I try to get out to the cape for a few days each season and have often wondered about fly-fishing (specifically backcasting challenges) the canal as we cross one or other of the bridges. It crossed my mind that the Spey Casting technique (where when executed properly the line does not pas behind you) used on the Salmon rivers back home in the UK might work provided that an exceptionally long cast was not required. Reading your excellent article John, I was more and more reminded of standing in the River Tweed (Scotland) in November, spey casting and waiting ever so patiently for the tell-tale 'tap tap' as the fly swims arround on the current. Even the technique of letting the fish run with the fly from "the dangle" (as we like to refer to it back home) has a parrallel.
Next time I'm headed for Chatham, I'll dust off my 15' double-handed spey rod and give it a try in "The Ditch".
If anyone out there has already tried this technique I would be very interested in hearing.
Tight lines to all 'Brothers of the Angle'.