Casting Big Streamers With a Light Rod: Single Hand Skagit
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2023
- If you're looking to cast big streamers with a lighter rod with some considerable distance and accuracy then stick around and watch this video!
I go over my single handed skagit setup on my 6 weight fly rod. With a bit of practicing your Spey Casting techniques, you will be able to cast larger than average streamers with ease. Also, it's a lot of fun and makes fly fishing that much more enjoyable.
My Setup:
Orvis Clearwater Rod 6wt 9ft and Clearwater II reel
20lb Dacron backing 50ft
40lb Berkley Trylene Big Game 100ft
Airflo Skagit Scout 240 grain
Airflo Polyleader Steelhead/Salmon 5ft
Maxima Clear 12lb or 10lb
Other lines to checkout are:
OPST Commando Head
OPST Commando Head Smooth Integrated
Scientific Anglers Spey Lite Integrated Skagit
OPST Lazar Running Line
Thank you so much for watching! - Навчання та стиль
Thats a pretty nice sytem for lighter setups, i personally have a pretty powerful 6wt for streamer fishing (echo boost blue) and a 8wt i build about a year ago so i can just use very chunky sink tip lines like the SA titan tapers which are probably the best for bigger streamers in my home river which is very fast flowing and 90% of the casting is side huck and duck casting.
Polyleaders are not very suitable for this river they just dont sink fast enough in the 2 or maybe 2.5-3 seconds im able to let it sink and they are a pain to cast with floating lines (is casting polyleaders easier with skagit setups ?).
I got a floating line for my 6wt for fishing mice patterns and so im able to quickly switch to a dry fly leader when i see a hatch and thats the only line i use with a loop, i use nail knots on all other sink tip or intermediate lines.
I got a little trick to make that loop connection way smoother and reduce the hinge effect by a lot, it would probably work great for the running line to head connection.
There are those shitty little mesh loops that nobody should use but they come with very thin and stretchy silicone tubing, i use the largest version from vision, i just got it for the tubing i threw the loops away 😂.
So what you do is slide that silicone tubing on your leader, or in your case the running line then make a small perfection loop and slightly melt the tag end to make it nice and round, i do that on all my knots btw, then you loop to loop your leader or running line, then wet the connection or put a little bit of cdc floatant on it (makes it easier to move when you had it on for a while) and just work that silicone tubing over the loop to loop connection and it should still cover the knot of the perfection loop, thats why you need a small perfection loop, so there is not a lot of space between the loop to loop and the knot of the perfection loop.
And there you go, a nice smooth connection that doesnt hinge and probably goes trough guides way easier, but i did not test it since i only use it on leader connections.
The cdc floatant makes it easier to move when you need to cange something out, for that just pull it back over the fly line, change the leader and just pull it back over the leader untill it covers the loop connection and the knot of the perfection loop.
I dont know how long it holds up when its pulled trough the guides all the time but that silicone is pretty durable i think it could last a good while.
I think its worth a try for the running line to skagit head connection 😄.
Some really cool tips on dressing the knots! For this particular setup the knots aren’t dressed so you can interchange tips and heads whenever you want. I also have the SA titan triple density line which works well but on the river you deal with a bunch of slack line sinking into the rocks by your feet- not ideal for me personally. Of course there are solutions to this and other techniques to get the job done with a sinking line. I think it’s an amazing line on a boat where that’s my personal recommendation.
To address the Polyleader. It works well for my setup but level sinking line is also suitable but couldn’t find any instock at the time at my shop. Polyleaders hinge like crazy on my floating lines and it is chuck n’ duck all day long with that bad boy!! On the skagit, no problem at all. I do agree with you the sink rate is not as good due to its tapered construction but you can balance it out with some weight in the fly.
Thank you for the insightful comment and tips. I hope other viewers will read it so i will pin it. Tight lines!!!
"Will I buy a 2 handed rod?...I probabaly wil" 🤣Skagit heads are a gateway drug . great video... "bro"
Haha! I did buy that 2 hander in the end! Skagit is just too damn addictive!
