Casting get-together in the valley

[George Riddle]

OK guys and gals,
The Sports Complex is available in the evenings a few nights for the next couple weeks. The price is $110.00 for an hour. I have Mike at 3 Rivers on board to come and bring some rods for beta casting. I will set this up but I need serious committed people that won’t leave us in a lurch.
What I need from you is what night is good for you 8 or 9 pm and is there a rod you wish to cast. I will contact some other rod reps to see if they can bring rods or they can just contact me.
I need at least 10 casters @ $11 to make this happen. Ice is getting soft so this may be a chance to check out rods/lines and maybe get some tips.

I will wait till this Saturday Morning, if I don't get the responses I need I will drop this.

Let's hear from you!

[Mad Dog-11]

I'd like to learn how to cast a spey rod. I can go any night this week except Saturday. Next week, I should be available any night ("Tuesday the 21st would be good). thanks for setting it up.

[ak_powder_monkey]

for spey casting you really need to be on the water to do it right

[Mad Dog-11]

Ok, I thought maybe I could learn the fundamentals and since I don't have a spey rod, they might be able to provide one. Since there is not much open water around the valley yet, seemed like a good opportunity to learn...

[ak_powder_monkey]

Yea its fun to play around with the two handers and learn the basic casts just don't expect to load the rod in a gym, you might be able to get enough drag outside on grass or snow though. Just remember its toatlly different on the water. Have fun

[wldboar]

Ok, I thought maybe I could learn the fundamentals and since I don't have a spey rod, they might be able to provide one. Since there is not much open water around the valley yet, seemed like a good opportunity to learn...

I think it would be a great opportunity for you to get the feel of it. No water or not:cool:. Sounds like a good thing to me..I am checking my schedule as I type.

[FLYFSN]

I have to agree with Ak powder monkey. Most of your spey cast are water born anchored. there are a few air born anchor cast like the snake roll that you can practice. But most of your Speys will require water. lake or river. If you want to learn the rod path for particular casts that would be fine, but no line is needed outside the tip for rod path practice. If your a beginner, i would suggest a FFF certified instructor to start. They will be able to provide a rod for instruction as well. just my 2 cents

[George Riddle]

While I have only been speying for a year I did learn the basics on the foot ball field with Mark Huber in about an hour. This gave me the start and I worked on my cast (if you could call it that). Like I said I am not that experienced but I do disagree that you can't get the idea of what it takes by not casting with water. Granted you can't boom out 60-90 foot cast but I bet we could knock out some 30-40 footers which will fish on the Kvichak River that I spend my summers.

With all that there will be at least 2 casting instructors there if we schedule it right, and we can have some two hander’s there rigged. Also the floor in the complex is Astroturf so we will have some friction loading...

I need some confirmation and dates from those interested.

George

[ak_powder_monkey]

Astro turf might anchor nice with a grass leader, I'm just pointing out that its a tough way to learn and there is a huge difference between casting on flowing water, still water and grass/astro turf, so don't expect what you figure out on grass to nessisarily translate to the water. Two handers are fun to play around with, a switch with a shooting head could be good entertainment as well. Hae fun folks wish I could make it.

[George Riddle]

AKpowderMonk,
I just got a 5wt switch and hope to be testing some line for purchase. I will be mostly using it for lakes but will have it for some spring time creeks around the valley.

One thing I do know about spey casting is outside in real fishing situations with wind that can come from any directions the spey caster really needs to change tactics with the wind. The hook is really moving when it hits you in the crotchty area...:eek: and does some damage to waders as well.

Should be fun to get together with other forum members.

Have been trying to get a spey class/fishing trip set up on the Kvichak River (awesome spey river) for June but has fallen through. Oh well keep pluggin.

George

[HuntNphotos]

If you guys have one after 9 May I would be in. I am out of state for military training until then. Cant wait to get back. It should be spring by then I hope!

[ak_powder_monkey]

AKpowderMonk,
I just got a 5wt switch and hope to be testing some line for purchase. I will be mostly using it for lakes but will have it for some spring time creeks around the valley.

I was messing around with my 5 wt this afternoon, the AFS 4/5 no poly leader is freaking sick with a circle spey or snap T I bet scandi style casts you can load that rod up right on grass. The AFS is sick because its easy enough to over head and it turns over nice underhand, my rod is a 10.5 foot batson which will be sick for fishing streamers at some of the creeks in south central, which is something that nobody should try in august because it is not effective I'd love to throw a compact skagit on the thing and see how it throws its a little slow might be better suited to the skagit.

Anyway I'm super stoked on doing some skating with speys on the branch this summer althoug I think my little five weight might be over classed by a big mouse or something nothing the 7 with a skagit can't handle.

How are you setting up the switch for lakes? Regular Outbound head or what? I wish I had a Z axis switch or something that could chuck a shooter a long ways around here for beach fishing.

You know the grass leader trick right, leave the leader knots with super long tags so they get caught up a bit, you might try having someone hold down the leader to so people can feel the d loop load. Just some thoughts I still am pretty bad at spey casts.

[George Riddle]

Powder,
I don't know how I am going to set it up. Mike at 3 Rivers (one of the Cert. casting instructors) has recomended the SF Stealhead line, has a big long belly with a good head. Hoping to cast that at the get together. Sorry for the ingeous on my part but AFS? Once you share with me I expect a DUH moment...

George

[ak_powder_monkey]

the steelhead line is a great line, I have it on 2 of my overheaders but it really isn't made to spey cast, its just built wrong. Ahe AFS is from rio it comes in an integrated line and a shooting head, the nice thing about the shooting head is you can change out heads depending on what you'll be doing and its cheaper than buying new spools/ entire lines. I rave an AFS on both of my switch rods and the spey cast and overhead nicely, although with my longer 7 weight I need to come up with a longer cheater on it so it anchors a bit better. Other lines to look at are compact skagits (SA and airflow makes em) and compact scadinavian lines (the AFS is one also the Bheula elixer and airflow makes one) I really like skagit lines ther have a lot of power behind them but they are a bit too heavy to overhead nicely imo. The steelhead line would work ok if you are intending to use your switch primarily for over head and short spey and roll casts however if you wanna shoot lots of line with an underhand cast I haven't been able to do it with the steelhead line (which is also called the "expert distance" in lighter weights)

You might PM g_smolt for line advice, I'm still a rookie with the two hander, he seems to have tried just about every rod/line combo out there.

[George Riddle]

Powder,
Mostly fishing lakes with a little moveing water in the spring. By the time I get back from the lodge (mid Oct) the creeks have gone sterile.

Thanks for the advise and I will ping G_Smolt.

George