Don, not sure what CMWTK means but if your question was serious here's the answer: Spey-casting was a product of River Spey anglers although it appeared on other rivers with other names. Fitzgibbon, circa 1850, writes of a Spey or, quoting another author, a Welsh throw. The cast was also frequently called a switch cast. Its most famous user was Major Grant, who threw something like 160 feet (still a mighty heave) with no shooting. I find no mention in history of a "Spey rod" although rods used on the Spey and other rivers for this type of casting were likely different from others of the period. The name was created relatively recently to distinguish the action of some 2-handed rods designed for Spey-casting versus overhead casting. Most folks forget that virtually all salmon rods were two-handers until early in the 20th Century.
In reviewing some of this material I came across the following in Fitzgibbon (quoted from another work): "...; and without a line made for the express purpose, no man can accomplish the throw. The line must increase in thickness from the point for about twenty-five yards; nearly the last half of these twenty-five yards being very heavy. The object of this is, that the weight of the upper part shall be such as to force forward the lighter end, with the gut and fly." Sounds a lot like a Triangle Taper to me?!? I haven't read all the posts in this split thread so someone may have already caught the error in my earlier post. The definitive reference, Autumns on the Spey by Knox lists 16 (not 8) original Spey patterns. As the additional patterns are simply colour variations, the ratio of Spey cock to heron remains about the same. Some authorities claim that the Spey cock was just an ordinary chicken, but after considerable research I was able to find sufficient evidence in the literature to be fairly certain that the Spey cock was an individual breed with certain characteristics. Cheers, Paul http://www.galesendpress.com -- Paul Marriner Outdoor Writing & Photography. Member OWAA & OWC. Author of Stillwater Fly Fishing: Tools & Tactics (Print [NEW] & CD), Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies, Miramichi River Journal, Ausable River Journal, and Atlantic Salmon.
