Beginner Single Hand Spey Casting Sweet Loops

A few tips and tricks for beginning single hand spey casters or single hand Skagit casters using opst skagit commando head and floating micro tip. I also talk about Rio Trout Max Short, Rio Single hand spey line, Rio single hand trout line, Airflo skagit scout, airflo 40 plus. I catch a few bass and crappie stripping a woolie bugger in a public pond using several different spey casts and skagit casts with one hand and with two hands.
Using underhand techniques in some cases, skagit casts, and spey casts I do Snap T, perry poke, single spey, double spey, weak hand up, cache handed Roll cast, cache handed snake roll and single spey, an aerial snap T, (I think, lol) and a reverses spiral spey and some double spiral casts. We discuss casting light and heavy payloads of floating tips and light flies, delicate presentations of dry flies to finicky trout, techniques and Skagit heads for casting heavy sink tips and weighted streamers, hauling on the sweep, hauling on the forward cast, beginner tactics for learning one-handed spey casting and advanced tactics such as double haul spey casts and overhead casting Skagit lines.

[@SurfSkagit]

I can’t stop saying that this is a game changer style of presenting a fly, and you Tim show that in perfect harmony with the scenery you are casting in. Still don’t see much fly fishermen doing this either-way fresh or saltwater in my local spots, looks the interest from the newbies and old fly guys to jump in to this style is the confusion over the lines, grains tip sections, rod weight using the bottom hand on a TH/ switch fly rod...etc, you really doing a good thing here once again sir. Congrats! Thank you for the time! Best Mag

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

thanks buddy, that makes my day!

[@markhoffman9655]

Thanks for useful compilation of csting techniques. Good ambassador for the sport with the interested people stopping to watch.

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Thank you so much!

[@KevinGarrigan]

great video LinespeedJedi, thanks for taking the time to explain the fundamentals

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Thanks Kevin! Glad you found it helpful! I appreciate the comment!

[@TomNavesink]

Thanks!great instruction at a nice slow pace. Much appreciated!

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Thanks man!

[@PetalsFiresideStories]

Great video, thank you !

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Thank you very much! So glad you enjoyed it!

[@douglasblackwood3861]

Sorry forgot to say love your videos,keep up the good work.

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Douglas Blackwood Hey thanks man I’m glad you watched glad you like them so much

[@douglasblackwood3861]

@@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins I do a lot of skagit fishing with the OPST smooth integrated commando line,150g with a 7.5ft floating tip,they are great for all types of Trout fishing from streamers to dry flies,they are a dream to cast with all the spey casts and you don't need a expensive rod,love your way of showing how to cast different lines and rods.

[@artisanway]

Thanks for the tips, cheers

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Hope it helps. Thanks 🙏

[@matthewwalker9287]

Good video, just started practicing and not over powering your cast is a big beginning step, thanks.

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

🙏

[@octobergold5356]

I bought a commando head for my 6 weight for smallmouth fishing this summer and it’s totally changed the way I fish. It’s so much fun and incredibly versatile- works very well even for pin fishing. If I were to setup another rod I would try the integrated line because it is a bit of pain and clunky stripping the head into the guides and for overhead casting

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Nice October Gold! Yes they are a hoot! by far my favorite way to fly fish in reall world conditions for real world fish! Thanks for the input and tight lines!

[@douglasblackwood3861]

Jedi just heard you mention OPST, I bought there new smooth integrated commando head 150 grain,use it with a 7. 5 floater for dry fly,or 7.5 intermediate for nymph or wet fly,I swear it is the best line I ever bought,cast it with 34567weight rods,it is unreal how easy and delightful it is in any situation,haven't used any other trout lines since I got it last September

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Douglas Blackwood Hey buddy that’s great I’m looking forward to getting one of those smooth ones I like the way you’re lining up man sounds like the ticket good info bro thank you very much

[@watersprite7983]

Whereas I am physically challenged by the 14 foot, double hander, the smaller 10 foot rod with the OPST line was not so trying on my body and was so much MORE fun to cast this past spring and summer. It really fit with me well, though my casting was still pretty raw, and I caught far more fish with it than the longer rod. Unlike the open cage reel on the longer rod, which required a conventional running line, the smaller rod was able to use OPST's mono line since I was able to mount it in a full cager. She was really sweet to cast, BUT I didn't like it's inability to mend well. Trying to use the weight and inertia of the light mono to lift the heavy head in mending was problematic. Overall, it was my favorite rod-line setup last year, and I am really looking forward to playing with it some more this spring when the river opens again. In the meantime, the state stocked my favorite pond with 4x the number of fish that has been the norm for the past 20 years, and I am STOKED! Last year I had maybe three days when I wasn't all alone on the lake. But that's not spey fishing, and not a part of this channel's emphasis.

