Anyone used OPST T6 tips w/ SA Spey Lite Skagit Heads?

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downriver79

Steelhead
Just picked up a SA 240gr Spey Lite Skagit Head to use in a single hand setup on a 8'6" 6/7 wt. SA website recommends the 10' Sonar tips, which are 50 gr. I already have a set of the OPST 8' T6 dual density tips for my 200 gr setup on my 5wt. Any reason why these wouldn't work with the SA Spey Lite? Am I correct in thinking that T6 means 6 gr per ft., so 8' would be 48 gr?
 
One way to find out!

For my SH work, I prefer 8' and under tips up to T11. Even with the spey lite 240. Often I'm going as short as 6'. My current go-to for my 7wt glass rods is a short skagit head at ~250gr plus the lighter (in grain wt) OPST 7.5' tips.

As with any of this, you may need to adjust your timing a little bit, but that's easy enough IMO.
 
clarkman said:
One way to find out!

For my SH work, I prefer 8' and under tips up to T11. Even with the spey lite 240. Often I'm going as short as 6'. My current go-to for my 7wt glass rods is a short skagit head at ~250gr plus the lighter (in grain wt) OPST 7.5' tips.

As with any of this, you may need to adjust your timing a little bit, but that's easy enough IMO.
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Thanks Clarkman! I hadn't considered the micro skagit 7.5' OPST's. That adds a whole other option.
 
The downside of experimenting with the OPST tips are that they're damn expensive while several sections of T whatever are far cheaper to experiment with to figure out what's going to work best for you. That said, the micro skagit tips are damn nice.
 
FWIW, I fish OPST 10 foot T-8 tips on my 3113 Burkie with a 270 grain SA integrated Skagit, and the same on my T&T 4109 Contact 2 with a 180 grain integrated Skagit. They work fine on both. With the exception of Rio 15 foot type 3, Rio MOW and iMOW 5x5, OPST tips are just about all I use anymore.
 
O' Clarkii Stomias said:
FWIW, I fish OPST 10 foot T-8 tips on my 3113 Burkie with a 270 grain SA integrated Skagit, and the same on my T&T 4109 Contact 2 with a 180 grain integrated Skagit. They work fine on both. With the exception of Rio 15 foot type 3, Rio MOW and iMOW 5x5, OPST tips are just about all I use anymore.
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Thanks. I will keep that in mind if I decide to take the plunge and get a 2-hand rig.

@clarkman , do you have a good source for level sink line by the foot? Everything I found online is either in Canada, or doesn't have T8 with a sink rate slower than 6 ips, which seems a little fast for most of the water I fish.
 
downriver79 said:
Thanks. I will keep that in mind if I decide to take the plunge and get a 2-hand rig.

@clarkman , do you have a good source for level sink line by the foot? Everything I found online is either in Canada, or doesn't have T8 with a sink rate slower than 6 ips, which seems a little fast for most of the water I fish.
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I've always bought whatever the equivalent is in the Airflo stuff. It's the only stuff I can consistently weld loops. I'll dig around and see if I have any of the lighter stuff left.....I don't think I do, but maaaaaybe.
 
clarkman said:
I've always bought whatever the equivalent is in the Airflo stuff. It's the only stuff I can consistently weld loops. I'll dig around and see if I have any of the lighter stuff left.....I don't think I do, but maaaaaybe.
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Right on!
Airflo's lightest (T7) is 7ips, but at $25 for 18' it's about half the price.
 
Yeah, that's what I had ended up doing for T7, T10, T14 and T18 (don't ask, very experimental). Just checked, and it looks like all I have left is T18 (apparently that experiment failed....lol)
 
I have a SA 270 Skandi lite us on my Loomis 31111. I stated using the 5ft Airflo poly leaders. I recently switched to an OPST 7.5ft type 2 and 4 ips. Because they are slightly longer and a little heavier, they have helped me not blow my anchor as often. My two handed casting needs some work. They turn over quite nicely, for what it's worth.
 
@downriver79 , I'm curious if you've had much of a chance to play around with those OPST 7.5' tips.

I have (although mostly with my heavier 8 and 9wt short glass) with both a ~250gr short skagit and with ~280gr short skagit (these are both lines I made by cutting back a couple of Airflo intermediate skagits). the 280 is right around 13 or 14' so it's still in the ballpark of what is currently available with SA, OPST and RIO ultra short skagit heads for SH rods. Anyway, long story longer, in short those 7.5' OPST tips (I have the type2 through type6) absolutely rip with any of my SH skagit lines (I also have a speylite and a couple of OPST floaters). For SH work, I don't think you can go wrong with those.

fwiw, the flies I typically fish are moderately weighted ~3" flies that are mostly marabou....rabbit might be an issue since it typically soaks up more.
 
clarkman said:
@downriver79 , I'm curious if you've had much of a chance to play around with those OPST 7.5' tips.

I have (although mostly with my heavier 8 and 9wt short glass) with both a ~250gr short skagit and with ~280gr short skagit (these are both lines I made by cutting back a couple of Airflo intermediate skagits). the 280 is right around 13 or 14' so it's still in the ballpark of what is currently available with SA, OPST and RIO ultra short skagit heads for SH rods. Anyway, long story longer, in short those 7.5' OPST tips (I have the type2 through type6) absolutely rip with any of my SH skagit lines (I also have a speylite and a couple of OPST floaters). For SH work, I don't think you can go wrong with those.

fwiw, the flies I typically fish are moderately weighted ~3" flies that are mostly marabou....rabbit might be an issue since it typically soaks up more.
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Very little. Had a chance to get out for a couple of hours on Sunday and fished the 4ips on a 250 gr Commando. It definitely seemed to turn over and cast better than the D2 8' T6's. But it was also the first time casting a new (to me) rod so I'm still working out the timing. Also have a 240 gr SA skagit head so I need to play around with the 2 of them and see which works better on it. The Trinity is currently blown out with the storm and the pulsed release they're doing. It should be fishable again the weekend after NY so I'm looking forward to getting some real time on the river and being able to really dial in with them.
You ever use them with regular WF lines? I ordered some of the SA Frequency Magnum with the intention of putting it on an old LL Bean 867 (8'6" 6/7wt) to use as a streamer rod. I'm hoping the 7.5' tips will compliment it well too.
Rabbit soaking up more is a good point. That would explain the difficulty I've had casting things like a slumpbuster.
 
clarkman said:
@downriver79 , I'm curious if you've had much of a chance to play around with those OPST 7.5' tips.
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Finally had some time to play around with these. They cast well w/ my 9' 7wt. Used them with both the SA 240 gr and the OPST 250 gr. I seem to have a much easier time casting the SA on that particular rod. I've been using the 4 ips the most and I've noticed that the coating is cracked right behind the welded loop. The same thing also happened to my OPST 200 gr integrated rather quickly. Wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if it compromises the structural integrity or if the strength is 100% in the core.
 
downriver79 said:
...and I've noticed that the coating is cracked right behind the welded loop. The same thing also happened to my OPST 200 gr integrated rather quickly. Wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if it compromises the structural integrity or if the strength is 100% in the core.
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hmmmm, good to know. I don't have enough time on mine but I'll keep an eye out on them for that.
 
I've never seen that in either my SA or my OPST lines. The strength of the line comes from the core, so it shouldn't compromise the strength. Eventually it will affect your casting/fishing, and at that point, cut and loop, and turn it into a head.
 
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