Get some Spey casting lessons at the get go....

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This video clip says it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAStRvHhYGU

There are lots of good Spey casting instructors that teach on the Lower American River in Sacramento, CA.

http://www.kiene.com/instruction/

[Mark Kranhold]

Boy do I remember those days! I think I stuck a fly in about every part of my body when learning the two hander. I was told to learn with a piece of yarn on the leader, but no I didn't listen... I wanted to fish! Some people just learn the hard way

[toby]

Lessons are great, but practice is essential. I think it was about a year after my wife gave me my first fly rod that I started to practice regular. I think the idea came from watching my son hitting in the batting cages that I got the idea to practice casting outside from fishing. I kept a fly rod strung up in the garage, I would practice after work, in the street. The only thing you will catch is jokes from neighbors. Years later when I got first spey rod I already had a lot of the right rod paths down from single hand spey practice. Spey practice is best with water so I go often to the beautiful casting ponds we have here in Santa Rosa. On way I pass by the golf driving range where it is packed out with golfers perfecting there swing. When I arrive at the pond I usually have it to my self. There is plenty of elbow room for me to practice 5 weight distance and spey work. Thank you Mel Krieger for creating the best instructional DVDs ever made.

[winxp_man]

I used a single hand rod so long that I learned spey castin (the basics to get some line out) in about 2 hours. I even had my right hand intex finger all pussed up because of nasty cut that got a little infected. But the nest time I was out it was on I was casting quite a bit of line and with both hands If you put your mind to it, it can be done

That poor feller looked like he never casted a fly rod period. So he would definitely needed some casting lessons.

[Adam Grace]

I highly suggest that people take a lesson or two at the beginning to reduce the chances of developing bad habits or developing flawed technique. It is much easier to start correctly with a blank slate than to work through every little flaw and subsequence flaws produced by one single bad technique. Then, after a lesson or two, practice your butt off to get to the point where you feel comfortable and excited to cast.

[Bruce Slightom]

Taking a lesson or going with a guide that can teach a few basic things and help get the proper line matched to the rod will help with the learning curve. It is also important for the beginer to define what they want to acomplish, how they want to fish and pick a style of casting that matches that. It is similar to getting a new computer, first you have to decide what software you want to run them get the hardware to operate it.