Be carful when you get bit! you won’t look back skagit and streamers for life ! Get a 2 handed rod and make it easy!
I just took this up. Love it. Helped a lot
Sweet! Try it on bass! It’s money!
Im glad i went with the 40lb big game instead of the 30lb. Much easier handling. Thanks so much for the great content!
Thanks a bunch! Yeah, I really dig that stuff. Been using the blaze orange color lately and really liking the color contrast.
About the running line, take the spoole with the mono shooting line of the reel the night before fishing, and put it in a bowl of water, the mono wil soak up and become soft and it's now easy to stretch, dont care how much you stretch a dry fat mono, it's not going to happen, try the water bath, if you forget the water bath the day before, a couple of hours before going out to fish will be okay.
I have wanted to try this but i got all the mono tangled haha!! Anyways, I actually switched to the blaze orange big game and it stretches so much better after a few casts. I wonder if i had a fresh spool or not but such a dramatic difference between solar collector and blaze orange. Thanks for your input🙂
Your loop to loop connection will go through the guides if you turn your fly rod to the side 🐟
Brilliant video, love it, im going to look at making my own tips i think..they are expensive the way i fish :)
Yeah, they really are expensive!! Thanks for watching, and good luck! It’s a fun way to fish.
Very good video/information,the versatility of the system out way the cons,tip available are mind blowing,2 things to think about type & depth of water,the 1 addition you might add is a striping basket,the advantages of having 1 is surprising & once you learn to use it you'll be surprised,the key word is practice & slow down 🤙
Practicing and Slowing down are huge!! Thanks for the additional info. But the stripping basket situation…….I just can’t be “that guy”!!!😂😂
@@greenhornflyhorn not for everyone agree,just a random thought,I don't use 1 myself,but enjoy the versatile of the Skagit system,tight lines & bent rods 🤙 🇺🇸
I took an old 11wt wf line, cut the head off and then cut it down from the back to about 225 grains and welded a loop on it as my head. Thing worked great as an intro with little/no cost. Just started playing around with the opst stuff now that I know I like it.
The old school way of making skagit heads! Been meaning to try opst, hopefully later this season I will into some. Tight lines🤘
I have one,10wt striper line cutted into 150grains,keep the front and rear taper,that thing cast smoother 1000 times than those skagit products,truly easy to cast,just attach to a poly leader.The only issue is the front taper is too thin as a skagit head,can not turn over heavier tips or leaders.I have Commando and Airflo scout too,the similar weight…those two thing are really difficult to make them works,
evenly I bought about 10 different length and weight poly leaders,still seems to light ,but they don't match the normal tip like the lightest T7…And I took a lot of time to make my customed tip,I 'm trying to find a way to cast them well.
Interesting; The tip on the brand of 40# mono is a help, but I wonder if you've considered using fly line dressing while you're stretching it to help it float a little better? (Just a thought.) As to the shooting line loops, I use my fly tying vise to hold the ends in a narrow U, wrap the tag (bitter) end of it over the standing (the rest of the) line with fly tying thread (in fact you could use a nail/bodkin/whatever if that helps) and then I use either clear nail polish or, these days, super glue would be even stronger. (Yes, the same technique works on fly lines as well.} Just remember,, "The worst day of fishing is [still] netter than the best day of working" any day of the year.
Hey there, i never thought of dressing the mono shooting line. I suppose that might work but it’s not much of a bother unless i am casting long distances. I never tried putting anything on my knots lately but might give it a try again. Thank you for watching and your input
After watching all of these fly-fishing videos I've pulled out my rods and started practicing casting again. Most of the time I'm in the yard, but occasionally I'll go to the water( salt, and then fresh).
One thing I noticed was that the loop to loop connection was a lot of mass and weight to turn over. I cut off the loop to the leader connection and re-connected with a nail knot. I also made a shorter monofilament leader out of 20# Stren(green)? 14# Cajun line(red), and Sussex 2X tied to a piece of yarn since the rivers are closed. The yarn piece laid out right where I wanted it to go, with a nice soft flutter on the dry line. I'm still trying to control my forcing the rod the longer I cast, but that's my mental control problem.
