[BL] Lines for Lake Fishing With Two-Handed Rods (Email to Joe Doucette)

In the blog introducing The Terms of Spey some criteria for choosing a line for your two-handed rod were discussed.  In a recent email to my buddy Joe, I discussed line selection and rigging for configuring a two-handed system for flip and strip presentations at Pyramid Lake.  The material is useful enough to add here.

H/T to Rio and Airflo from which I've captured content.

Cliff Helped Me Land This Nice Lahontan Cutthroat

At Pyramid Lake last week a guy fishing to my left, caught more fish than the rest of us along the beach combined.  He was fishing from a chair, using a single-handed rig with a full sinking line, a weighted leach on the bottom, and about 18" above that a white Pyramid Lake Beetle.  We were fishing below the Marina where there is no distinct drop-off and he was tossing his line out there a good piece and bumping the bottom coming back in.  I fished that place with my boat and a locator, as luck would have it, back in September and have a sense of the bottom.  It is around 13' deep where he was fishing and we can't easily get that deep with fixed indicators.  Slip n Strike indicators tend to slip quite a bit when one tries to throw it that far, making them not a good option.  Plus these tools fish at a fixed depth and with his rig he was fishing about a foot above the bottom wherever his flies were.  I wondered if there was a way to do this with a two-handed rod and line system.

    After a few days of exploring this question, I had a duh moment.  I was looking everywhere for integrated sinking head Spey lines.  The ONLY sinking Spey heads I found were for loop-to-loop connections with running line and for our lake fishing that is not acceptable.  Finally, I asked Bob Meiser for his recommendation and he suggested the single-handed Rio InTouch Outbound line.  I made a short search on the Rio website and there they were.  Well, duh.

    Sinking Scandi Profile:  The Rio InTouch Deep series is what we want.  No tip required.  I'd use a short PolyLeader 5'-7'appropriate to target fish.  Trout (e.g. 12 lbs) for local waters and Steelhead (e.g. 24 lbs) for Pyramid.  To that, I would tie a 3-4' piece of 0x or 1x tippet and tie the stinger above that about 18".  I've tested some of this but not the entire rig.  I do think it would work fine.

Image from Rio website (click to enlarge)

    Sinking Skagit Profile:  The Rio InTouch Outbound series will do the trick.  Because of this taper, I'm pretty sure they would snatch a sinking tip to maybe T-11, depending upon the length of the rod, the weight of the line, and the ability of the caster.  There is a lot of fluidity in this rig.  I'd want to work with it a bit and plan to build one of these for Pyramid Lake.  I will do that on my Meiser Pyramid Lake rod, which I won't have until early next year.

Image from Rio website (click to enlarge)

     Note:  Both of these lines are designed for a single-handed rod and it is important to match the grain window to the Spey rod.  Also, the line weight distribution is not the best for a Spey cast; they will do it but not happily.  But these lines will throw a fly a long distance with a two-hand overhead cast.

Links:
    Rio InTouch Deep sinks at 3-4"/sec.  Also in the series are Deeps 5, 6,& 7.  Clearly a nice selection for building something to drag streamers and such around our lakes.  These are not going to lift big, heavy bugs nor tips.  Don't bother with that but they will take any normal leech or thing we tie in fly class down to a decent depth.

    Rio InTouch Outbound:  All the different configurations are mentioned in the comment section.  This is a Skagit Taper but I'd not recommend beginning casters use 10' sinking tips on it.  

    Airflo Polyleader:   As near as I can tell, Airflo has an edge on the number of different PolyLeader configurations as compared with Rio's Versitip.  I haven't really explored this yet, having used mostly PolyLeaders when I'm headed in this direction.  Both are used in lieu of tapered leaders and provide more flexibility for configuring swinging fly rigs or lake dredging rigs.  I'm still investigating all of this and can hardly wait for ice off to return to this effort.

Image from Airflo USA website (click to enlarge)

    The other challenge is to match the grain weight of the single-handed line to the grain weight of our rods.  For single-handed rods, they should come right across -- a 5-wt line fits a 5-wt rod.  For two-handed rods, one must match the grain weights.  It varies by rods.  Sometimes one adds 2 to the two-handed rod weight and sometimes one adds 3 to the two-handed rod weight.  It depends upon the rod's grain window and taper, and caster skill and preference.  Go heavier with new casters or people who like the feel of deep loading.  An experienced caster who pays attention can figure out what they want.

