To Rockfish's question, it takes less effort and less time to make a cast with a spey rod, under most conditions. The difference is that you don't usually retrieve the line or at least much of the line, before making a cast. The spey cast motion handles a very long line nicely. So, after your cast has drifted down below you, and you want to make another cast, you switch it upstream, then around and out. Takes about as much time to do as to say. Not as much stripping line in, no false casting. So the promise is that you will spend more time with your fly in the water, fishing.

What i find is more important than the casting ease, however, is that you don't need anywhere near as much room behind you in order to reach 70 or 80 feet out there. With a traditional rod, you need at least 50 feet behind you to reach that far out in front. With a Spey rod, I need about 15 feet. And that is cool.