Anglers use double-handed rods to effectively fish East Coast salt water for bluefish and striped bass, in the Rockies for large trout, and in Great Lakes and West Coast streams for steelhead and salmon. Photo from Spey Casting, (Stackpole Books, 2004).

Intro | Steelhead | Trout | Salt Water | Lines | Spey Standards | 2-Handed Rods

wo-handed rods were once viewed as the exclusive domain of gentlemen anglers on Scottish salmon rivers. Now rod manufacturers in the United States see increased demand for two-handed rods from every quarter of the country. Trout fisherman in the Rockies, striped bass and bluefish anglers on the East Coast, Great Lakes steelheaders, and smallmouth bass and shad fishers on large Eastern rivers are all taking advantage of the benefits of two-handed rods, and tackle manufacturers are making lightweight, modern rods and specialized lines to fit these needs.

Spey casting is named after the River Spey in Scotland where strong flows on many rivers prevent deep wading and thick brush or rocky outcrops block backcasts. Anglers there developed change-of-direction casts called Spey casts that lift the line from downstream and project the line across-stream at varying angles. Single Spey and double Spey casts are used to accomplish similar presentations but accommodate variations like the direction of river flow (which bank you are standing on) and the direction of the wind. Modern anglers have modified and expanded the Spey vocabulary with casts like the snake roll, invented by Simon Gawesworth, and the snap-t. Spey casts can be made with a single-handed or two-handed rod, and a two-handed rod can also be used for straight-forward overhead casts.

Learning to Spey Cast

The best way to learn to Spey cast is through personal instruction at one of the many Spey-casting schools offered through fly shops across the country. Video instruction is the next best alternative.

The three best videos are Spey MasterClass with Derek Brown (Angler's Book Supply, 65 minutes, VHS, $34.95), International Spey Casting with Simon Gawesworth, Jim Vincent, and Leif Stavmo (Rio Products, 80 minutes, VHS $30, DVD $39.95), and The Essence of Spey Casting with Mel Krieger (Krieger Enterprises, 50 minutes, $29.95, VHS or DVD).

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Simon Gawesworth's book, Spey Casting, (Stackpole Books, 2004, $49.95) is the first modern, comprehensive treatment of Spey-casting and is also an excellent resource with photo sequences and illustrations of Spey casting.

Rio (www.rioproducts.com) Spey lines come with an 80-page booklet called Basic Spey and Two Handed Fly Rod Casting and www.speyborn.com has a calendar of Simon Gawesworth's casting schools across the country.

Ross Purnell is editorial director of Fly Fisherman. This story first appeared in the September 2004 issue.

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