OPST Tips Explained

12644 interurban ave., s., bldg. 3.
Tukwila, Wa 98168
Tel: 206.858.8476. email: [email protected]
A DISCUSSION ON TIPS: OPST SINK & FLOAT TIPS EXPLAINED

OPST has rounded out our sinking and floating tip selection to accommodate rods from 6 to 14
feet long and beyond, from 2 to 10 weight. It would be hard to come up with a rod and an
application that you can’t outfit with an OPST sinking or floating tip. To avoid repetition, let us
state from the outset that all OPST sinking and floating tips come with strong welded loops at
both ends for ease of rigging, as well as a line ID so you don’t mix up your lines. It’s also
important to note that there are few hard and fast rules when it comes to tip selection, so
sometimes there is not just one easy answer. Generally, however, the longer the rod, the longer
the tip you want. There are exceptions, however. For example, we have fished for sea run
cutthroat with a 10 foot 3-weight and a 5 foot Micro Tip with great success. Normally we would
recommend a 7.5 or 10 foot tip with that length of rod.
OPST SINK TIPS

Our Commando sink tips come in 5, 7.5, 10, and 12 foot lengths. Within each length and grain
weight, they come in three different sink rates, which we call Riffle, Run and Bucket, for
shallow, medium depth and deep water. The exact sink rates within those three categories will
vary based on length and grain weight, so not all Bucket tips are the same across grain weights,
but the three sink rate within each grain weight system is a constant throughout our sink tips.
This means that you can get a deeper-sinking tip or a shallower tip with the same tip grain
weight, so you don’t have to change your cast to fish different depths of water. For example, all
of our 5 Foot Micro Tips—the Riffle, Run, and Bucket, all weigh the same, even though there
are three different sink rates, or densities.
RIFFLE
Our Riffle tips are intended for just that: shallow riffles and tail outs. That type of water is
especially important one big water like the Skagit River in Washington and the Skeena River in
British Columbia, where big fish hold in surprisingly shallow water. Riffle Tips are also good for
summertime fishing when fish are active and willing to move to a fly. These tips fish well in
water from a foot to about three or four feet deep.
RUN
Our Run series tips work well in most steelheading conditions, in water from three to about six
feet deep. By varying your casting angle either upstream or downstream, you can vary how deep
or shallow you fish with Run tips.
12644 interurban ave., s., bldg. 3. Tukwila, Wa 98168
BUCKET
Bucket tips are for the deepest darkest holes, the deep winter runs, the king salmon rivers where
depth is the end all be all. While our Micro Tip Bucket tips are an S6, or six inches per second,
our 12 Foot Commando Tip Buckets sink considerably faster with a sink rate of 8/9, or around
eight inches per second.
5 FOOT MICRO TIPS

On the short end of the spectrum are our 5 foot Micro Tips. These 40 grain tips come in S2, S4,
and S6, for Riffle, Run and Bucket. These tips are for true micro applications, rods under 9 feet
long. That being said, we have used them with good results on 10 foot rods. But most users will
find that these tips work best on 6 to 9 foot rods. These tips work best on rods from 2-weight to
about a 6-weight, or about a 150 grain to a 225 grain Commando Head.
7.5 FOOT MICRO TIPS

Next come our 7.5 foot Micro Tips. These are what we really think of as optimizing 9 foot fly
rods, plus or minus a foot or two. If you have a 9 foot 5-weight, these are your tips. Like all our
sink tips, these come in Riffle, Run and Bucket, or S2, S4 and S6. They weigh 60 grains. These
tips work well on rods from 3-weight to about a 7-weight, or about a 175 grain to a 250 grain
Commando Head.
10 FOOT COMMANDO TIPS