[BL] The Curses of the Long Cast

Joe Rotter, Chief Blogger for Red's Fly Shop, talks about the curse of the long cast -- the ability to cast all the way across the river without catching fish.   The point he makes is the caster must know when and where to throw big bombs.  No doubt the big cast will reach the fish if they are on the other side but if the fish are a few feet from an angler's boots few will be caught in the flow on the other side of the river.

Cattle Guard at Pyramid Lake

Before talking about another Curse of the Long Cast, it is worth noting Rotter's curse applies to stillwater fishing as well.  Pyramid Lake is a few miles across and nobody will be casting across it anytime soon but casting there is about reaching the seams from the banks.  While fishing Cattle Guard we were bombing casts as far as we could as the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT) had moved to deeper water, as the water was clear and the lake glass flat with no wind.

Dusk began to fall and a light breeze came up and we kept bombing, despite the fact we had only a couple of grabs all day.  In desperation, as it was nearly dark, I started casting short and in a few casts caught a 27" LCT.   Were they tighter to the bank than we were fishing?  Don't know.  Could be.  Or they could have moved in as it became dark.  For sure I would not have caught that fish if I kept bombing casts.

What about the other curse?  Making long, smooth, two-handed casts is satisfying and encourages anglers to cast further.  The far bank on a river may limit a Spey caster's desire to cast longer by the practicality such a cast is in a tree or shrub on the far side.  With lakes that are miles wide, there is no limit on the length of the cast.  Absent discipline, anglers will suffer the curse of trying to cast further than their ability to do it.

Little will destroy a Spey caster's form and timing more quickly than trying to cast too far.  When fishing is slow, don't give in to the temptation of filling time by seeing how far you can cast.  Rather, work at the consistency of your casting and distance will follow.  Another blog will cover this topic.

[P2} Configuring a Trout Spey for Stillwater

So you are ready for a Trout Spey but wonder how to configure it.  A blog about Spey terminology gives a few clues about the method of configuring a Trout Spey.  This post develops an example of the configuration process (as I do it) for a Trout Spey.  I'll use the Redington Hydrogen Trout Spey for the example as I own one and use it for trout fishing on local reservoirs.

Selecting Trout Spey Weight

The first question is how big are the fish we hope to catch.  South Fork Reservoir, located near Elko, NV in the NE corner of the state is a common destination for local fly fishers.  The water record for a rainbow is 9-lbs, 2-oz.  Divide that by 2 and the maximum sized Trout Spey would be a 4-wt but most fish will be smaller and a 3-wt Trout Spey will be the right size for the majority of fish caught.

Estimating Grain Window

That settles that.  Next is to find a line configuration that works with the 3-wt Redington Trout Spey.  According to their website, "Recommended Skagit Grains: 250-275 Scandi Grains: 200-225".  We need to be a bit careful in our selection and let's start with an estimation of the grain window for this rod.  Most rods cast Scandi lines well when they are a little above the grain window, making 180 grains a good estimate for the low end of the window.  Similarly, rods perform well with Skagit lines that are near the midpoint of the grain window and so we can estimate 320 grains for the high end.  From 180 grains (low end) to 250 grains (middle) is 70 grains.  The top end was calculated by adding 70 grains to 250 grains.  That is the end of the math.

For selecting our line we will keep it between 180 and 320 grains.

Selecting The Line

When fishing on lakes, reservoirs, and ponds anglers will often strip most of the line into the rod.  Therefore, a shorter, integrated line is a good selection.  About integrated lines, one can purchase Spey line components (e.g. running line, head, and tip if any) and connect them together.  These are loop-to-loop connections that must be stripped into the rod when stripping most of the line into the rod.  By experience, I know this doesn't work well.  An integrated line is delivered in one piece and doesn't have the knots.  The disadvantage of integrated lines is they are less flexible.  But for lakes and reservoirs, the benefits of an integrated line outweigh this drawback.

As the rod is 11'3" the optimal length for a line will be 2 to 2.5 times the length of the rod or 22 to 27 feet.  Now we will select lines with the constraints of length and grain weight.

Many companies make good lines but for this exercise, we select a line from Rio.

Scandi Line

Needing no tip, the Scandi Line is simpler to select.  Looking at the Rio Website we see a line called the In Touch Trout Spey, which has a 22' head.  It is a bit short but it will cast OK.  The 2-wt comes in at 230 grains, which is a bit above the manufacturer's recommended grain window, but only a little.  It would be best to test cast this line before buying it.  The 3-wt comes in at 265 grains and it should also work, especially as the line is relatively short compared with the rod length.  I chose the 3-wt for the Hyrdrogen and it casts just fine.

