Fly Fishing Ireland - Spey-Casting

The Spey-casting Myth — Teaching and perfecting the use of a double-handed rod are Glenda’s speciality:

“There is a myth surrounding the Spey cast. Many fishermen who master the use of a single-handed rod for conventional casting have a complex about spey-casting.

It’s true that to learn the spey-cast is complicated by the habits of casting single-handed.

Generally, the right-handed fisherman who picks up the double-handed rod completely underestimates the role of the left hand. He imagines that it only serves to support the rod, which requires two hands purely because it is longer and heavier.

In fact, it’s the scissor movement between the two hands that gives all the power to the cast.

Until this manipulation is mastered, it is impossible to cast correctly. The rest in simply a variation of a roll cast. When a pupil already knows how to do this with a single-handed rod, they already feel more at ease”.

Glenda has some memorable moments in her time as a casting instructor of which she is particularly proud. The story of the sturdy man, who in spite of being a keen fisherman, had given up after trying for years to spey-cast properly. After 20 minutes of teaching, he was casting right across the river. Tears of relief flowed down his cheeks as the frustration of so many years trying in vain evaporated. Two days later, a large bouquet of flowers arrived for her with the message “I’ve always been in the dark with my spey-casting – thank you for showing me the light”.

Then there was the story of the guy who caught his first salmon on fly with her on the Blackwater after fifteen years of trying in Scotland, Norway & elsewhere.

But her favourite tale is the one about the Royal Air Force veteran with two wooden legs as his were blown off in the Second World War. At the tender age of 86, he caught his first ever salmon on his second day fishing with her.

Fly Fishing Ireland - Spey-Casting - The Lodge is situated in the South-East of Ireland on the border between counties Cork & Waterford. It is just outside the village of Ballyduff, which is between the towns of Lismore and Fermoy.
It is 35 miles from Cork,  75 miles from Shannon and 150 miles from Dublin.
The Lodge has 16 beats - approx. 14 miles of private & exclusive salmon fishing rights - the the world-renowned Cork Blackwater.

Hotel and self-catering accommodation are available at the Blackwater Lodge. See our other packages for details.

The salmon fishing season runs from February 1st. to September 30th. Packages with tuition/fishing/accommodation are available throughout this period. Tuition only can be booked outside the fishing season if required.