Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club upcoming events

Spey O' Rama Pre-tournament activities (16 Apr 2026)

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Pre-tournament activities for the 2026 Jimmy Green Spey O' Rama will be held Thursday and Friday, April 16 and 17.

These include, but are not limited to competitor qualification for the tournament, practice sessions for qualified competitors, competitor welcome festivities, etc.

Note that the casting ponds will be in heavy use during this period by the Spey casting competitors.

Spey Angler Casting Clinic Day 1 of 2 (02 May 2026)

Sat, 02 May 2026 15:30:00 GMT

GGACC's Spey Angler Program is unique, in that its primary goal is to teach anglers how to swing a fly with a two-handed rod for steelhead and other species. Preparing a student to fish from a boat with a two-handed rod using such tackle as strike indicators is NOT part of this program.

A “signature” of GGACC’s Spey training is that we train students to cast with both hands, from both sides of their body. Maximum class size is 6 in order to give each student lots of personal attention.

On Saturday we cover the fundamentals of Spey in a classroom setting, then quickly move to the ponds to learn the basic Spey casts. We meet Saturday @ 8:30AM in Anglers Lodge in our waders -- but leave spiked boots outside! We then move into the ponds from 9:30AM - 3PM with appropriate breaks.

On Sunday, river conditions permitting, we head to the American River in the Sacramento area and learn to fish the casts practiced on Saturday. Mid-day we add sink tips to replicate real world conditions. Also covered are rotation fishing, river etiquette, and fighting and landing steelhead as well as other species. On Sunday, we start at 8:30AM sharp ready to cast (rigged up, waders on, etc.) at one of several locations to be provided on Saturday. We finish at approximately 2PM.

You must be a current GGACC member to register, and there is a $150 registration fee for this class. The fee must be paid with credit card or PayPal when you register online. Failure to make this payment within 15 minutes of starting the registration process will cancel your registration.

Please note the following! The most successful Spey students possess certain casting abilities! With a single hand rod, you should to be able to false cast a straight top leg of a loop @ 35’ (both forward and back cast) and have the final forward cast roll out the line, leader and fly above the water. One also needs to be able to roll cast a loop @ 35', having the fly line, leader and fly “turn over” while airborne. For best success, we strongly encourage prospective students to develop these single hand casting abilities before taking this Spey Angler class. If you are uncertain as to your readiness for this class, one of the four Spey Instructors or any FFI CCI (certified casting instructor) you approach will be able to watch you cast and quickly determine your readiness. FFI CCIs wear printed name tags at the GGACC's monthly free casting lessons (when resumed). If you don’t possess the above abilities, please attend those free Saturday casting lessons and develop them.

The club has loaner Spey rods, reels, and lines available. Bring waders, boots, wading staff, eye protection, hat, and sack lunches for both days; and also a folding chair for Sunday at the American River. Again, students are welcome to use the club's high end, superbly matched Spey rods and lines each day. Students are responsible for their own transportation to both the GGACC casting ponds and to the American River training site. Arranging on Saturday for carpools to get to the river on Sunday is encouraged since parking may be limited at the river, and often requires a small local park use fee.

Registration for this two-day class is accomplished online using the GGACC Event calendar on the Saturday event only. Registration requires GGACC membership and paying a $150 fee. When the class is full (maximum 6 students), you will have the option of joining a waitlist for that class (any cancellations may be filled from the waitlist, and those waitlisted may be advised first of new class dates). Registrants and any members on the waitlists will be emailed an attachment containing Bob Pauli’s Spey Casting Manual and encouraged to purchase Simon Gawesworth’s 3-DVD set on “Modern Spey Casting”. These two resources are the corner stones of our education program. As such, the instructors expect you to read the manual and watch the DVDs multiple times. Students who don’t prepare are often frustrated and can fall behind.

Cancellation: If you cancel prior to 20 days from the class, your fee will be refunded. Cancellation inside the 30-day window which causes the class size to drop below 4 students (minimum class size) will result in fee forfeiture. Notify Steven Morikawa (stevenmorikawa@msn.com) as soon as you know you need to cancel.

Please check the GGACC events calendar for Spey Angler classes. When possible, there will be at least two Spey Angler classes in the spring and two in the fall. (The Spey "Improver" classes are not for beginners!)