Skagit Line

Skagit Lines require a tip.  The total weight of the Skagit head and Tip must fit within the grain window of the rod.  Rio recommends a T8 tip with their lighter lines.  Now, what is a T8 tip you might ask?  The T stands for titanium casing, which makes them sink more quickly.  But we want a floating tip.  That is OK those are made with floating material even though they have a T-designation.  The 8 indicates the number of grains per foot the tip weighs.  In this case, Rio tips come in 10' lengths and so it would be 80 grains.
With a grain window for the head up to 320, we can select a Skagit head up to 240 grains (320-80).  Rio's 2-wt Skagit head comes in at 225 grains and the 3-wt at 275 grains.  To be honest, I have tried a Skagit head on this rod nor have I read any of the reviews.  But if I were to buy a Skagit line from Rio it would the 225 grain head (2-wt) with a 10' T8 tip.
The total length of this line system is 15' for the head plus 10' for the tip -- a total of 25', which is a nice length for the line.
If I were seriously looking to purchase a Skagit head for this rod, I'd look to see what heads and tips are offered by other suppliers.

Chucker Line

The Rio Chucker Line also looks interesting.  It has a 25' head, a good length and offers 2-wt (225 gr) and 3-wt (275 grain) options.
Either of these lines should work well, which brings up a pair of interesting points.  First, this exercise illustrates the importance of using the grain windows to select the heads.  Second, given options for weight how do we select among them.  As a rule of thumb, beginning to intermediate casters will select the greater weight and more advanced casters will select the lighter weight.  Thus, if you are new to Spey Casting or aren't very experienced at it then the 3-wt Chucker line is a good choice.

Rod Balance

Lastly, one wants the rod to balance properly with the reel on it.  That means with the rod set up and the line in casting position, the rod will balance when your hand holds it at the point it will be when making a cast.  As I have the 3-wt rod I can tell you it balances well for me with a 7.5 oz reel.  The reel is a Redington Rise 9/10 with weight specified at 6.5 Oz but on the scale with the backing added it is 7.63 Oz.  Redington's Behemoth 7/8 Reel, which has adequate capacity for the line, should balance the rod.

There you are.  A Hydrogen 3-wt Trout Spey with the Behemoth 7/8 Reel will cast well with the Rio InTouch Trout Spey at 265 grains.  For my testing,  I used Redington's Rise 9/10 reel, which has far more line capacity than I need but the weight was what I needed.  

Summary

As you can see, the process of configuring your Spey is more complex than the one of picking a weight and match a line to that weight for a single-handed rod.  But fishing with a Trout Spey is just plain fun and worth the effort.  I'd encourage anglers to work with a local fly shop if they can.  If that's not possible find a guide or someone who can help you work through this maze a time or two.  If all else fails, leave a comment and I will do what I can to help. 

[P 1] The Terms of Spey

As a fly fisherman, I made a choice.  I’m more interested in the process of the sport than the product of the sport.  There are easier ways to catch trout than with a fly rod.

- Tom Larimer answering his question of why we should care about Trout Spey

[P1] refers to Part 1 of an outline or table of contents associated with a broad overview at a later time.  Stay tuned.

Big King on the Kitimat in BC, Canada

Introduction

When I found fly fishing in my 60s the vocabulary of the sport was overwhelming.  Tippet.  Leader.  Line Weights.  Rod Tapers.  Knots.  On and on it goes.  It took a while to navigate all of the vocabulary to figure out what it was I needed for different fishing scenarios.  But it is also true that an hour of casting instruction and a morning on the water with an experienced fly fisher is all someone needs to start catching fish with a fly rod.  Thus, it isn't very difficult to learn to fly fish but one can spend the rest of their life mastering this sport.  That is the fascination for me and it is what Tom Larimer was talking about.  

The terms of Spey we will examine are Spey, Skagit, Skandi, and anchor.  This discovery will start from the point of view of casting, and move to the rods and lines, which are the objects used to cast.  

Spey Casting

Traditional fly fishers are familiar with two forms of casting.  In the first one, plain old casting, the angler makes a backcast and then a forward cast.  If done properly the fly and the fly line remain in the air until the fly hits the water in front of the angler at (hopefully) the chosen spot.  The other one, which drives novice anglers crazy, is the roll cast in which a bit of line sits on the water while the angler makes a casting motion and the line launches to the target.

