Sac Bee

[aaron]

Anyone else catch this in the Bee this morning?

Pole cats: Many mornings, you can see a small group of men in the American River by the Watt Avenue bridge, wielding fishing poles that look long enough to reach out and poke someone on the other bank. They are practicing something old, but new. It's Spey casting, a variant on fly fishing developed in Scotland in the 1800s, but the latest hot thing here. "It's been the biggest growth trend in fly fishing since 'A River Runs Through It,' " said Jeff Putnam, a patient and genial instructor in the art. It's all in the timing, and the timing's tough. The basics of regular fly casting: 15 minutes, Putnam said. Spey casting: four hours, plus hours of practice. That's why they're in the river for hours, not catching a thing. Just practicing. And after all that, if they do hook a fish, it's catch and release. Go figure. ...

Here's the link:
http://www.sacbee.com/arden/story/277366.html

[Adam Grace]

Thats cool, I used to be one of those "pole cats" before I moved up to Chico. We had fun out there practicing casting,



trying out new gear and just hanging out,



I miss those days.