The Lift in Spey casting

[Bendix]

Hi All

I have been using a DH rod for Salmon fishing for many years, and I like to think that I’m pretty decent at doing different types of Spey and Switch casts.
But one thing I’ve always been doing, is a pretty fast lift of the line off the water, before the sweep into the D-loop. I do this to get the cast going quickly, and also to avoid having the fly snag on the bottom of the river (I always use sinking shooting heads in my local river). And this has always been functioning for me, and I have never seen the need to change my cast.

But during the last couple of years, I’ve been watching a lot of casting videos on YouTube, about doing the Spey/Switch cast. And in these videos, the Instructor always stresses that you should do a very slow lift of the line, before sweeping into the D-loop. And when I say slow, I mean really slow!
I’ve seen respected people like Simon Gawesworth and Tellis Katsogiannos say this, plus many other great DH casters, whose names I can’t remember.

I should perhaps point out, that I didn’t learn to Spey cast from an Instructor, but instead I’m self taught. But like I said, I have been using a DH rod for many years.

So my question is, how important is it to do a slow lift of the line before the sweep? And should I perhaps start practicing and teaching myself to do it this way? Or should I just carry on doing what I’ve been doing so far, seeing that it apparently works for me?

Cheers
Bendix

[Lasse Karlsson]

Hi Bendix

If what you're doing is enough for you, then there's no reason to change. If you have a suspicion that it could be better, then try it out.
Slowing the lift down helps in controlling the line, and to be more accurate in your movements.

Cheers
Lasse

[Paul Arden]

It’s also a bit cleaner and less disturbing to lift the line completely before the Sweep. There can be an issue when the line suddenly becomes unstuck and flies back at you, or you can fail to turn the line around fully because you lost some of the Sweep to the Lift.

Having said that, I wouldn’t stress style over function. If it works it works.

Cheers, Paul

[Bendix]

Hi Lasse and Paul

Thanks for your replies.

It seems like I should just keep doing what I do now, as you both suggest.

Anyway, my local river closes for fishing in 10 days from today, and if I’m lucky, I might only have one short opportunity to go fishing before it’s over. So it’s maybe a bit too late to start experimenting with my casting… But the advantages you both mention with a slow lift, makes me want to try it out when the new season begins next year.

So again, thanks for your suggestions!

Cheers
Bendix