Olympic Peninsula Skagit Tactics is proud to release our very own line of Micro Skagit and Pure Skagit Two-Handed Rods, designed by Ed Ward.  We developed our rods over five years during which we refined the taper to represent Ed’s concepts.   It will initially include six rods in total, ranging from a 9’9” Micro Skagit Two-Handed 3wt up to an 11’6” 8wt, and every whole rod weight in-between.  This line-up will be classified by design differences, into two categories: Micro Skagit and Pure Skagit rods. These rods were designed by Skagit legend Ed Ward and represent decades of dedication purely to sustained-anchor two-handed casting.  A rod reflects its designer, and these rods are a true illustration of Ed’s vision. 

Reversed Half-Well Grip : 3WT & 4WT

Full-Welled Grip : 5 WT to 9 WT

The Micro Skagit category consists of three rods rated to cast 275 grain heads or lower. Their tapers have been designed to pleasantly accommodate both single-handed Spey/Skagit-type casts and two-handed Spey/Skagit-type casts.  Whether you’re picking apart small to medium sized rivers on foot swinging soft hackles, throwing big streamers into the bank from a boat, or busting big bushy salmon flies into the teeth of an afternoon breeze, these nifty little hybrid rods should have a permanent place in your quiver. The 9’9” 3wt and 10’4wt both have cigar-style single-welled upper grips and switch-style lower handles, while the 10’ 4” 5wt has a grip/handle configuration like the Pure Skagit Rod style outlined in the next section. 

Our Pure Skagit Rod line-up is definitively more focused towards Spey/Skagit-type two-handed casting. Represented by a 10’8” 6wt, an 11’ 7wt, an 11’6’ 8wt, they depart from our Micro Series in a few ways. The upper grips are double-welled and thus more aligned with contemporary two-handed rods under 12’, while the lower handles remain switch-style. These rods are also faster than the Micro series, being a true medium-fast action that casts off the upper third of the taper. This taper loads very well during the Sweep phase of the Skagit casting sequence and maintaining that load into the Forward Cast, with a very crisp final delivery. This rod line-up is targeted toward the fishing of large trout up to Canadian and Alaskan King Salmon.