When it comes to Skagit style spey casting, the Perry Poke is arguably one of the most versatile casts out there. It can be used to produce fishable casts in the trickiest of casting situations, not to mention its just plain fun to throw.
The good folks at Headhunter’s Fly Shop recently put together a killer video with spey guru, Mike McCune, on the finer points of the Perry Poke, but not just any Perry Poke, the downstream Perry Poke.. That is, off your downstream shoulder. It’s a great cast, and if you’ve yet to learn it, we suggest you do so by watching the video below.
Enjoy!
Note: If you’re viewing this in a newsletter or a reader, click here to see the video on Vimeo.
The up & down stream poke cast have the look of cowboy and their ropes tricks. My instructor was a strict believer of changing hands for upstream and downstream cast. So, I do. The poke for me is a recovery move when _hit hits the fan. It amazes me that many speyheads do not change hands. These MOW guys are great casters. mmm…. Whats up
Hi 2spey,
Great question! The simple answer is preference. The ability to cast with both hands on top is a valuable skill, however some folks who can do both actually prefer to cast off shoulder while fishing, mainly because you never have to switch hands when transitioning from handling your line to casting. That said, its a simple change and we certainly recommend that anglers learn both methods to handle a whole bunch of scenarios. Thanks for the input!