Last week we presented you with an informative write-up from our pal Stuart Foxall on the importance of adjusting the amount of overhang, an often overlooked principle in modern spey casting, depending on different variables such as wading depth, wind, obstructions, and so on. If you missed it, be sure to check it out by clicking right here.
Today, Stu is back with a follow-up post on how the amount of overhang can also make a huge difference when casting different length rods, tips, and lines too.
Take it away, Stu!
Overhang and Tip, Head, and Rod Length
While situations encountered on the water such as a change in depth or backcast room often warrant a change in the amount of overhang, changes to your gear can also be benefitted by the amount of overhang used when casting too.
For example, if you’re casting a tip on a head that’s longer than you are used to, you may find it difficult to make a cast without the tip ‘sticking’ on the surface of the water. This is due to the overall extra length of our set up. The same is true if casting a head that’s longer than you’re used to, or even a rod that is shorter than you’re used to as well.
A simple adjustment to make our life a little easier is to simply shorten our overhang (and lift our rod tip slightly higher during the sweep) to accommodate this extra length.
Alternatively, if we are using a shorter tip than we are used to (or a shorter head and/or longer rod than we’re used to), it’s common for anglers to ‘blow’ the anchor, creating that ugly whiplash sound on the forward cast. That’s because the overall length of our head and tip is too short for our sweep and forward stroke, causing the anchor (i.e. the tip) to leave the water before our rod has been able to release all of its load during the forward cast.
Once again, this can be cured by lengthening our overhang and of course slowing everything down to accommodate our shorter set up.
Leave a Reply