Learning syllabus - certifications

[Graeme H]

I'll offer an alternative answer Pom ...

I really struggled to get my Spey casting going in any meaningful way with standard lines. I switched over (pun intended) to a Rio Single Handed Spey line and had immediate results, allowing me to shoot a dynamic roll cast out to ~75' (and hence all the other spey casts to the same distance after learning them). It also dramatically improved my static roll casting skills.

By learning on the line designed to make those casts easy, I refined my skills to the point when I can now do it with any line I use. But the Rio line was my "training wheel" line that catapulted my skills during the steep learning curve as a beginner in this skill set.

Cheers,
Graeme

[Paul Arden]

Yep two options there. I don’t know. I’m more than happy to teach Single handed Spey casting to hitting targets at 30-40’. That can be done with any line.

Using Spey casts is an integral part of my fishing and has been since before I officially “learned” them. Spey lines are a recent phenomenon. They are basically the equivalent of shooting heads. With similar advantages and disadvantages.

Cheers, Paul

[Stoatstail50]

Here's a thought though... if you used that to build up a technique to make good speys and jump rolls would those skills achieved be transferable to longer profiles or would you be left frustrated and needing to relearn an adjusted technique?

Agree with Graeme, yes they’d be transferable and you have to micro-adjust your movements anyway whenever you cast with different gear. Once you have the general pattern in your head, you’ll work it out.

[VGB]

thanks for the replies... a 34' head! not sure if i will writing to santa claus about that one,

but be fun t try it next year vince if we end up at the same BFCC

Here's a thought though... if you used that to build up a technique to make good speys and jump rolls would those skills achieved be transferable to longer profiles or would you be left frustrated and needing to relearn an adjusted technique?
thanks
pom

Horses for courses Pom, the line brings home in a dramatic way the problems with carrying too far into the overhang for their ability. Even for geeky casting, it challenges your ability. On a windless day, I can keep it together about 15ft into the overhang before it gets intolerably ugly. It’s a very good line in wind and I am prone to fishing more than baw deep, so it’s handy for Speys.

As mentioned above, you do build up transferable skills whichever line you learn with, some are just easier to use though. I watched Chris Rownes demo in Munich this year, giving the cadence by humming a waltz. Timing is everything in Speys imo, I had too many years with the drumming muppet going in my head.

Regards

Vince

[Paul Arden]

The slipped poke aka Tongariro Roll really does change things because you can fish the fly out close you your feet, roll downstream, make any Spey move to position the anchor and then with a slipped poke/TR set up a really strong final D/V loop.

With practise line can be slipped on every component to the cast, both Lift and Sweep. This means that the casts with additional movements (Double Spey, Circle Spey and Snap T) have more opportunity to slip line when repositioning line, compared to Single Spey and Snake Roll.

For me as a coach that’s what I want to teach students to be able to do when fishing, because lifting 34’ of line, making a Spey cast to 65’ only has only so much practical use.

At a minimum I think you also need Reach, Curve Mends and Collapsed Cast on all.

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A beginner student of mine sent me this photo because he was practising his roll casts this week and asked me how to go from the line downstream (the dangle) to across stream without wrapping the line around the tip. He certainly doesn’t need to learn to Spey cast 65’ here (because he’ll be fishing for cows in the field on the other side of the river), but he needs to be able to position the anchor.

Cheers, Paul

[Lasse Karlsson]

65 feet for a modest downstream anglechange to fish the flies slower wouldn't be a bad thing for your beginner further on Paul, would it?

Cheers
Lasse

[Paul Arden]

If the chap starts casting 65’ on this river then I’m doing a very poor job of teaching him to fish.

If ultimately he wants to make slack line casts and stack mends to fish downstream at 65’ and more, then more power to him. But there is no need to cast 65’ here.

[Lasse Karlsson]

There's always a need, don't tell me you've grown up?

[Paul Arden]

Biggest single fishing mistake is to cast too far. I’ve been saying that for a very long time indeed!!

[VGB]

Why do you need a line with a 62ft head, it will encourage you to cast too far. You need a brick on a string