Hi,
Summary
After 1 full day of casting lessons, we fished 2 full days and 2 half days. I fought 4 steelhead and landed 2. My buddy fought 3.
Casting Class
Two of us spent most of the past week in Maupin, fishing the Deschutes for steelhead. We started the week by taking the spey casting class from the Deschutes Angler, taught by Jon and Amy Hazel. This was my first time touching a spey rod, so I was a rank beginner.
The class was taught on the river. We floated downriver for about a mile before touching a rod. We learned the switch, circle, and double spey casts on river left. Then, after lunch, we went downstream and learned the same casts on river right.
"Lecture" was in river, with either Jon or Amy demonstrating casting, and common errors (plus how to fix the errors). The practice portion had both rotating between each student for personal lesson. There were 6 students total.
We also had on stream lessons on steelheading with spey rods. Where to cast, which flies to use, detecting strikes and what to do if the fish was on (fighting and landing), and what to do if it was a miss (try again
)
Overall, the class was a very effective way to get up the learning curve for fishing with a spey rod. The 8 hours was definitely not enough time for me to become an accomplished caster, but I had the basic knowledge down and ability to diagnose my cast myself. After the next 3 full days of fishing, I was making decent 70 foot casts with the double spey at least 4 out of 5 casts.
I was very frustrated with my inability to cast spey. I knew, though, that I would catch on and stuck with it. To make your first casts, there are about a dozen things you have to remember (lift line off the water, sweep over for the setup, finish the setup with rod on left shoulder at a 45 degree angle, sweep rod to right keeping 45 degree angle until D loop forms, keep anchor in water, make sure flyline is off water, pause, cast vertically - in the correct direction, power with bottom hand..._) you get the picture. This was not easy to start.
However, once getting the basic cast down without having to remember everything, I could fish and practice while improving only one thing at a time.
Good thing with steelheading, I had plenty of opportunities to practice casting
Two other benefits of spey casting:
- I didn't lose any flies - with no backcast I didn't have the opportunity to get hung up
- I could wade close to the bank, better able to cover the shallow water and a bit safer wading
Fishing Report
Fresh casting lessons and with a new Beulah spey rod, we fished the Deschutes for steelhead. I was skunked the first day and a half. The next full day of fishing, though, I fought 3 fish, landing 2. Two of the fish took green butt skunk, and 1 a rusty orange skating fly. The photo below shows my first steelhead, a hatchery hen.
Overall, I had a great time on a great river with a good friend.
John
Favoured: 0
