Fishing Tips and Advice : Casting

The most effective anglers on Gaula cast long and get the line stretched from the moment that the fly touches the water. This dramatically increases the amount of time that the fly is effectively fishing because it does not dead drift and fishes from the point of touch down.

Without doubt, the most effective system for fishing the river is the Scandinavian underhand casting system as opposed to traditional British Spey. Shooting heads are fundamental to the underhand style, making long casting effortless and offering the facility to change the sink rate of the line without extensive re-tackling. Well-prepared anglers carry a range of shooting heads from floating through sink-tip, intermediate, slow and fast sink to meet the changing conditions on the river.

The flies used on Gaula, especially early in the season are big, often tube flies of the ‘fatback’or ‘temple dog’ style of several inches in length. Casting them requires sound technique and properly set-up equipment. The relationship between the shooting head, the size of the fly and the length of the leader dramatically affects casting distance.

We therefore recommend that all but competent casters invest in casting lessons before they come to Gaula or book lessons while they are at the lodge. A day spent with an instructor will pay huge dividends later in the week. We also recommend that non-Scandinavian visitors consider switching to the underhand system.

Underhand Casting System

The key differences between the underhand style of casting, which originated in Scandinavia and traditional spey which originated in Britain, are the movements used to make the cast and the type of line. While spey anglers use a full fly line with a traditional taper, the underhand system uses shorter shooting heads backed by a slick running line.

Spey casting requires greater arm movement than the underhand style which consists of a short, accelerating downward stroke by the lower hand with the arms held closer to the body. For long casting, the underhand style involves less effort and makes long casts more achievable for most anglers.