This short video demonstrates a roll cast and connects it with Spey casting.  A roll cast is useful for launching a fly to the trout when obstruction behind an angler prevents the use of the normal fly cast.  That is, a roll cast for fly fishers interested in the process is another means of delivering the fly, which can be used when the traditional fly cast does not work.

All Spey casts are a type of roll cast called a dynamic roll cast, designed to cast the fly further than possible with a traditional rod.  Spey casting and its associated gear were designed to reach places in a river that can't be reached otherwise.  Because an angler can cast further, they don't need to wade as far out into a river to reach spots, adding an element of safety.   The cast is called dynamic because the lines, rods, and techniques allow an angler to make a longer (e.g. more dynamic) cast than is possible with the traditional single-handed rod.

The word anchor is added to the vocabulary to talk about Spey casts.  An anchor is the position of the end of the fly line at the beginning of a forward cast.  With traditional fly casting the end of the fly line is in the air and hence it is an airborne anchor.  That makes sense, right?  For a traditional roll cast, the anchor will be beside or slightly in front of the angler and it is called a waterborne anchor.  Thus, there are two types of anchors in fly fishing and these are airborne for traditional fly casting and waterborne for roll casting.

Now we have Spey casts that fall into two broad categories of anchors, one is called sustained anchor and the other is called splash and go, terms descriptive of the casts.

Spey casts of all types have three components: the lift, the anchor set, and the fire.  The lift breaks the tension of the water in the line and starts the line moving.  The anchor set, which will define the type of cast, is used to place the anchor in position for the cast, and then the angler fires (e.g, executes a forward cast).  Two examples of sustained anchor Spey casts are the Double Spey and the Snap T.  The Snake Roll and Single Spey are examples of splash and go casts.  In this type of Spey cast, the line is aerialized, the tip of the line (e.g. anchor) is set in the right place, and then the angler executes the cast.

A Spey rod is not necessary for Spey casting -- any of these casts can be performed with a single-handed rod.  OPST makes a line of short heads specifically for one-handed Spey casting and has posted a number of YouTube videos demonstrating this product.  A single-handed rod can make Spey casts with standard fly lines.

The purpose here is to develop the terms of Spey but in a later blog, there will be some instruction, particularly the adaptation of these tools from moving water to stillwater.

Skagit, Skandi, and Spey Lines

We will discuss what these lines are, what they are used for, but first, we will discuss how to match the line to the fly or Spey rod and to do that we need to understand the parts of a fly line system.  The word system implies there are components to the line and indeed that is the case with Spey casting, which is another reason for the complexity of this subject.  To accomplish this we will start at the fly reel spool and work our way out to the fly.  The first thing that goes onto the reel is backing which provides an additional line in case an angler is lucky enough to hook a monster -- going into the backing is a thrilling moment.  Attached to the backing is running line or shooting line, both of which are finer than the head (next piece) and allow an angler to make longer casts.  Whether it is shooting line or running line it is attached to the head of the fly line.  For some types of lines or system,s a tipi is attached but this will not always be the case.  The head is the critical component for matching lines to rods.

Matching a two-handed line to a two-handed rod is an early puzzle that anglers new to two-handed casting encounter.  With a single-handed rod it is simple: put a 5-wt line on a 5-wt rod.  It is not that simple with Spey Lines.  Why is that?

All fly rods cast the weight of the line and rods are designed to cast a certain amount of weight.  With the single handed rod the higher the number the more weight it can cast.  Thus a 7-wt rod can cast a heavier line than a 5-wt line can.  But each rod also needs a certain amount of weight to load it properly.  Thus there is a window of weights that enable a rod to work well.

For a single-handed rod this is made simple as a standard 30' is measured and the weight of that 30' determines whether it is a 3-wt, 4-wt, 5-wt and so forth line.  Thus, the grain window and grain weight is encapsulated in the single number -- the weight of the fly rod and weight of the line.

But it is more complicated for a two-handed rod because heads can be as short as 10' or as long as 100'.  There are emerging systems for matching a line to a rod with a single number but that is not as definite as for a single-handed rod.  Better for the angler is to understand the system and that requires four pieces of data -- the length of the head, the weight of the head, the taper of the head, and the grain window of the rod.  It is not as bad as it sounds but it is a bit more complicated than it is for a single-handed rod.  In the section on rods, we will pick up this discussion.

