The Jim Rusher Spey School
Why do I want to spey cast?
While most people cast only with one hand, there are numerous reasons for the two handed spey cast:
- There is no false casting.
- You do not need to worry about what's behind you - there is no backcast. (And no more annoying little snap as your line moves forward and your fly sails off in the opposite direction).
- Instead of fighting the wind you use it to help you cast - the loop is always downwind. 1.You rarely get hit by your hook.
- Spey casting makes changing direction easy.
- With the "long rod" as they are called, 14'-16' on average, it is easier to control and mend the line.
- The 60-80 foot range cast is easy and the longer cast is there if you need it.
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 Goh & Noko Hotoda, Jim & Marna Rusher, Ed Riely, and Fred Brand
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During periods of high water, spey casting has many advantages over the single handed cast. The spey caster does not need to wade deep into the water in order to change direction of the cast. Many times I have seen a one hander standing in water where the fish normally hold. Under normal conditions the spey caster doesn't need to be more than 4-5 feet from the shore line. The speycaster uses the wind to his advantage. If the wind is upstream, it's a single spey cast while a downstream breeze lends itself to a double spey cast. Often a one handed caster has much more difficulty casting if the wind is coming from his casting side. This forces him to cast knowing the fly is going to come very close to him as it passes or will actually hit the caster in the head or shoulder. During the cast the speyer uses the wind to enlarge the loop developing on his windward side, thus keeping the fly well away from the caster. Most one handed casters need at least one to three false casts to change direction. Speycasters, no matter the length of the line used, change direction with one quick stroke. The speyer has his line in the water more than the single hander and therefore is much more productive. Most one hander casters say distance
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 A Maurice Noel Spey Reel
for Atlantic Salmon
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doesn't mean much to them, but they do take one or two false casts to achieve the end result - a longer cast. (So clearly length does matter - at least that has been resolved!) By utilizing the spey cast changing direction and increasing the range of the cast is easy. Distance in spey casting is a by-product of the cast. Why not use less effort to achieve the same result? If more distance is required, it's there - in the long rod and spey cast.
About Jim Rusher
After college I was a member of the Professional Golfer's Association. As a club professional I spent most of my time teaching the game of golf to all levels of students; from beginner to proficient. During my tenure as a PGA instructor, I taught more than 2000 students. Through the years I developed an eye for the subtle nuances of body mechanics that could mean the difference between a great round of golf and one you would rather forget. I also developed a sense of how to best teach each individual i.e. how does this person process new information. Some people are more visual while some are more verbal, some are sequential while others are more global. In 1983 we purchased Whitaker's Sport Shop in Pulaski, New York. The Salmon River is a hydro-electric river which accommodated one of the finest
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 Whitney & Allison Bailey with
Jim Rusher and his canoe by the Matapedia
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Steelhead fisheries in the world. I quickly became a NY registered guide and began teaching fly fishing on the Salmon River teaching both single handed casting and two handed spey casting.
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