When I moved I misplaced a lot of things that keep popping up. Found a mouse fly this morning...
Nows the time to polish up that cast. The fishing season is gonna start heating up in a couple months!! Get those reps in!
@@greenhornflyhorn I'm going to start fishing for surf perch conventionally at the end of the month, and try fly-casting with a sinking line tipped with a nymph.
I also had a thought to practice from the boat when I wait for the crab pots to soak this summer( sea run cutthroats?)
Great video on this. Was fishing Lake Erie tribs for Steelhead Fri and Sat, and was thinking about single hand with a skagit head. I got one steely on an indicator egg rig, but spent most of my time swinging with my 10' 7wt and sinking tip line, unsuccessfully. Shoulders are sore from back casting that sink tip line, which triggered me finding this vid ;)
Even a plain dynamic roll cast puts you out there far enough for the small to medium tribs.
A few thoughts. Light level fly line isn't that much thicker than 40# big game, and it handles much better. Once you're dialed in on a head/rod combo, you can weld that running fly line to the head for a smoother, cheap rig. I have that same big game 40# on my switch rod and it kinks up pretty fast, requiring a lot of stretching. The knot is annoying and it's unsettling to ponder what that is doing to the knot's integrity.
I like the idea of the shorter sink tips. You could cut a 10' in half and make two 5 footers, nail or albrighting a butt w/perfection loop to the cut end. You could also weld some floating line to the back part to make a combo sink tip If you decide you need the length. Welding fly line is easier than it seems if you just get a good heat gun where you can dial in the temperature.
Another nice advantage of the skagit over a traditional integrated sinktip line is that you can easly switch to an indicator rig by throwing on a short floating tip. I was rod swapping for that.
I've got a 10'4" 5wt and the 10' 7wt and I'm planning to try Skagit rigs for both.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I hear ya on the sore shoulders. I was out practicing single hand casting and blew my shoulder out! So I have adopted alot of two skagit casting lately. The single hand stuff is amazing and you can launch it good. About the running line, i have coated running line and mono. I just like the mono because I got used to it. I bet after a few days with the coated stuff i would change my mind(who knows). The good news about your sinking line is that it will do a slower presentation which is a good thing with the water being so cold(34°). I do a lot of Ontario/Huron Tribs. Tight lines buddy🤘
I wonder if you have ever thought of cutting off the welded loop and going for a spliced connection with Knot scence uv cure? with the right taper it should flow through the guides well, generally these heads are attached loop to loop so that line they can be interchanged with intermediate or scandi heads according to the conditions, however in a small stream we will always use the same head
I have wanted to do this for awhile but I just change stuff out wayyy too much to commit hahaha! I have noticed after about 100 casts or so the loop to loop tightens up a bit so it’s not too bad with the polyleader if I bring it in that far. Also, i should add that I have had an easier time with the running line loop to loop when i have a larger perfection loop. There is the Spey Lite Skagit or Scandi from SA that people rave about.
@@greenhornflyhorn You can try an Improved albright/Alberto knot , It will squeeze the loop form a triangular taper.
Ed ward himself doesn't fish his own integrated line as he finds the drag of the running line a bit too much.
Thanks for this video my guy! I just got into single hand fly fishing about a year ago and saw all these Jedi Spey casters and wanted to give it a try, but without breaking the bank. I will definitely have to pick up a setup like this! Quick two questions, first is there a different mainline test/skagit head grain you would recommend for like a 7/8 wt rod for steelhead fishing? 2nd question is, I know this is meant for swinging flies but is this something you could do a kinda messy euro nymph/tight line style with if you had a floating tip on? Only asking cause a lot of the tributaries here in NY are pretty narrow, but there are some wider rivers where actually Spey casting/swinging makes sense. Sorry for the long comment and thanks again!
