Skagit Casting with One-handed Trout Rod

[Bopper]

I wade fish the Yough in SW PA and have trouble reaching most of the water due to big slippery rocks slanted all different angles, strong currents, big deep holes and high banks with lots of trees. Was thinking I had to get some type of boat until I came across OPST. They have developed a short skagit head that supposedly enables Spey casting with a single-handed rod as light as 3 weight. This technique would allow me to cast further when there is no room to backcast and to cast while sitting down in a boat with my regular trout rods. Seems really cool, almost revolutionary! You folks may want to check out the link below to their site, which is a little clunky but quite interesting. Lots of videos that show it actually works with a single-handed rod.

http://www.opskagit.com/about-us.html

 

[edhank]

I picked up one of their systems for the exact purpose you mention. The yough and distance. I haven't had a chance to try it for its intended purpose, mostly because I can't spey cast. I was thinking of getting a lesson from Michael Mauri, but it looks like he is in Florida now

 

[dano]

they're pretty much a blunt tipped- short headed line weighing 3-4 times the grain weight you would normally throw for your particular rod. In other words, you are rolling out a 9-10 wt line on your 5 wt rod. Beneficial if all you do is roll cast. It's not going to be pretty overhead casting.

 

[moon1284]

I watched the singlehand video on that website. Just be aware that guy is a hell of a caster. I've used similar lines for a few years and they will work as advertised, but it feels like you're casting a brick on the end of a string. That line is similar to rio outbound short, or wulff ambush. You're casts probably won't look like his. You lose a lot in your presentation. As far as tossing big bobbers, you probably won't find a better line. They are great for throwing heavy weight when nymphing for steelhead too.

 

[krayfish2]

Will this work for you?

http://www.newzealandfishing.com/new-zealand-fishing/tongariro-roll-cast.htm

 

[moon1284]

Lol, the hook would be in the back of my head

 

[krayfish2]

I used it with a 3/4" thingamabober and a 9' rig with 3 flies on it. From a seated position in a pontoon.....bomb rollcasts. Couldn't do it 100% of the time but fairly easy once you get it.

 

[dano]

In that "Single Hand Skagit" video, he said he was using the (4wt) 200gr line with a MOW floating tip on his Sage 6wt XP. = 280 grains
Without that extra 10ft tip, his roll cast would have turned into a Belgian cast.

With such a short 13.5 head, you do really need to add some kind of tip to extend it all to get a proper water load on the roll cast.
I think the Wullf Ambush would be a better all around line.

 

[dano]

krayfish2 wrote:
Will this work for you?

http://www.newzealandfishing.com/new-zealand-fishing/tongariro-roll-cast.htm

Circle spey (or SnapT or C) and line slipped into a perry poke. Then haul & shoot?
At what part am I going to be wearing the fly?

 

[Bopper]

Thanks for the info. That Tongariro cast looks pretty cool.

I emailed OPST and told them what rods I have. Here is what they said.

890-4 275gr commando 35lb lazar line running line and rio mow light tips

690-4 sage one 225gr commando 30lb lazar line and air flo poly leaders in 5-7ft range

Our commando line are floating and are just the head they are built around the spey switch concept that is why they are in grains not by rod weight. our heads will handle larger flies than a standard weight forward lines but all rod will max out on a fly size. you just have to play with it and find out how big the will handle. polyleaders are light tips built for lighter rods and verse leaders are same concept but made by rio. hope that helps

 

[afishinado]

Interesting. Let us know how this works out for you.

As Dano wrote above, the lines you are looking at have a short and very heavy head up front. No doubt they will carry your line and fly a good distance with a simple roll cast.

This would work well for stripping streamers or even swinging wets. The problem may come when fishing dries or nymphs at a distance. With both types of fishing, you will need to mend. And since all the weight is in the tip with a short head, you'd be left with light running line out the tip, making mending difficult if not impossible. Same problem when nymphing at a distance where you need to mend to get a good drift. Trying to mend a heavy head with light running line with this line setup will also be difficult.

I've gone in the opposite direction with my line set-up. I choose to use a line with an extra long head. The long head line roll casts very well and allows me to mend dries as well as nymphs at a distance very easily.

The video that comes up just after the video that Kray posted is the one I embedded below. It shows roll casting with a conventional line and adding a double haul to a roll cast which increases distance tremendously. With this setup you can cast and mend after the cast as well as being able to execute an overhand cast and aerial mends, allowing you to fish dries and nymphs as well as stripping streamers and swinging wets.

 

[Artifishal]

Royal Wulff Ambush line. I would recommend Airflo Polyleaders over MOW tips for a single hand setup. MOW tips are better suited for a two handed rod with a skagit setup. Polyleaders work better for the single hand use. They come in 5' and 10' lengths. For a single hand skagit setup the 5' is the way to go. The 10' work great with a two handed Scandi setup. With the Ambush line you won't want to false cast a lot, but you can go one back and shoot it on the forward cast.