Through visiting and working at fishing trade shows, I’ve been fortunate to meet many professionals with fishing-related jobs. It’s always a joy to talk to someone that has a passion for fishing that somehow turned their passion into a career. A perfect example of this is Rick Whorwood. I’ve talked to Rick several times briefly at shows, and got to know him as an enthusiastic fly casting instructor. It turns out Rick is a Master Single Hand, and Two Hand Casting Instructor with the Federation of Fly Fishers – which is the highest level one can accomplish when it comes to fly casting instruction. I only knew this because I read it on his website. In person, Rick is a really enthusiastic angler that truly wants to see the sport of fishing grow, which you can tell that just by speaking with him. He had mentioned a few times that we should get out on the water together. A few months ago we finally made solid plans, and recently we had our day on the water!

Myself and Sarah Brooke (from Shimano Canada) had the wonderful opportunity of a day of learning Spey casting with Rick. Sarah is a great lady that works within the industry, and I am happy that I had the chance to share the experience with her! We both had a blast!

We began our day on the Grand River (southwestern Ontario) in this raft. Both were firsts as I’ve never been on the Grand, or in a raft – I loved it!

From the moment we stepped on the shore of the Grand, it was a learning experience. We went over raft safety, and then hopped in and made our way down stream to our first lesson spot. We went over understanding what Spey is used for, Spey lines, and then our introduction to casting. We learned roll casts, snap T, double spey, Belgium  – and all from both sides of the river in order to be able to cast in any situation (wind/river flow). In short, Spey casting is a double handed (fly fishing) technique which allows more powerful and farther casts for larger water bodies. Larger flies can be casted, and the water is used as an aid to cast – avoiding obstacles behind. It’s really an incredible way to fish! Rick is such a wealth of knowledge, I found myself asking questions all day. He made it so much fun, and such a positive learning experience. We spent the entire day out there and covered a lot of water as well!