“Skagit” casting originated in the early 1990’s and it describes a hybrid adaptation of spey casting. Skagit casting was developed by US steelhead fishers on Washington's Skagit River. Many steelhead guys had started using spey rods in order to cover as much water as possible. But, in some rivers, the steelhead would hold in deeper and faster runs so the fly (very large flies) needed to get deep very fast. Skagit is really a marriage of more traditional shooting heads (usually sink-tip) with the long spey rod. Skagit casting has become popular enough that several fly line manufacturers have developed special "Skagit" lines to support this style of fly casting. Another interesting thing about both skagit and spey casting is that there are no pauses in the casting motion...unlike the necessary pause at the end of both the front and back cast in traditional casting.

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Skagit Revolution: Skagit Casting Tutorial by Tom Larimer - video

Skagit Casting - Defined and Simplified by Scott Howell - video