Simone Gawesworth's Rule of Three provides rough equivalence between the weight of lines for a two-handed rod and a single-handed rod.  To convert a Spey line to a singled handed line weight add 3.  Thus, a 3-wt Trout Spey would be roughly equivalent to a 6-wt single handed rod.  Your 8-wt single-handed line should work on a 5-wt rod.

In his videos on the casts, Jon Hazelett mentions Scandi and Skagit lines.   Skagit Lines, named for the river in Washington, were designed to cast heavy flies on sink tips in a river with very little room behind the angler.  To meet these needs the heads are short 3-3x the rod length and must be used with some type of tip.  Skandi Lines, short for Scandinavia, are a bit longer and are designed to cast lighter flies, including dry flies.  Traditional Spey Lines casting started with line 80-100' in length that are cast all at one time.

Skagit Lines are a bit easier to cast that either a Scandi or a Spey Line.  Because they are designed to lift heavy flies and work with sink tips, they are an element of a very flexible fishing system.  I'll write more about this in a later blog entry.  Traditional Spey lines are more difficult to cast and a bit of a specialty.  This blog will concentrate on systems with Skagit and Scandi lines.

On Bob Meiser's website, you will find a good discussion of matching lines to rods (here and here), and how grain windows fit into the puzzle.

Spey, Switch and Trout Rods

These are generally characterized by weight, which will be covered shortly, and length.  There is no standard definition for these rods, leaving sales and marketing people to define them.  That is that.  

Spey rods are the longer rods (13-20 ft) that handle the heavier lines (8+ two-handed rod weight).  Switch rods, as the name implies, allow an angler to switch between two-handed and one-handed casting.  It should be noted that some switch rods are more Spey like and others are more single-handed like.  But, Switch rods are generally 10.5-12.5 ft in length and use line weights from 5 to 8.  Trout Spey rods are the smallest of the bunch and are 9.5 to 12 feet in length and use 2-5 wt lines.  

It should be noted that your skill and style as a two-handed caster will determine the best line configuration for the rod.  As one advances as an angler, the other pieces of data mentioned in the line segment will become more important in the configuration of systems.  

Configuring Your System

We are finally ready to talk about choosing your first Spey system, which won't be very difficult given what you now know.  If at all possible, I would recommend buying it from a local fly shop.  It is always best to work knowledgeable person nearby if you can do it.  If not, then a fly club or a guide would be of great assistance.  

The first question is how big are the fish you plan to catch?  In my area (NE corner of NV), the Ruby Marshes have trout 10-12 lbs, the local reservoirs of trout 2-5 pounds, and a Pyramid Lake cutthroat can go 20 lbs.  The first step is easy, divide the weight of the fish by 3 to get the size of the rod.  For the ruby Marshes a 3/4 weight would be a good choice; for the local reservoirs a 2/3 weight would be a good choice; for Pyramid Lake, a 6/7 weight is a good choice.  In the summer, I sometimes fish for salmon in Canada and have run into them to 30 lbs and for that, I use a 9 wt rod.  

See, that was pretty easy.  

If your rod is 2 to 5/6 weight a Trout Spey would be a good selection and if in the high end you might consider a Switch Rod.  If your rod is 5 to 8 weight then you will want a switch rod and if it is 8 weight and up you will want a Spey rod.    

Picking a line.  There are line selectors available at some of the line suppliers and also a Google with your rod and line recommendations will turn up ideas.  But generally, if you plan to fish deep or throw an indicator, or if you want flexibility in how deep you fish, pick a Skagit Line appropriate to the weight of your rod.  I would try to select a line that is 2-2.5 times the length of the rod.  If the fish might be spooky or if you plan to fish dry flies then a Scandi line is your choice and it should be 2.5-3 times the length of the rod.  

If you've selected a Skagit Line then there are tips to be selected to match the capability of the line.  That is too much to cover here but there are websites that will help with the selection of the tips.  There is one thing to be aware of, which can be difficult to check, the total weight of the Skagit Head plus the tip must fit within the grain window of the rod.  Often people ignore this and wind up with a head-tip combination that is too heavy for the rod, which makes casting more difficult and risks breaking the rod.  If you aren't sure how to match this up, find someone who knows and talk with them.  

Finally, you will need a reel to carry the line and there are three things to consider:  #1.  The reel needs enough capacity to hold the backing, running line, and head;  #2.  The reel must be sturdy enough for the gamefish you plan to catch.  I have had a big salmon bend a cheaper reel and that is terrible on a once-in-a-lifetime trip;  #3.  The reel needs to balance the rod.  What this means is when you hold the rod where you grip it with the top had to cast it should balance.  Neither the rod end nor the tip end should dip down.  This reduces fatigue and improves casting performance.

