What is the essence of the spey cast?It’s a question author Zack Williams spent a decade pondering. After answering for himself, he spent the next decade learning how to most effectively teach what he had learned as a guide on the steelhead rivers of Washington and Idaho. Along the way, the author continued to test and refine his theories and methodologies from the sea-run brown trout rivers of Patagonia to the steelhead waters of the Pacific Northwest and the trout waters of Montana, and at the world championship of spey casting, Spey O’ Rama, where he became a regular in the top five. Leaning on the teachings of Bruce Lee, Einstein and others, he now shares what he learned with you in Anchor-Centric Spey Casting: Theory, Methodology & Practice, with the goal of helping make your spey casting and fishing simpler, more effective and fun, without overhauling your own existing casting style. Just a few of the topics covered include: self-diagnosing casting errors, adjusting to switching between different speylines, dealing with challenging casting conditions and "Five Steps to Your Maximum Distance." This book is printed in black and white, 5.5” x 8.5”, 76-pages and features the author's simple sketches. It’s a little book that is jam-packed with information. We think you’re sure to learn plenty, but please don’t expect a big, heavy book with hundreds of glossy photos. A little more backstory from the author: "Around I think 2014-ish, I began to develop concepts on spey casting and instruction that I felt were different from much of what was and is being taught. Namely, rather than focus on body mechanics (arms do this, hands do that, etc.), I shifted and focused my entire casting methodology on working backwards from understanding what the line needed to do and then how to use your hand-eye coordination to do it. The goal here was to have the knowledge necessary to be able to cast using your own body and style rather than mimicking someone else’s. After several years of refinement in my head and a gradual integration into my teaching, around 2016, I first shared my new methodology, which I coined anchor-centric spey casting, at a spey clave on Washington’s Klickitat River put on by the Evening Hatch. Positive feedback encouraged me to continue my pursuit and refinement of the methodology. In the 2017.1 issue of Swing the Fly, I shared more publicly the basics of my anchor-centric methodology. After receiving some more touching feedback, the idea for a book entered my head. Here we are, six years, a lot of refinement and umpteen drafts of text and sketches later, and I’m finally ready to share the completed package. My own casting methodology has always been aimed at simplifying -- removing what's not necessary from my thoughts. This book includes literally everything I consider critical in the spey cast, whether a casual angler or hoping to go to Spey O' Rama. It's meant as a manual/companion to what you already know and do, and I hope it will provide anyone and everyone looking to improve their spey casting – from beginner to veteran – with the help they were hoping for. Thanks for your support."
