And so it begins....

[aggie9]

This past weekend I gladly got in line for this "addiction" so to speak.

Those of you who frequent the classified have probably seen me sell my switch rod on several occasions mainly because of wanting to focus on my last year at UC Davis and also partly because of the abundance of information available about rods, reels, line, tips etc. Instead I figured I would wait until I was done with school and give the spey game a shot and see if it was for me.

Looking at a fly fishing magazine last weekend I began to remember how much I miss being out on the water which is when I realized why wait?

After seeing some information on this forum about some two handers willing to give advice and help down at the Oakland Casting Ponds (my location for the summer.) Saturday morning rolls around and I headed out hoping to catch them before they left. After brief introduction and explaining my inexperience in the two handed area as well as owning a rod without a reel or line yet. Before I knew it my switch rod was out of my car and three guys were putting on one of their own reels and lining the rod for me. They began to explain very basics of learning my way around a two handed rod and let me give it a shot. Because the gentleman with the loaner reel had to takeoff it was over way to soon.

Having to go back to the Davis anyways and because I was way to excited from the morning I decided to drive past Davis to the shop. When I got there Andy explained everything crystal clear and had me setup in no time.

As soon as I got back to Oakland the next evening I headed straight to the ponds and began my attempt at casting with my own switch rod. Just want to give a thanks to Andy, the gentleman from the casting ponds if they happen to be on here, and everyone that contributes to this forum for saving me some questions.
Needless to say it all happened very quickly and I am very happy with my purchases and my discovery of the Oakland casting ponds. I think I see a lot of time in my near future spent at these ponds.

If anyone in the Sac or Bay Area needs some company or would like to give me some pointers on the water I am hoping to get out in a few weekends(Lower A for summer steel or maybe some trout on the Yuba/Truckee) when I start understanding the mechanics and basics of swinging this rod.

[Mark Kranhold]

Your in trouble.... Lol! No just kidding and congratulation for pulling the trigger in a addictive sport. I have seen your posts over the last year and I'm glad to see you finally jumped in the game, good for you! You will find that the Spey community are helpful and willing people, if it's helping one tune up there cast or just shooting the $hit about flys or fishing. Andy is good people and has a passion for this sport , we are just lucky to have the best flyshop and staff around right here in our backyard. What line and reel did you end up with? I believe you had a TFO deer creek? Good luck and hope to see you out there.

[troutless]

Congratulations on taking the plunge into the two-handed world.

If you find the Oakland casting ponds of benefit, please consider joining, or otherwise supporting, the Oakland Casting Club. A lot of volunteer effort goes into keeping up the ponds, much of it by a small core of the club members. There are some amazing casters in that club, and it is a good way to get to know other members and get involved in various events.

[Fly Right]

This past weekend I gladly got in line for this "addiction" so to speak.

Those of you who frequent the classified have probably seen me sell my switch rod on several occasions mainly because of wanting to focus on my last year at UC Davis and also partly because of the abundance of information available about rods, reels, line, tips etc. Instead I figured I would wait until I was done with school and give the spey game a shot and see if it was for me.

Looking at a fly fishing magazine last weekend I began to remember how much I miss being out on the water which is when I realized why wait?

After seeing some information on this forum about some two handers willing to give advice and help down at the Oakland Casting Ponds (my location for the summer.) Saturday morning rolls around and I headed out hoping to catch them before they left. After brief introduction and explaining my inexperience in the two handed area as well as owning a rod without a reel or line yet. Before I knew it my switch rod was out of my car and three guys were putting on one of their own reels and lining the rod for me. They began to explain very basics of learning my way around a two handed rod and let me give it a shot. Because the gentleman with the loaner reel had to takeoff it was over way to soon.

Having to go back to the Davis anyways and because I was way to excited from the morning I decided to drive past Davis to the shop. When I got there Andy explained everything crystal clear and had me setup in no time.

As soon as I got back to Oakland the next evening I headed straight to the ponds and began my attempt at casting with my own switch rod. Just want to give a thanks to Andy, the gentleman from the casting ponds if they happen to be on here, and everyone that contributes to this forum for saving me some questions.
Needless to say it all happened very quickly and I am very happy with my purchases and my discovery of the Oakland casting ponds. I think I see a lot of time in my near future spent at these ponds.

If anyone in the Sac or Bay Area needs some company or would like to give me some pointers on the water I am hoping to get out in a few weekends(Lower A for summer steel or maybe some trout on the Yuba/Truckee) when I start understanding the mechanics and basics of swinging this rod.

I am one of the old spey junkies at the Oakland ponds. I also belong to a newly formed club called Bay Area Fly Fishers (BAFF). I may have seen you there on Sat AM and am very pleased to hear that you had a good experience learning to cast. Our club has a very active and growing group of spey casters and will always be happy to help with your casting any time you wish to drop by. Instruction is always free and user friendly. Additionally we usually have several rods strung up and are open to letting people cast any rod on the rack.
The best times to catch us are Wed mornings from 9-noon or Saturday mornings until around noon. Hope to see you back soon. BTW we are also in the business of setting up outings that include fishing instruction.

[Frank Alessio]

Thanks for posting the picture of the casting pond...Every town should have one....