Spey fly fishing catch styles

Aspects of the basic mechanics involved in this type of release

This article does not pretend to tell again the story of the birth of the Spey, if it was here or there, or just to list the different catch, styles and uses of Spey. You will not find in him the movements necessary to execute the thrown ones.

Its true purpose will be to describe, for those interested - believe me you should be interested - some key aspects of the basic mechanics involved in this type of release, so that you can make the most of your possibilities, regardless of whether you use one or two reeds hands.

Roll Cast The conventional roll covers the need to perform a throw in places where it is not possible to extend the line in the rear cast. Its biggest drawback is that it is one of the least efficient launches that can be made to extend a fly line.

The most obvious and worrisome reason is that more line must be extended than can be accelerated with the launch impulse. That is to say, that there is more passing line - dead line -, than accelerated line - alive line -.

There are more reasons that at the moment I prefer to omit to not complicate the matter, but that also contribute to the low efficiency of this haul. Spey1 How much line has been accelerated?

The highlighted in red, which corresponds only to the one that hung from the fly rods, plus the small amount that has been incorporated as the forward momentum advances. If we want the whole line to be extended, we must accelerate that line alive enough to extend it, plus the rest of the line ... almost nothing! If anyone is wondering if that acceleration is the same as that needed to extend the same amount of line but ready for a throw over the head, the answer is NO; you need more, much more.

Switch Cast It seems then evident that the way to improve the efficiency of conventional rolling is to get more live line and less dead line. This requires arranging the line with a configuration that is noticeably different from that of conventional rolling, and for that, it will be necessary to do more than drag the line through the water until it hangs from the tip of the switch fly rod behind the fisherman.

Here comes into play the concept of loop in D-D loop in English. A loop in D does not seem more than a rear throw that does not extend completely as a result of hitting part of the fly line corresponding to the leg of the fly's loop against the water -which will be the anchor in English. Highlight in green-. What is achieved in this way is a greater amount of live line in the set, in a better alignment with the target and that also most of the dead line is not attached to the water. It seems a good idea, right? It would only be necessary to make the front shot with the necessary timing so that the dead line does not fall into the water.

Spey2 On this occasion, the live line is roughly half of the set, which makes the dynamic rolling more efficient than conventional rolling. But ... why? Why do you say it? No man, our friend in common says, physics.

Since the acceleration that we can print with our arm is limited, the only way to get more Strength seems to be to increase the mass we accelerate. Although it seems a lie, your arm accelerate a few grams more is not inconvenient. Since the distance during which we can apply Force is also limited, the only way to get more Work is to increase the Force.

It seems clear the path of the "loop", right? If I want to get more Work on the line, and since the distance during which I can apply Force is limited, the only thing I can do is increase the Force. And if I want to increase the Force, as the acceleration that I can print with the arm is also limited, the only thing I can do is increase the mass.roll, and why a dynamic roll is less efficient than a thrown over the head.

The D-loop is undoubtedly the most important part of a dynamic round (and therefore, of a Spey), so some considerations must be taken into account during its formation. One of the most important aspects is alignment; with respect to the trajectory that the toe of the rod will follow towards the objective, as in relation to the legs of the loop in D in the vertical plane (if we saw the one launched from above).

Why? Because what is interesting is that the force applied in the forward impulse is used to move the line forward, and not to bring the line to the path that the toe of the rod has followed. It would be the equivalent of tracking in a shot above the head (in the vertical plane). In the same way leaving the legs of the loop in D crossed with each other, would almost certainly cause the legs of the loop to collide during the front throw or even have an undesired accident.

The anchor And what does the anchor look like in this whole story? In principle, it has two fundamental functions that are, on the one hand, to slow down the extension of the rear release during the formation of the D-loop, and on the other hand to prevent the dead line from moving backwards during the forward momentum -what is known as skidding anchor - and you can end up with a fly in the vegetation, or worse, stuck in some part of your body.

Therefore, the amount of line that the anchor must form is variable and will depend on several factors: -Quantity of line. The greater the amount of line, the longer anchor length. - Acceleration of the line. The greater the acceleration of the line during the forward momentum, the greater the anchor length. -Mase of the fly. The greater the mass of the fly, the shorter the anchor length. -Density of the fly. The higher the density of the fly (especially if it sinks), the shorter the anchor length. And where to place the anchor? Here, there, a little ahead, a little behind, a fly rod away.

It is a matter of balance and needs. The most important thing you already know: you should go in that position where you can get as much live line as possible, but do not skid and allow the dead line to move backwards when you do the forward drive. Also keep in mind that it must be in a position that allows the legs of the loop in D are as parallel and aligned with the target, to avoid the loss that we have seen in the previous section. It is convenient to remember the importance that the line forming the anchor is well stretched and straight; the more, the better.

The force that opposes the line anchored to skate varies substantially depending on how it is arranged Released Spey I consider that one of the most accurate definitions for the Spey catch could be the following: "a line repositioning movement followed by a dynamic roll". The movement of repositioning of line before dynamic rolling is what usually gives name to each Spey cast lines (Single Spey, Double Spey, Snake Roll, Snap T, Snap C, Snap Z, Perry Poke, etc), being some singles and others so extravagant that its sole purpose could seem more visual than functional.

All these line repositions are intended to arrange the line in such a way that it is possible to form the loop in D as much as possible aligned with the trajectory of the target. If the repositioning movement includes the formation of the loop in D, it is said to be a "splash and go" type spey (as others have rightly defined), whereas if the repositioning puts the line in the water to later form the loop in D, is said to be a spey "waterborne".

The line in the Spey Fly rods, profile of the line is supposed to be fundamental for the Spey launch, so there are specific profiles for Spey. While some other lines are perfectly adapted to this type of launch, the most suitable profile will be one that allows us to place the greatest possible mass in the live line and the lowest possible mass in the dead line. But why? For now and until further notice, apply what has already been explained in previous sections.

Spey5 Assuming two lines with the profile indicated in the above drawing, for an 18-meter throw not counting the line bass, line A will have a live line with greater mass than the dead line. While line B will have a live line with less mass than the dead line. The D-loop formed by line A will allow a more efficient launch than that formed by line B;