BOW RIVER TROUTFITTERS
One of the most common questions we are asked in the shop and one that is commonly seen on internet forums is “How do I learn to cast a two handed or “spey” rod?”
Fishing with two-handed rods has exploded in popularity recently. New rods and lines have made it easier than ever to pick up spey casting, but the new setup and variety of lines can make learning this new way of casting and presenting a fly quite daunting.
Spey casting is essentially a form of aerialized roll cast with a change of direction. It uses a loop of line (the D loop) that is anchored in the water by the tip or even the leader, thus providing enough resistance to allow the rod to load as it would in the overhead cast. It is mostly used for swinging or skating flies. This is accomplished by casting across the river and letting the fly drag back across to the dangle below you. Drag in this case is good, as is a tight line to control and feel the fly.
There are many advantages to two-handed casting, so let’s look at those and also decode shooting heads for spey fishing.
A huge advantage to fishing two-handed rods is the amount of water you can cover with relatively little effort as compared to single-hand rods. The ability to cast 60-80 feet with relative ease and without the need for false casting means your fly is in the water longer and is being presented to any fish between whatever distance you can cast and where you are standing. One needn’t be intimidated by two-handed rods nowadays. In the past, it was often difficult to obtain lines to really make the rods come “alive”, but now with line manufacturers recognizing the increasing popularity of two-handed techniques and wanting to capitalize on the market share these anglers represent, they have made it very easy to perfectly match lines to your rod of choice. In addition, resources such as YouTube and social media have dramatically reduced the amount of time it takes to learn to cast a two-handed rod, better yet, a couple hours on the water with a casting instructor will have you fishing the swing the same day.
What is a shooting head?
A shooting head is a relatively short section of fly line (head) looped at both ends. A level running/shooting line is looped to the back end and depending on the front taper of the head, a tapered leader or sink tip/poly leader is looped to the front end. In fact, if one were to look closely at modern weight-forward fly lines, they could be considered as shooting heads save for the fact they are integrated with a running line.