The Board

What is the opti lads? Have i been missing out on something?
best pom

https://eu.looptackle.com/products/lines/

One of these I guess, slight bricks on strings.

Cheers
Lasse

Specifically, this one:

https://uk.looptackle.com/product/opti- ... -floating/

When I was looking at certifications that were Spey heavy with AAPGAI, it was one of the recommended lines, along with the Barrio SLX. It’s a stable line in wind and good for Speys as mentioned, easy to cast as long as you don’t get out of your depth with overhang.

I’ll quite often use it in a lesson when people are trying to carry more than their capabilities because it is clearly marked and goes horribly wrong immediately you carry too much.

Regards

Vince

Don’t know it. I think we used one in a Jump Roll shootout once. Always interesting trying to extend overhang to max carry. Have had many such competitions with the TT.

Cheers, Paul

thanks for the replies... a 34' head! not sure if i will writing to santa claus about that one,

but be fun t try it next year vince if we end up at the same BFCC

Here's a thought though... if you used that to build up a technique to make good speys and jump rolls would those skills achieved be transferable to longer profiles or would you be left frustrated and needing to relearn an adjusted technique?
thanks
pom

That’s an excellent question!!

With apologies to any beginners reading this, please ignore this post. This is a question about Spey casting which is a change of direction dynamic roll cast, often used in rivers but also any time you need to change direction, particularly with restricted backcast space and the movements can even be incorporated into shot taking for large imaginary saltwater fishes. You will learn it, but as an intermediate level fly caster. Please work on forming loops of all sizes in all planes and just playing around with what the rod tip will do.


So….

The question is, do you want to Spey cast with the ability to pick up variable lengths of line on the lift and deliver to variable distances to present to fly (with a full range of presentation casts) or…

Pick up a 34’ head on the dangle and make nice consistent anchors and cast to a limited but consistent 65 or 70’ or whatever it is…. Possibly so you can then teach someone to Spey cast to do this… or (I would hope) with the ability to pick up variable lengths of line blah blah? (See above)


For me the answer is simple. For Spey casting I want a head length that is the maximum length I can pick up and comfortably turn/Sweep around. With a 9’ rod that’s a 65ish foot head. The MED despite the compound head is my perfect length for single handed Spey casting. Stick me in water up to my chest and I would prefer an Opti, or a boat, but generally speaking whenever I’ve been up to my chest in fast running water I’m running downsteam and very quickly.

I’ve cast with who I believe is the best (or at the very least one of the best) single handed Spey casters in the UK – he is totally outstanding. We cast together with a line he helped develop. Shoot is proportional to Carry or in this case D loop size. With a MED I could fish all the water he could but also I had an option to fish 20’ more water if required. And quite significantly I think, all the water he was fishing I could put aeriel mends in, something you can’t do with short heads.

I have a huge problem with these exams when it comes to practical fishing. That said I have also learned something from the regimented nature of training for them. In other words tightening down my variable Spey fishing casting to being able to hit Accuracy hoops again and again with the anchor with a fixed pickup line length, which is effectively what it is, has helped me. A little bit. But I never fish that way! 32’ head, 9’ rod, plus leader. That’s not exactly fishing the fly to your feet.

Now I know everyone is going to disagree with me on this. But for me having a full range of presentation casts at distance, is an absolute fishing necessity when fishing on rivers where I’m Spey casting. And I want to fish the fly out to my feet. Fish are attracted to my feet. Although admittedly it’s often been eels which has freaked me out.

Cheers, Paul

With a 9’ rod that’s a 65ish foot head

Most people I know can’t manage that with a 15’ rod and the MCI test length for the entire cast is only 60’.

Yep. It should be the max you can handle comfortably. For me it’s around 65’ with a 9’ rod. For others it will be more or less.

But I’m also happy to fish a DT in which case I lose some shooting abilities at maximum sweep length. My goto 4WT is a DT4.

Cheers, Paul

So in summary
learning to use part of longer head or a DT gives you a greater variation on viable options than the set short head length ?, and therefore is more useful to learn varying lengths of spey , especially longer.as your limited to your carry with the opti?
But the opti is more forgiving to cast when utilising the 34' head without too much overhang?
is that right ?
pom