Good Luck.  I hope this advice helps.  

[BL] Underhand Casting

Note: I've created the blog to capture thoughts and material relating to the use of Spey casting, primarily with a two-handed rod, for stillwater fly fishing. The use of [BL] indicates a straight blog entry with no particular relationship to an outline and coherent set of notes on the subject.

My Mug with 36" Steelie on the Grande Ronde

December 9, 2018

Beneficially the local waters have frozen allowing me to stop tweaking my cast as it regressed to the usual set of problems, including whacking the rod, crossing lines, and weak casts, a setback to progress I've made lately, as I'm trying to change too many things all at once.

But I'm excited about underhand casting, something I'd discovered early in my journey to Spey casting but didn't figure it out (videos links to follow).  I moved on from it, found Rick Williams as a coach, and went on a different journey. But this week underhand casting returned.  

I tried it yesterday at South Fork and the few times my technique my casts were long, line speed high, and the effort minimal.  This technique uses leaders 15' long or even longer.  I was using a polyleader hacked to 6' and then a 6' piece of 1x tippet., thus only 12' of leader.  That configuration isn't what is needed and I have some work to do to find a 15' tapered leader or perhaps a combination of polyleader and tapered leader will work.  

I started fiddling with underhand (e.g. Scandinavian) casting again at SF and by the time I left for home my cast was destroyed, though I had made some very good casts. I think an interesting change to what my current technique is to bring the top hand tighter to the body. I'll demonstrate what this means in the video links and notes to follow.

I believe Göran Andersson was the one to integrate the two-handed rod techniques into the Scandinavian underhand style and he was featured in the first video I'd seen of this style. I couldn't make it work when I first found it and went a different path, eventually receiving some good coaching from Rick Williams.

Building on the ideas of Andersson, Henrik Mortensen provides an explanation of the benefits of the mechanics of underhand casting.  At 3:50 in his video is a critical discussion of the underhand technique.  There is an involved discussion of technique involved with single-handed casting, Pacific NW sustained anchor casting and Scandinavian casting, but I'm uniquely unqualified to talk about the subtleties involved.  Generally, with single-handed casting and its shorter rods, a bit more motion in the forearm and perhaps upper arm is involved as compared with two-handed casting.  With Pacific NW casting a sort of motion (I think of an ax chop) to get the cast started provides a longer stroke.  The underhand technique lengthens the rod tip travel by using more of the lower body.  My current view, always subject to change, is that more power will be generated by using the entire body as Henrik Mortenson advocates (see link above).        

OK.  So how did I get back to all this?  I stumbled over another video looking at Trout Spey casting in the last few days.  The one thing that is consistent everywhere I look is compact and slow.  Compact and slow.  As anyone using a Spey rod for a time likely discovers, the moment frustration begins we start to hurry, which messes up the cast.I loved a conversation I had with Bob Meiser a couple of days ago when we talked about slow and compact.  He told me he carried a flask with bourbon while fishing.  When he found his technique falling apart he would sit on the bank, take a sip of bourbon, and remind himself to slow down.  Rick Williams and I swapped email on this about a month ago -- not the bourbon but slow down and keep the hands in the box.  

Drum roll, please ... here is a video of Klaus Flimor expanding the ideas of Scandinavian casting and providing more possibilities for this cast.  I'm sure I'll never make it to this skill level, but some of Klaus Flimor's ideas should find a place in my casting repertoire.   Watch the cast Klaus makes at 12:45 and notice the position of the top hand -- almost touching his shoulder.  I tried this a few times yesterday and when I had the right form the power was incredible.  Just incredible.  This is my new direction but I'm glad to have a few days off to digest and consolidate the data.

Also, notice his compact stroke in this video, which I believe is very beneficial with a longer rod as there are fewer motions to mess up rod tip travel.  I had completely forgotten this until digging out this video but I'm sure I used this stroke a few times yesterday and it felt goofy.  I can't be sure as I have no video and also, I had completely forgotten his stroke until I started working at this paragraph.  On some casts, I was trying to keep my top hand tight to my shoulder (as seen in Frimor's video see link below) and it gave me a strong sense of being very crowded, moving very little, and shooting the line out.  I think I rediscovered this style of casting and was using it without knowing I was returning to something that interested me earlier.