Before Spey, In the Shadows: Scotland’s Underhand Cast

The underhand Scottish cast, often simply called the underhand throw, has a history that predates the Spey cast by a good decade and a half. First appearing in the mid-1800s, it began life as an aerial side loop — a deceptively simple move that would go on to influence a famous cast.

George Kelso, writing in the late 1800s, still described the underhand cast in use, proof that it hadn’t faded away with the rise of Spey the cast. In fact, the real overlap between the underhand and the Spey cast didn’t come until the 1930s, showing just how long the two techniques coexisted.

How the Underhand Worked

In the underhand cast, as the fly strikes the water, it first drifts backward, trailing behind the caster before lifting vertically and swinging up over the angler’s head. This motion allows anglers to push a cast well beyond 90°, effectively creating either an upstream or downstream throw.

The trick, of course, is distance: to get that upstream angle, the cast demands a little more room off to the side of the angler. That challenge led the Spey fishermen to refine and adapt it for their own needs, fishing against the natural current of the river.

From Underhand to Spey

Edward Fitzgibbon noted how Spey fishermen preferred to approach salmon from behind, working from the tail of a pool to its head. They shortened the D-loop by anchoring not only the fly but the leader and part of the line in front of the caster — a neat adaptation of the underhand style.

Over time, this adjustment reshaped the cast into what we now call the Spey. The change was subtle but effective, shifting from a wide upstream sweep of up to 140° into a more compact motion. The shift also reflected changing angling values: salmon fishing upstream was increasingly frowned upon as unsporting, even if it was practical.

Competition and the Welsh Throw

Not all casts evolved the same way. Take the Welsh throw: even in the early 1800s, it could hit 90° angles, and it remains virtually unchanged today. The rod, the line, the motion — all the same now as they were two centuries ago.

And when it came to competition, line choice could make or break an angler. Alexander Grant, competing on the River Ness, famously used an extraordinarily long Welsh-tapered line. Against others armed with basic “pencil-tapered” or level lines, Grant had a huge advantage. It’s not unlike today’s Spey-O-Rama: imagine one competitor with a sleek, continuous-tapered head tied to fine running line, and others stuck with clunky double tapers. They wouldn't really stood a chance.

Why It Still Matters

Even now, the underhand cast, with its ability to make a 140° change in direction, remains a highly useful technique. Personally, I still rely on it when trout fishing — not only because it’s effective for working upstream, but also because it keeps alive a tradition that reaches back nearly two centuries.

The underhand cast, born as an aerial side loop, gave rise to the Spey cast — and the Welsh throw still holds its ground unchanged. Taken together, they form a living timeline of our tradition all around the world.