Tour Scotland Video Spey Casting Scottish Game Fair Scone Perthshire



Tour Scotland video of a Spey Casting demonstration at the Scottish Game Fair on the grounds of Scone Palace, by Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. Spey casting is a casting technique used in fly fishing. Spey casting can be accomplished with either a normal length fly rod, or a rod referred to as a double handed fly rod, often called a Spey rod. Spey rods can also be used for standard overhead casting. Spey casting is used for fishing large rivers for salmon and large trout such as steelhead and sea trout. Spey technique is also used in saltwater surf casting. All of these situations require the angler to cast larger flies long distances. The two handed Spey technique allows more powerful casts and avoids obstacles on the shore by keeping most of the line in front of the angler. Spey casting originated in the heart of Scotland in the mid 1800s. The name comes from the River Spey in Scotland, which is where the cast originated, presumably at Gordon Castle Estate and Wester Elchies beat. Therefore, the Spey cast was developed so one could successfully cast on a large river such as the Spey. When Spey casting was introduced, 22 foot rods were used. These rods were made of greenheart, a heavy wood imported from British Guyana. Today, rods are only 12 to 15 feet in length, and can toss a line up to 80 feet.

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