Botham on the Fly - The Spey Cast

" There is a little bit of a relationship between batting and fly fishing in that, as we've mentioned before, it's quite individual. It's also quite technical and quite difficult. It's a skill that you have to master, and obviously, as a batsman, I've had lots of coaching as a kid, and therefore, I was quite proficient in the technique by the time I was playing seriously, but casting a fly, I'm completely self-taught, and therefore, completely helpless."

" After a fruitless and slightly frustrating morning session, help appears in the form of Andy Murray, a spey casting expert. After he's won the toss and he gets his own private lesson. To be honest, he's the one that really needs it."

" We'll just work a little bit of line out. I would say I want you to use that wind to your advantage. This line is very much a sail in a lot of respect, and so we're gonna fill it just like a sail will be filled with the wind. We're gonna do exactly the same."

" So the theory here, we're using the single spey because the wind is----"

" Upstream."

" Upstream, and the fly will be taken away from us----"

" Away from us, yeah, exactly."

" So it won't be dangerous."

" Yeah. Now what you want to think really with any spey cast, the end part of it is I think all the roll cast, and there, we've got the day and you can see the winds pushing that line up, and we do a lot, and that will roll out. And so that's the end part. What we can't do with, of course, is change direction. So when you're practicing, let's just practice your roll cast. Once we've got that away, then we can take it up there slowly, around. There's how when you change the direction. Let me go change."

" Spey cast would generally be used, and if you've got obstructions behind you, i.e., trees, bunks, and ice, but also to change the direction, it's really a 2-form cast in that respect that it gives you a very good change in direction anything from 10 degrees up to 90 degrees in one swift and smooth motion. Any position you----"

" So the second part of the cast is to really enable you to cover more water."

" Exactly. What you're doing is you're pre-positioning the day that we adjusted the roll cast."

" Okay."

" One of the main problem with any cast, but even probably more so with the spey cast is that you need to take your time with it. You certainly don't need to use a lot of muscle, and you know, you've got a rod in your hand then you've got to make that bend and release energy. So, probably the biggest problem I find teaching is when people try to over-muscle it. You don't need strength. You need technique."

" Hold still."

" Very close. Good."

" and it's not too daunt and it's not too big, but it is something very special and, you know, some of the great history is being made on this spey as far as fly fishing is concerned."