The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

are LAUGHING our asses off!!!

Well, without reading ALL of the posts, there regrettably haven't been very many helpful replies ( a combination of a lack of terminology ( I do NOT like having to use inexact terms for several different possible actions) and a mild tendency of SOME individuals to read part of a paragraph and presume that they have understood the entire question (yes, I have done this myself).
Once again, what I did was- at the end of the drift (35 ft. 10 ft. leader), to raise the rod tip until the leader butt was visible, I then grasped the fighting butt of the rod (8wt. Scott A2)with my off hand and jerk the butt sideways so that the rod wound level and the line (8wt. windcutter)ended up pointed 90 degrees directly across the stream (note- NO backcast) as my equipment apparently has a rather narrow range of energy (too much and the cast ends up directly upstream in a fairly loose mess) original question perhaps should have been- does anyone have any ideas on how I might (with out spending hundreds of dollars) be able to raise the upper energy limit.
p.s. I do have a 10 wt. rod if necessary (10wt. rod + 8wt.line can = big browns.
p.p.s. Clearer?

learning a new cast is free (1.7mb warning)... :P: Sorry doug don't think a 90deg change is suited to the cast you're using.

All I know is that it works,
(I was told about this by a speycasting instructor)

You answered your own question in that you are using too much energy at the start of the cast. You have to ensure the leader and fly remain in the water to provide drag. As far as your assertions that we did not provide you with useful information, you admitted that perhaps you didn't provide enough to start with and asked an entirely different question at the end. Are you a democrat? Buy a complete spey outfit, take lessons to learn how to cast it and fish with your Scott as it's intended to be fished.

Wow! Charlie's been eating his Wheaties lately!

FWIW I'm no spey expert, buy it sounds like too much energy to me as well. As I recall from Bellyboat and Mark N.'s fine instructions, you only want to pull the leader to roughly in front of you. Haven't had a chance to use those skills lately....

I know (who better?)that excess power causes the problem, I'm trying to determine the best way (without spending hundreds of dollars) of increasing the energy required, whether more line, lighter line or heavier line.

In an earlier reply you said that your rod, "apparently has a rather narrow range of energy". This is true because it is intended to be used for things like overhand casting, etc. IMHO you are just not going to get a good spey cast with only 35' of line (ANY line, regardless of taper or labeled line weight) using a 9' single-handed rod with or without a fighting butt. Maybe it can be done, but that's not the purpose for which the rod was designed. However, 35' will rollcast well.