Casting for Beginners

[rubberwellie]

I recently had my first speycasting lesson and was surprised at how difficult I found it. Having flyfished for trout for years I thought it would be easy.

I was using a 15" Shakespeare Oracle (3 piece) with a 10/11 RIO AFS shooting head. I was also casting off my left shoulder whereas using a single hander I would naturally cast off my right.

I've not made it back for a second session yet as I work away from home for extended periods. My instructor said that I did pretty well for my first time as I was managing to put out a decent line some of the time but I did find it quite difficult.

Would it be any easier to pick up with a slightly shorter rod and a spey line? I have heard that beginners shouldn't use shooting heads but have also heard that the RIO AFS would be fine.

[scanny]

There's nothing wrong with using an oracle and Afs, but it's not the most balanced outfit to learn on.

A 10/11 Airflo Delta 55' line would be a better option for getting to grips with Spey casting.

The Afs is going to be harder work on the oracle as it's a mid action, than say a Diawa wilderness Xt which is a tip action

An instructor can show you the basic casts, explain the technique, but the part you have to learn is the feel-how much effort to place your anchor, or on the roll cast.

A chap at the casting club bought a Shakespeare odyssey and greys line, he tried an Afs on a 13' Diawa Wilderness and after the first cast was delighted. Two different set ups and different techniques.

It was night and day to him, a balanced shooting head set up was for him.

Try a few rod set ups and see what you can feel on each, and start linking what actions and lines suit you.

There's a few instructors on here and grilles who have taught many people, who are a great help.

I would try get an airflo delta short 10/11 of eBay and see how it feels, shouldn't be more than £25.

[chernobylant]

AFS is a great line to start with, ma pal underghillie uses it to teach a lot of beginners.

[rubberwellie]

Cheers scanny thats a good idea, I'll borrow my mates set up and have a play with that.

Im happy to stick with the AFS as Im sure I'll get better with time, just wondered if the shorter rod and spey line would be any easier. I'd rather wait till I have grasped the basics before I go buying more gear. Although my instructor did suggest getting a 14 footer and keeping the oracle as a spare as it would be hard work.

[scanny]

The reason the oracle will be hard work is the action. Ideally your wanting a mid to tip action rod to cast a shooting head, the oracles mid, so you need to work harder to cast it, when it should be nothing harder than a flick.

Pick yourself up a Guideline Awm 14'9 and use that with the afs instead, a far easier and balanced setup to use.

[strathglass]

May 1, 2011 8:05:33 GMT scanny said:

The reason the oracle will be hard work is the action. Ideally your wanting a mid to tip action rod to cast a shooting head, the oracles mid, so you need to work harder to cast it, when it should be nothing harder than a flick.

Pick yourself up a Guideline Awm 14'9 and use that with the afs instead, a far easier and balanced setup to use.

Sorry Steve I really don't agree that buying new rods and lines is the way to go for Rubberwellie, it is far too easy to get bogged down as beginner chasing the magic bullet in terms of tackle and I think it's too easy for people to read things like "nothing harder than a flick" and get a false idea.

There is nothing wrong with a 10/11 AFS on a 15ft Oracle for learning with, mid action or not the AFS loads it up very nicely and is an easy casting line. Perfectly acceptable for getting the basics right IMHO and without seeing his casting style who's to say the rod action didn't actually suit his style? I am sure his instructor would keep him right...

It would be easy to mislead Rubberwellie that he found it difficult because of rod actions, line weights etc etc when in actual fact he may well have found it difficult because it is, by nature, quite a difficult thing to get your head around at first - even more so if you have some single hander experience and if fishing off the "wrong" shoulder than perhaps if you are a total novice.

Practice, practice practice...you may even get lucky and get the first fish off the Leven!

[scanny]

With a Delta on it the Oracle is better, and getting nearer balanced.

Your not learning much dead line roll casting a shooting head,

You can fish an Afs of the Altmor and it loads, but I wouldn't learn using it

Practice practice practice.

Why not get along to the Glasgow casting club, held on Sundays between 10am and 12

[strathglass]

May 1, 2011 9:00:03 GMT scanny said:

With a Delta on it the Oracle is better, and getting nearer balanced.

Fair enough - Vision Spey Ace also goes well on Oracle. However I would have imagined that the Instructor would have had a range of lines available on the day and would maybe have suggested trying one of them if he thought it was going to help with the lesson...he would certainly be better placed to tell than either of us surely??

My main point was the whole idea that in order to use his AFS he needs to get a new rod, a hard to find one at that! Maybe he could buy your Stinger?

Casting club a good shout, need to get back up myself one of these weekends...

[scanny]

I've not been down in a while, got a 16' toy with an 85' I've still to have some fluff fun with

[rubberwellie]

Heh heh I wont be fishing the Leven strathglass, casting lessons only.

I wont be buying a new set up just yet either, but I will borrow one.

The casting club is a good shout, where is it exactly?

[scanny]

The casting club is held at Knightswood pond, just off Great Western Road.

Perfect to try the other guys set ups and get a feel for them. Nice guys and all very helpful.

[rubberwellie]

Thats handy for me indeed, will be paying a visit next time Im home.