Alright buds, here’s the run down. Question Uno: it seams as though every manufacturer(line companies)has a different recommendation. OPST commando heads are ALWAYS on the smaller side of things. More like 275grain where as Scientific Angler will say something around 300-330grains. For running line, i like the thickness and slickness of mono and for my anything around 0.024” is my preference for that. No matter what grain weight I use on my rods(210-480+ grains).
Question deux: Nymphing with a Skagit? Hell yeah man! It’s a close game though for mending. A floating tip will be your friend here. Add some leader material to the end of a floating tip and some nymphs, bingo! Euro nymphing? More tight lining and yes you can do it. I have done it when the bite is slow. I have done a bunch of ways, floating tip with some leader material with nymphs(weighted). Also used polyleaders for tightlining(8-10ft 5-7ips polyleaders). And! You can carry a mono rig with you and just loop that on and do actual euro nymphing that way! Lots of possibilities! And of course this season I will show people what can be done if you’re in a pinch.
Hope this helps🤘
@@greenhornflyhorn dude, you are the man!! I would have never expected such an in depth reply. I had already subscribed after watching the video but I wish I could subscribe again! I will keep an eye out for future vids about this setup. Thanks again 🙏
A loop in your running line large enough to pass the coiled head through makes things a little easier.
Yeap! I explain it more in detail in this video ua-cam.com/video/EMP_0fVNSxk/v-deo.htmlsi=TYDodZ9GLrt12Hf_
Great video thanks...quick question ..how to choice the right size or grain for ur rod ..I have 9rod for salmon never used this skajet head
Well, couple ways to do it. The fly line manufacturers will have suggested grain weights(sizes) for your fly rod. You can find a table of all recommended sizing on most of their websites. Another way is to contact your fly rod manufacturer and ask them. Both ways will work great and get you in the zone. I hope this helps! Any other questions, just shoot away. Always happy to help
@@greenhornflyhorn thank u so much
I have a question，how heavy flies are called heavy flies or big flies? What will happen if I use a smaller streamer? Will it blow anchor?
All great questions. 1. For my 6wt anything over 3 inches I call big. Exceptions to this are flies with big dumbbell eyes ie. greater than 1/8” or a bunch of lead wraps. Big cone heads that kinda stuff can make it a heavy/large fly. Also, rabbit strips/marabou are really heavy when wet!
2. It will make your casts easier(less effort) and depending on fly design(for example, less wind resistant)it can cast much farther!
3. Blowing anchors is to do with your casting speed(cadence), initial anchor placement, your sweep into the d loop, also skagit line size. Lots of factors here but its mostly technique.
I will say this, you will know when your fly is too heavy when your casts are flopping infront of you or the head(skagit) won’t lift the fly with effort.
Hope this helps, I will be doing way more on the skagit subject.
@@greenhornflyhorn Thank you for answer. I use 175grains commando with 4wt 5wt rod,I make some custom tips for them,found that T6 tip turn over a dumble eye crazy charlie (I bought it from internet few years ago) effortly,it really doesn't looks like a heavy or big fly,but it weigh 8 grains in dry condition.The 175 grains commando turns over that T6 tip effortless, even a 10feet T8,but the scout head didn't, scout head turns over a T6 seems a little effortly ,so I thought scout should use some flies much smaller than that dumble eyes charlie.Maybe the tip length make some influence，perhaps scout can turn over a shorter T8 or T7.
I mean it’s an interesting concept/idea, and I actually tried something like this years ago,,, however, in my experience, I believe you are just better off buying a spey/switch rod and leave the single hands for what they were meant to do,,, overhand cast. Just my 2 cents.
Appreciate your input. Just another tool for the box. I like using skagit but it’s not for everyone and I get it. Thanks for stopping by, tight lines👍
Can you use it for trout
That’s a big 10-4 pal! Use it all the time for browns, brookies n’ bows!
@@greenhornflyhornSo on float shooting head, sink tip and a streamer
Big heavy rods with big reels save fish..I hate this lite rod bs..puts too much stress on fish. You aren’t the only person fishing that stretch of water.
Interesting point of view. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and hope you get on em this season🙂