Leland on Rio Skagit Spey Line
No doubt, Skagit style casting is the fastest growing segment of spey casting! Until recently only available as a custom-made line, the
RIO Skagit Spey Line is
now the one to have for this incredibly efficient method. There’s no
better spey line design for booming out big flies and heavy sink tips
over long distances. And because of the short 27’ head length, only a
few feet of backcast room is required. The RIO Skagit Spey Line is the
easiest spey line for a beginner to learn with, due to its compact mass, which quickly loads the rod. The
RIO Spey Line Recommendation Chart will
show the correct Skagit Line for your Leland Spey Rod.
Leland on Specifications
The RIO Skagit Lines are, quite simply, the easiest way
to cast large flies or fast sinking tips.
The mass of the head and the
short body length result in incredible lifting power, making it child’s
play to cast otherwise “nasty” rigs. It is a very easy line to learn to
cast with and also extremely useful for casting in tight situations.
The Skagit line is available in: 300 (new for 2008), 350, 400, 450,
500, 550, 600, 650, 700 and 750 grain head weights.
Specifications:
- Taper: Very Short Head (27’)(8.3m) Floating Spey with front loop for interchangeable tips
- Total Length: 120 feet (36.5m)
- Interchangeable Tips purchased separately
- o Floating (15ft)
- o Intermediate (15ft – 1.5 ips)
- o DC Type 3 (15ft – 3 ips),
- o DC Type 6 (15ft – 6 ips)
- o DC Type 8 (15ft – 8 ips)
- Core: Braided Multifilament Nylon
- Coating: SlickShooter Process
- Color: Yellow with black “loading point”
The Skagit
Spey Lines have a thin running line extending from the 27 ft long head
that aids in easy distance and shooting ability. The overall length of
the Skagit is 120 feet (36.5m).
The front end finishes with a loop and
to this loop you will need to attach some kind of tip. The line does
not come with a front tip of any kind, so if you purchase this you will
need to add a tip to your purchases. You may also need a
Skagit Cheater, depending on your rod length, casting style and size of sink tip used. RIO makes five 15 ft tips to choose from:
1. Floating
2. Intermediate (1.5 to 2 ips)
3. Type 3 (3-4 ips)
4. Type 6 (6-7 ips)
5. Type 8 (8-9 ips)
Skagit Cheaters
The most confusion with Skagit lines comes with something called “Skagit Cheaters”, which are 2½ ft, 5 ft and 7½ ft extension pieces for a Skagit line.
One of the ideas behind Skagit casting is that you want to maintain a constant ratio between the rod length and the head length of the line. It maybe 3 times the rod length, it may be 4 times the rod length, and each caster will find their happy ratio.
For
the purpose of this example, let’s say a caster likes a ratio of 3½:1.
A 12 ft rod would require 42 ft of line and a 15 ft rod will require
52½ ft. By following this ratio, it means that the caster never needs
to adjust their casting stroke, regardless of which outfit they pick
up.
If a caster likes this ratio and uses a 12 ft rod, they
are going to need 42 ft of line to feel comfortable. The Skagit line
has a 27 ft head. Add a 15 ft sink tip and you get 42 ft, which means
there is no cheater needed. The next day, the same caster casts a 14 ft
rod - 14 x 3½ = 49 ft. So, to keep the same casting stroke, the caster
needs a total head length around 49 ft. A 27 ft Skagit line, plus the 15 ft sink tip is only 42 ft. Plug in the 7½ ft Cheater and the head length becomes 49½ ft and much closer to the required ratio.
The
whole idea is pretty confusing to a novice, but once the concept is
grasped, it is very easy to understand and allows for a caster to
develop a consistent style, regardless of the size of rod used.
A final note to mention on the Skagit lines is that the sink tip 
does not form part of the calculation for line weight. If you look at the spey line recommendation chart and decide on a Skagit line for your rod, make sure you use the weight of the Skagit body. If the chart suggests you need a 550 grain Skagit line, it does not matter which
size sink tip you add on to the front end of this (as long as it is not
heavier than the Skagit body). The reason for this is that the sink tip
usually does not form part of the D-loop and, therefore, plays no role in loading the rod.
