Casting Clinic…Introduction to Spey Casting – Featuring MFFC Club Member Barney Wong
The Huron River Fly Fishing Club (HRFFC) will be conducting a spey casting clinic on Saturday, October 3, at Riverside Park in Ann Arbor. The class will be conducted by Barny Wong, who is an avid spey caster and pioneer in this method, and is also working on some new rod designs for a major manufacturer. As a student of the physics and biomechanics of fly casting, Barny brings a great perspective to this up-and-coming technique, and you will no doubt leave the clinic having improved your overall fly casting and added some new elements to your repertoire.
HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE CLINIC
We are scheduling the class to start at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, and will add a second class on Saturday afternoon starting at 2:00 p.m. if enough people are interested so we can keep the class size reasonably small. For this reason, we require that you register for this class in advance by contacting John Zolan, Secretary/HRFFC, at 734-975-0234 or at jzolan@comcast.net. Please indicate your preference for a morning or afternoon session, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. Also, please indicate whether you can bring a two-handed spey or switch rod to the class, so we have an idea about how many loaner rods we have to come up with for this event.
The cost for the clinic is only $5 for club members and $25 for non-members, but you may join the club at the clinic; an annual membership in the HRFFC is $20. All proceeds from this clinic will be used to support the HRFFC’s educational and conservation efforts.
WHAT IS SPEY CASTING?
Spey casting can provide some great advantages if you’ve ever suffered from any of these….
? Ever had your flies end up in the trees during your back cast?
? Ever had your tandem rig become a bird’s nest?
? Ever had a sore shoulder/wrist from aerializing sinking lines for a period of time?
? Ever spooked fish from false casting?
? Ever had lines wrapped around you from trying a radical change of direction?
? Ever felt your flies could be on the water longer with longer drag free drift?
? Ever felt you wanted to bomb big flies with seriously heavy sinking heads at least 100′ all day?
? Ever stayed home because it was too windy (wind blowing line into you or casting into wind)?
Spey casting is a problem solving casting technique that addresses all of these issues. It is highly applicable to steelhead fishing or to fishing the Huron River, especially when high water forces you to fish standing close to the bank, giving you no room for a backcast. Spey casting is a type of powerful roll cast which allows you to quickly and easily change direction while giving you more distance for less effort. It can be practiced with a conventional, single-handed rod and line or refined using a double-handed rod and specialized lines.
It also allows you to not spook fish by eliminating the need for a backcast or false casting, and it also allows you to increase your payload (weighted flies or sinking tips) while reducing your casting effort. Spey casting is an efficient and enjoyable technique to add to your arsenal.
CLINIC DETAILS
This clinic will cover both single-handed and two-handed casting techniques, including the switch cast and the snake roll. Bring your favorite fly rod and line with you, preferably a 5-weight or more and preferably with a double-tapered rather than a weight-forward line. If you have a two-handed spey or switch rod, you should bring that as well. Because much of the class will be conducted in the river, bring your waders. Also, be sure to bring sunglasses or some form of eye protection just to be on the safe side in case you make a mistake while learning these powerful new techniques.
Here are some YouTube videos to give you a better feel for what spey casting is all about…
