cast from The Salmon Fly by George M. Kelson (1895)

Spey casting is a casting technique used in fly fishing. Spey casting requires a longer, heavier two-handed fly rod, referred to as a Spey rod.^[1]

Spey casting is used for fishing large rivers for salmon and large trout such as steelhead and sea trout. Spey technique is also used in saltwater surf casting. All of these situations require the angler to cast larger flies long distances. The two-handed Spey technique allows more powerful casts and avoids obstacles on the shore by keeping most of the line in front of the angler.

While there are many variations of the Spey cast, the basic technique is broken down into a few simple actions.^[1][2] With the fly line floating directly downstream, the angler first lifts the line off the water with the tip of the rod. The angler then sweeps the line backwards just above the water, and allows just the fly and leader to "anchor" the cast by touching the water one to two rod lengths away. This back-cast is often referred to as the "D-loop", from the curving shape of the line between the anchor and the tip of the rod. The cast is completed by firing the line forward with a sharp two-handed "push-pull" motion on the handle of the rod. The cast is most easily compared to a roll cast in one-handed fly fishing, although by using the fly as an anchor, a Spey cast allows a greater loading of the rod and thus achieves greater distance than a one-handed cast.

This technique was developed on the River Spey in Scotland.^[2] In the United States, the Skagit River in Washington is a well known Spey casting location, particularly for steelhead.

[edit] References

It is here that Spey casting has emerged as Skagit casting.

[edit] Further reading

• Gawesworth, Simon (2004). Spey Casting. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0811701042. 

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