Any Question give a call! Steven Morikawa FFI-Two Handed Master Instructor 707 315-2020

Spey Angler Casting Clinic Day 2 of 2 (03 May 2026)

Sun, 03 May 2026 15:30:00 GMT

THIS CALENDAR EVENT IS ONLY TO NOTE THE SECOND DAY OF THIS TWO DAY CLASS---PLEASE REGISTER FOR BOTH DAYS ON THE CALENDAR EVENT "DAY 1 OF 2"

On Sunday, river conditions permitting, we head to the American River in the Sacramento area and learn to fish the casts practiced on Saturday. Midday we add sink tips to replicate real world conditions. Also covered are rotation fishing, river etiquette, and fighting and landing steelhead as well as other species. On Sunday, we start at 8:30AM sharp ready to cast (rigged up, waders on, etc.) at one of several locations to be provided on Saturday. We finish at approximately 2PM.

Cancellation: If you cancel prior to 20 days from the class, your fee will be refunded. Cancellation inside the 15-day window which causes the class size to drop below 4 students (minimum class size) will result in fee forfeiture. Notify Steven Morikawa (stevenmorikawa@msn.com) as soon as you know you need to cancel.

Any Question give a call! Steven Morikawa FFI-Two Handed Master Instructor 707 315-2020

Spey Improver Casting Clinic (28 Jun 2026)

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 15:30:00 GMT

Spey Improver Program

The GGACC's Spey Improver Program, is scheduled for June 28, 2026 starting at 8:30 AM. Registration fee is $75.00

This is a one-day class directed at those GGACC members who have previously taken the GGACC Spey Angler program, or who have experience swinging a fly with a two-handed rod. This is a more advanced class than Spey Angler (which is meant for beginners). It is important to understand that students are expected to be able to safely and productively perform (with a two-hand rod) dead-line roll casts, overhead casts, double Spey, and snap casts. Additionally, you should be able to shoot one rod length of line performing these casts. If you have any concerns about your readiness for the Spey Improver class, please contact one of the GGACC Spey Instructors. Their contact info is on the GGACC website. When you are enrolled in a class you will be sent Bob Pauli’s manual and a recommendation for Simon Gawesworth’s DVD set for your study. They are the cornerstones of our teaching.

Items covered will include Single Spey, Snake Roll, Perry Poke, and reset casts. We will use both Skagit and Scandi set-ups. Expect to focus on non-dominate hand casting.

Spey Improver classes will be held at the Gristmill Recreation Area, Sacramento. Students should have Skagit and Scandi heads, tips (floating, intermediate, and fast sinking) as well as a 15’ tapered steelhead/salmon leader (Scandi set up). Use yarn flies only. Students should bring waders, boots, and belt, eye protection, sunscreen, hat, raingear, and a lunch. Be ready to start (rigged up, in the water) at 8:30AM. The class will end between 2 and 3 o’clock. Students are responsible for their own transportation (carpooling is encouraged).

Registration is accomplished on the GGACC website Events calendar. Registration requires GGACC membership and paying a $75 fee, which must be paid online by credit card or PayPal within 15 minutes of starting the registration process. If the class is already full, you will have the option of joining the waitlist. We strongly advise signing up for the waitlist, if only to be potentially advised first of the next scheduled class. Any cancellations made inside a 20-day window may result in fee loss.

Steven Morikawa

GGACC Spey Education Chairman, FFI certified THCI & CCI

stevenmorikawa@msn.com

707-315-2020

Spey Angler Casting Clinic Day 1 of 2 (18 Jul 2026)

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:30:00 GMT

Any Question give a call! Steven Morikawa FFI-Two Handed Master Instructor 707 315-2020

Spey Angler Casting Clinic Day 2 of 2 (19 Jul 2026)

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:30:00 GMT

THIS CALENDAR EVENT IS ONLY TO NOTE THE SECOND DAY OF THIS TWO DAY CLASS---PLEASE REGISTER FOR BOTH DAYS ON THE CALENDAR EVENT "DAY 1 OF 2"

Any Question give a call! Steven Morikawa FFI-Two Handed Master Instructor 707 315-2020