For rods from 10 to 12 feet or so, our 10 foot Commando Tips make a great choice. These come
in 8, 11, and 14 grains per foot, or 80, 110 and 140 grains total, making them identical in weight
to industry standard sink tips. Again, each grain weight of our 10 foot Commando Tips comes in
three different sink rates: a Riffle, Run and Bucket. Our lightest 10 Foot Commando Tips, the 80
Grain series, comes in S2, S4 and S6 of level sink tip. These tips are good for 2-weight spey rods
up to about a 6-weight spey rod. They are optimized for switch rods, but they can be used on
spey and single hand rods as well. Our 110 Grain and 140 Grain Commando Tips come in S3 for
Riffle, S6 for Run and S9 for Bucket. The 110 Grain series is best for rods from about a 6-weight
switch to an 8-weight switch, or about a 275 grains to a 375 grain Commando Head. Our 140
Grain Commando Tips are best for heavier rods, from about a 7-weight switch to a 9- or 10-
weight spey rod, or a 375 to a 475 grain Commando Head. Again, you might notice there is some
overlap here. You could probably cast a given rod with any of our three 10 Foot Commando
Tips, but one would probably cast the best for you. One thing to keep in mind is that if you are
struggling with your cast, the solution might be to go down in tip size.
12 FOOT COMMANDO TIPS

Rounding out our sink tip selection is our original series of 12 Foot Commando Tips. These
work best on rods from 10 to 14 feet. Like our 10 foot Commando Tips, these come in 8, 11 and
14 grains per foot, or 96, 132 and 168 grains total, with a Riffle, Run and Bucket option within
each grain weight. However, these tips are dual density—the back half of the tip sinks at one
inch per second slower rate than the front half. This gives you a slightly more direct connection
to the fish by reducing the belly effect in your line. This could potentially increase hookups. Our
96 grain Commando Tips work best with rods from about a 4-weight switch to a 6-weight spey,
or about a 225 grain to a 300 grain Commando Head. The 96 Grain Riffle tip is an S2/3, the Run
is an S3/4 and the Bucket is an S5/6. Our 132 grain tips work best for rods from about a 6-weight
spey to an 8-weight switch, or about a 325 to 400 Grain Commando Head. There Riffle is S2/3,
the Run is S5/6 and the Bucket is S8/9. Finally, our 168 grain tips work best on 7-weight spey
rods to 9 weight spey rods, or about a 375 to 475 grain Commando Head. Their sink rates are the
same as for the 132 Grain Commando Tips.
OPST FLOATING TIPS (TAPERED)
OPST floating tips come in two different series: Trout and SHS, or Steelhead and Salmon Series.
The same rule applies to these tips as to our sinking tips: the shorter the tip, the shorter the rod
they’re meant for.
TROUT SERIES FLOATING TIPS

Our Trout Series Floating Tips come in 5, 7.5, and 10 feet long, and weigh 20, 35 and 50 grains,
respectively. They work well on Commando Heads and Commando SMOOTH lines from 150 to
around 250 grains. On the short end of the spectrum, the 5 footers are for rods from 6 to about 9
feet long. The 7.5 footers are your standard choice for trout rods in the 8 to 10 foot range,
including that go-to 9 foot rod. Our 10 Foot Trout Floating Tips work best on switch rods from
10 to 12 feet.
STEELHEAD AND SALMON FLOATING TIPS

OPST SHS Floating Tips come in 7.5, 10, 12 and 14 foot lengths, and weigh 55, 75, 90, and 110
grains, respectively. These tips are meant for swinging light wet flies, skating steelhead flies on
the surface, and also nymphing. With these tips, rod length is more important than Commando
Head weight in making a choice. The 7.5 footer is a great choice for 6-through 8-weight single
handed rods up to about 10 feet, with Commando Heads from 250 to around 300 grains. The 10
footer is your best choice for switch rods from 10 to 12 feet, with Commando Heads from about
300 to 400 grains while the 12 footer excels with rods from around 11 to 13 feet and Commando
Heads from 350 to 450 grains. Our 14 foot SHS tip is for what we consider really long rods from
13 feet and up, all the way to 16 or 17 feet, beyond what we recommend even using with
Commando Heads. Grain length of Commando Head varies for all of these tips, but the 14 footer
is primarily meant for heavier heads from 400 to 475 grains.
If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by phone at 206-858-8476 or
email at [email protected]. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have about
our gear or about fishing in general.

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12644 interurban ave., s., bldg. 3.

A DISCUSSION ON TIPS: OPST SINK & FLOAT TIPS EXPLAINED

OPST SINK TIPS

5 FOOT MICRO TIPS

7.5 FOOT MICRO TIPS

10 FOOT COMMANDO TIPS

12 FOOT COMMANDO TIPS

OPST FLOATING TIPS (TAPERED)

TROUT SERIES FLOATING TIPS

STEELHEAD AND SALMON FLOATING TIPS

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