Spey rig

[jhammer 0]

I've dabbled in spey casting a few times and I'm just browsing around at this point for a spey set-up that's good for someone who's just starting out. I know some of the basics of it, but I believe it would be extremely handy for the kind of fishing I do. (Warmwater fly casting where you need distance with limited space behind you.) I would be throwing small size 8-12 clousers and small weighted flies. I was thinking about a 7 weight, but I had an 8 weight in mind as well because I've encountered rather large carp, freshwater drum and catfish. I just don't want to go too heavy and take the fight out of smaller fish as well like small LB, crappie, and white bass. Of course, it's even more confusing when you add line types, casting styles, tips, and leaders! Yikes! :wallbash:

[Steve P 0]

I've been toying with the same idea for the same reason for about a year now J..... just haven't gotten it all right in my head yet but I think I am looking at building a Batson RX7 in a 13' 7wt. but again I am not 100% on what I want exactly.

 

Steve

[JoeS FTF 0]

I was on the Grand Rhonde last year and was impressed watching some very good Spey casters. Where I live there is no one familiar with Spey casting to get purchasing guidance or casting assistance. I called many shops in Or and Wa to get help. Every store had a different solution. I felt good with the recommendation of one store so I proceeded to purchase a TFO TF 7/8 130 rod and Rio Skagit Flight 525 gr 6 pack kit ( they suggested the Skagit as it would be easier to learn casting). Along with it I purchased two DVD's. Rio Modern Spey Casting and Spey casting by John Hazel. Both these DVD's are good with Rio being a 3 disc set. More confusion as each person in the video has a different way of casting! The nearby stream forms a pool just before entering the ocean so I used it even though most of the time the water does not flow unless the tide is going out.

 

I started with the floating head and after a hour I left shaking my head (what am I getting into, its clunky and not pleasant like fly casting). Called Rio and they said use a sinking head as it would give a better anchor, called the shop and they said no, continue with floating head. So I split the difference and went with a two ft sink tip. After about 12 trips I find I can cast using the "snap T" or the "lift and drop" method and cast the head and almost all the shooting line but not consistently. After all these years with a one handed rod I want to cast the two handed rod using one hand. It seems like each step in the cast is very critical.

 

I decided to try a different line and purchased a Steelhead Scandi of 450gr. This line feels more comfortable and feels more like casting a fly line rather than a chunk of lead (Skagit line). I rechecked the catalogs and find the Skagit line is more for heavy winter fishing which I dont do. My steelhead fishing is all fall fishing and decided it was a mistake to buy the Skagit for my type of fishing. Oh yes, another confusing point. When using the Scandi the overall length is critical. You will need to add a "poly" leader to get the total line/leader combination to specific lengths. In my case it was a 14 ft poly with 6 ft of regular leader.

 

I had someone take videos of me so I could see what I was doing (wrong?). It seems to be that I am not forming a large enough D loop to store energy and using one hand to cast.

 

A person I occasionally fish with purchased a Spey rod months before I did and went to a nearby large town to take lessons. To this date he still is unable to cast reasonably well even though he is a pretty good one hand caster.

 

I hope this gives some insight as the Spey system is intimidating. When I call the shop and talk to different sales person (or guides) each one gives me a different answer. It ends up you have to figure it out on your own.

 

Thanks Joe S

[Rocco 0]

I also am new to the Spey game and have read the articles ,. a book or two, invested in two outfits -- 13' 7 weigth and 10.5' 6-7 switch rod -- and 'got the t-shirt' as they say. No stream work yet as the Spey experiment was also an incentive to overcome some health issues which finally seems to be happening. As I head toward the water with the long rods though, I'm wary of falling into bad habits and blowing my chance at enjoying this promising system.

 

By luck, I recently met a guy who is a spark plug behind a local FFF chapter that specializes in Spey casting for anadramous fish in the Potomac River network. He really knows his stuff and is an avid teacher/evangelist in Spey casting. He has already helped me fine tune my rod and line combos to get me off to a good start. Hopefully, the first lessons will be soon. I would love to get proficient by fall with these rods. I want to Spey cast for Atlantic salmon in Canada.

 

Good luck to you too,

Rocco

[jhammer 0]

After some debating, I think I'm going to use a skagit type outfit for the fishing I do. I use big, heavy flies for freshwater drum, channel and flathead catfish, and carp. I use extra weight and strike indicators, so a skagit system should turn over those rigs better than a scandi or a traditional outfit.