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Good stuff buddy, yes the lighter rods make spey fishing a joy with these modern lines. And any time you have water to yourself its a win, specially with dry flies!

[@danielgilbert9251]

⁰the ⁹99k0

[@danielgilbert9251]

.

[@jameshalterman7022]

Sir, do you think that a new Spey caster with an 11ft. 7wt. "switch" rod should get a "Rio Chucker for switch rod" line? What other lines would you recommend ??? Thanks for your video. I like the way you talk and explain things.

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

My understanding is that they are not great for Spey casting or nymphing but can do both ok. I understand the interest at I’ve given some thought to getting one myself. An Opst commando head with short floating tip might be a better choice. It’s great for spey casting and swinging yet I sometimes add a thingymabober for deadlifting a streamer, nymphing style, through a run. It’s not perfect but it gets the job done.

[@watersprite7983]

You using that purple gummy worm fly, again? Sure working on them thar bass. The OPST lines certainly put a different spin on things, and even drew me off the mountain to give it a try, result, I took up the spey rod again after a very long layoff. Just wished my larger two hander was as easy to use. But then I am using a different line. Hmm.

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

You make a Good point Watersprite. The single hander with a short head and light tip make a very good set up for learning the spey cast. Many people argue that a long Spey rod is best to learn on, and in fairness to them, it is maybe, easier than starting with a switch rod, but I think if a guy was to start with a single hander and opst head or Rio Trout max short and light tip he would be light years ahead! Watersprite, you are going to get this two hand cast! Believe it!!! We will make this happen.

[@AdrianStruwig]

Love your videos man! I just got myself the OPST line for my single hand 6wt, so this video was perfectly timed 😄. One question I have is: How much overhang do you have from the rod tip to the back of the head when you cast?

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Thanks Adrian, I use anywhere from a foot or two to zero inches pulling the head all the way to the tip top guide. I don't get to fussy about it unless I'm making a few practice casts with as much overhang as I can, as a challenge, but for fishing I just get it close.

[@juancanon1459]

Hey Jedi I have a orvis superfine carbon 3wt 7’6” and I’m interested in getting a OPST micro line. Do you think that line would be suitable for such a short rod. I’ve seen the suggestion charts and also have emailed them about my set up. Will this really work with such a short rod?

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Good question. Good call contacting them. Let me know what they say. Another good option if the OPST is too heavy and or long is just to buy a medium MOW tip from Rio. They make really great shooting heads for light short rods and can handle the same tips you might use with an OPST head!

[@kevinobrien8335]

Hey Juan. I have been using the OPST 150 with the 7.5’ floating tip on a TFO Pro II 7.5’ 3 wt.for a couple years now. It works very well with that rod which is a med fast progressive. It’s kind of crazy what a rod that small can do with that line on it!! I’ve never fished the rod you mentioned but I would think it should work. I also use the 150 on a Cabela’s CGR 6’6” 4wt fiberglass rod. That rod is a pretty slow action full flexing rod and it works well there also. Good luck.

[@craigwheaton2506]

What OPST micro tip length would be best for a 6wt 9’6 with a Airflo Skagit scout head 240gr?

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

I would get the 5 footer

[@craigwheaton2506]

@@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins Thank you

[@boohoo210]

What size rod and grain weight head were you using?

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

10' 4 weight rod, 150 grain opst commando head. If I remember right, but its been a while, those super short Rio Skagit trout heads work good also

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

actually it was a 6/7 weight rod and 276 grain shooting head

[@counterpoint6718]

Hey Jedi, rumor has it that you store your lunch in that beard you are sporting. Any truth to it? I once thought I saw a bird flying out of it's mass. 8-)

[@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins]

Occasionally I have foodstuffs on it, but never an entire meal. that would be uncouth. I had a long piece of mono hooked to it the other day. Its pretty handy for drying small dry flies!

[@counterpoint6718]

@@LineSpeedJediTimRawlins Drying flies, good one there, Jedi. Now give yourself a heart.

[@nichtverstehen2045]

hm. that's more like a switch rod and definitely not a single-hand casting technique.