# 2H Fly Fishing in the Surf



## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

Is there anyone here on the forum that indulges in such behavior? Just curious.  C2


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

I've been wanting to try for sims time but just haven't yet

I'm just now reading the screwup my auto spell made. Some, not "sims"


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## timeflies (Oct 3, 2007)

2 handed? Like a spey rod? There are two that used to be on here that do/did. I know nothing more


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## River Hooligans (Dec 26, 2012)

When I was living in Ct I did a ton of spey casting/fishing mainly for trout and steelhead. But I did take it down to the surf on the coast for stripers. Its a ton of fun and adds a lot to your range. Mainly off the beach It was just two handed over head casts. Once the you learn the technique its a ton of fun. The only tricky part is matching lines to rods it is very rod specific. I have a 11'6" loop blue line 7wt, if anyone every wants to give it a shot.


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## Duncan (Oct 1, 2007)

If anybody tries this I would like to tag along and give it a few throws. As my right shoulder gets older I'm thinking I need to make some sort of change. I've thrown a 11 footer but not spey, only overhand casting. It seems in the few casts I tried it would be easier to get distance and a lot easier on the shoulder.


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## wtbfishin (Dec 2, 2011)

This is an idea I've been interested in as well, seems I do remember a post sometime ago about how much more distance could be had, where's all that line waiting around to be cast? Just floating in the surf? W/surf action it seems it be trouble to get it out of the waters tension and make a long cast, I use a stripping basket now, and believe it is limits available line to cast before tangles incur at least mine does. I'd love to hear about it and see a demo, I'm always up for a longer cast, and less shoulder action! :yes:


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*2H Fly Casting*

Thanks for the replies.

The reason that I asked is that there are two or three threads presently going on right now on other forums and am curious.

I presently fish with a self-fabricated 12 foot fly/spinning rod combo using an OH Cast.

I can get reasonable distances but have to change to spinning when the sun/wind comes up. This method appears to help get distance in such conditions.

Anything would help and am always interested in trying/using new things. C2


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## a (Oct 2, 2007)

I took a lesson in spey casting a couple months ago in Sacramento, fully intending to solve the problem of backcasting into the beach down here. I was slowed down by the cost of a setup. Not to mention the lack of expertise in co-ordinating a balanced outfit.


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## River Hooligans (Dec 26, 2012)

Yea it can be tough to put together an outfit without some helpful knowledge of the rod that your choosing. Spey has really caught on in last few years and the rod companies are following the trend. There are now some really good rods out there for reasonable prices. The TFO Deercreek series is an excellent option for not to much money, as well as Echo rods. Both of these companies are trying to put spey and switch rods in costumers hands and have develop really nice casting rods. As far as lines its a two part thing for the most part. I like the Rio lines. You have to buy a head and running line. As far as heads go you have two main options Scandinavian or Skagit. A Scandi head is a a floating head and is the best route to begin with. Skagit heads are designed to have sustained anchor which means you will use some sort of sinking leader. Both heads run around $55. Next you need a running line which will be around $39. And finally a reel, echo has one out that is inexpensive, not sure of exact price but it is under $100. The biggest thing with reel is capacity to fit backing 100ft running line and 30-40ft head. As far as line management in the surf a striping basket is the way to go. Line with tangle from time to time but not as much as it would if it was all in the water. One nice thing though is with a double hand overhead cast a lot of the time you can stay completely out of the water, so if your really hate a basket you can strip the line out on to the beach.


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## River Hooligans (Dec 26, 2012)

http://www.speycastingnortheast.com/, This is the website of two very good friends of mine who teach spey casting back in CT. Check the site out and if anyone is serious about getting an outfit shoot them and email. They own and have cast most spey rods on the market and can give advice on which lines fit with each rod. Tell them you got their info from Louis Gaudet.


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## wtbfishin (Dec 2, 2011)

Thanks RH, what do you see as the big advantages of spey casting? I hear distance and less work (effort) are there more? I'm still feeling a 4 hr session of blind casting for specks from 2 days ago (old man). 
As far as distance, how much would a caster expect to gain over a fast action 8-10wt SH rod?


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## River Hooligans (Dec 26, 2012)

Wtbfishin- The biggest advantage in my opinion is ease of casting for distance. 60-100ft or more, is effortless with a spey rod once you get it down. Especially for older fishermen or if you have a shoulder or arm problems it can allow you to fish a little more comfortably. Some of the draw backs are you can't really fish close because you have to have the head all the way out to cast, and most heads are 30-40ft. As far as the difference between single and double depends a lot on the caster. I mean I have done some tournament casting and did a lot of distance casting when trout fishing. So I can make 80-100ft cast with me single hand rod but the same distance is far more easily achieved with a double hand. Whether its single or double hand it still comes down to technique and practice. I don't see double hand or single rods as the answer or the only way, I just look at each one as another tool to have at my disposal, each one has its one time with certain conditions and situations where one may work better than the other.


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