Boobies, commando heads, and kayak fly fishing

The Okanogan where I live is a kayak fly fisherman's paradise. Hundreds of lakes loaded with trout provide an abundance of opportunity to sharpen one's kayak fly fishing skills. I thought I would help impart some of that knowledge on the kayak fishing world with a video about some of my favorite tactics and techniques for fly fishing in a kayak.

beautiful serene video. 
Nicely done Tyler.

You had me at boobies and lost me at fly fishing.

Great video, really enjoyed it. I've been looking for a solution to the sitting down casting problem, too, but I don't know enough about fly fishing lingo to explain what I need. I think the setup you describe will work great for me, once I sell a kidney to get that fly line! 

Lauren
I think Tyler and Tanker, and a few others will agree , You don't need to sell body parts to get into the fly side of things . There's plenty of reasonably priced gear available to get someone going. Especially for fresh water . It's doesn't have to be a rich people game. 

Lauren
I think Tyler and Tanker, and a few others will agree , You don't need to sell body parts to get into the fly side of things . There's plenty of reasonably priced gear available to get someone going. Especially for fresh water . It's doesn't have to be a rich people game.

Thanks! I know... I have fly gear and I (so far) have only gotten fairly inexpensive stuff. My comment was specifically regarding the line he recommends in the video, which seems like it would solve some of my casting issues in the kayak. But I'm accustomed to bargain basement fly line and it looks like I'm going to need to spend a little bit more to use the good stuff.

Thanks for the info.

Tanker...lol. I'll remember that one.

I was going to suggest using lead core trolling line for the shooting head, and just a level running line backed by gel spun backing. use a section of hard mono for the base of the leader then stepping down to tippet being careful not to create hinge effects while doing so. ( easy to inadvertently do)  It's pretty much what the big river spey guys did until line manufacturers stepped up started making specialized spey lines. 

It was really cool to see this!  My wife and I are also fans of the commando heads, and they work particularly well for casting from a kayak.  Great video, thanks for sharing.

OPST Commando Heads are mighty expensive tools just to catch a trout...

OPST Commando Heads are mighty expensive tools just to catch a trout...

We have several reels set up with commando heads, and use them in freshwater for salmon, steelhead and bass in addition to trout. In the salt we use them regularly for redfish as they allow quick deployment when sight fishing.  I don't think the prices are out of line with other Skagit head systems, or quality fly lines in general.  We have a good selection of the OPST tips, but also use other brands of tips as well.  There are some areas where it isn't really feasible to fish without some type of Skagit head system, so it can open up water.  Depending on how serious an angler is the cost of travel, fuel, boats, time, etc. really eclipse the cost of good gear. 

Okay, let me re-state that: no matter what species of fish one is chasing, there are more than a few ways to do the same thing a Commando Head does, and do it just as good, at a substantially lower cost.

I'm not here to weigh in exactly on the subject at hand, but I don't think arguing about cost is the best use of time. There are all kinds of things people could do to save some money while fishing, but people choose what they like. Fishing, for most of us, is a hobby and should be enjoyed. Maybe I spend more than I have to on braided line that I prefer even though it's functionally identical to another one. I definitely spend more on my rockfish jigheads than any sane person would, because I like them and I've developed confidence in them, not because there's a good argument for it.

"just to catch a trout" may be a particular person's #1 ambition, and if so, I think that's awesome. There's room in the hobby for all skill levels and avenues of interest.

I don't think there are many more enjoyable ways to spend a morning than standing in or along a fine stream chasing after trouts, and "just to catch a trout" is not a disparaging comment, Cap'n.  Not from me.  I spend most of my (fishing) time doing it.

I'm in favor of seeing more folks pick up a fly rod, but as I think you might know, fly-fishing can get expensive if you let it - one could buy three* 300-yard spools of braided line for the cost of one fly line - and the cost, alone, scares a lot of folks away.

Tyler did a great introductory video to kayak fly-fishing - and his setup is economical, to boot.  Costs add up - never more so than with fly fishing paraphernalia - and that's all I have to say about it.


* Or, for the braided line I use, two 300-yard spools...

I'm in favor of seeing more folks pick up a fly rod, but as I think you might know, fly-fishing can get expensive if you let it - one could buy three* 300-yard spools of braided line for the cost of one fly line - and the cost, alone, scares a lot of folks away.

Sorry if I misunderstood, thank you for explaining. We good!