A typical example is that someone is told that they need a 550 grain
Skagit line. They know they are going to use a 150 grain sink tip, so
they buy a 400 grain Skagit line (thinking that the two added together
will give them the correct load). This is very wrong and will result in an under loaded outfit. Make sure the Skagit body weight is correct, regardless of the sink tip.
The Skagit Floating Tip is a 15 ft floating tip designed to be added to the Skagit lines to make a full floater. Here is a guideline of which floating tip to choose for which Skagit line:
#7 300 to 400 grains
#8 400 to 500 grain lines
#9 500 to 600 grain lines
#10 550 to 650 grain lines
#11 600 to 700 grain lines
#12 650 to 750 grain lines.
The Skagit Cheaters are “plug-in” extensions as
mentioned earlier. For 2008 RIO has changed the sizes to be more
applicable. Each selection packet comes with a 2½ ft, a 5 ft and a 7½
ft floating cheater as well as a 5 ft intermediate cheater. Here is a guideline of which Cheater to choose for which Skagit line:
6/7/8 300 to 350 grains
7/8/9 350 to 450 grains
8/9/10 450 to 550 grains
9/10/11 550 to 650 grains
10/11/12 650 to 750 grains
The Big Boy is a 24 ft long sinking tip, ideal for really getting deep and staying deep. It is great on the end of a Skagit line. They are available in sizes 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500 and 600 grains and the sink rate of each is as follows:
150 4.8 ips
200 5.5 ips
250 6.4 ips
300 7.3 ips
400 8.4 ips
500 9.0 ips
600 9.5 ips
Here’s a rough guideline to the maximum weight Big Boy that each line will take. This does depend on the rod, current speed, fly size and caster’s skill!
| Skagit |
Big Boy |
|
|
| 300 |
150 |
| 350 |
200 |
| 400 |
250 |
| 450 |
300 |
| 500 |
300 |
| 550 |
400 |
| 600 |
400 |
| 650 |
500 |
| 700 |
500 |
| 750 |
600 |
Leland on RIO Fly Lines
Jim Vincent and his team of fly fishing experts have been manufacturing
the most functionally creative fly lines at RIO for the past 20 years.
From depth, distance, wind, visibility, extreme heat, or extreme cold,
the RIO team has considered every factor that presents itself to the fly
fishing experience and come up with innovative fly line solutions to
overcome the trials of any environment. In terms of the unique
challenges presented by every fish, RIO has specifically developed fly
lines to optimize presentation, whether it's delicate precision or
powerhouse delivery you're seeking. Experience drives innovation at
RIO—the fly line design team at RIO has spent countless hours on the
water, testing and perfecting their fly fishing products to provide you
with the most sophisticated fly lines on the market.
Rio's Simon Gawesworth on Rio Skagit Spey Lines
The
most recent style of spey casting is called
Skagit casting (pronounced ska-jit) and named after the Skagit river in Washington.
This style of spey casting utilizes an
even shorter head length spey line than the
WindCutter
- something in the region of 27 ft. This exceptionally short head
length allows the fly caster to make long casts in extremely tight
situations. Even the most basic of spey casters can make a 70 ft cast
with no more than 3 ft of room behind. Added to the shortness of the
line is the fact that the head weighs about the same amount as the
corresponding WindCutter, but at
half the length. This means that the
Skagit line has almost
twice the weight per inch of the WindCutter line. This extra weight per inch is an immense asset for
lifting out deeply sunken tips or heavy, large flies. Nothing will pick up big flies or
T-14 or LC13 style sink tips as easily as a Skagit line will.
Rio on Rio Skagit Spey Line
Modern Spey fly lines were pioneered
and developed by Jim Vincent, with the help of other proficient spey
casters. RIO Products, the Spey Line Specialist, is the only company
with five different spey taper designs so casters can choose the right
line for their individual preferences. RIO has done it again by
introducing the revolutionary Skagit Spey for 2006. RIO has the most
comprehensive array of floating and interchangeable tip spey lines to
fulfill the needs of every situation, every spey rod design and every
casting ability.
The Skagit Spey is a revolutionary new
line designed for the Skagit-style spey casting. This casting technique
requires a line with a very short, 27 ft (8.3 m), heavy head that will
propel heavy sink tips and big flies great distances with a very short
casting stroke. Skagit casting is easy for novice or experienced
casters to learn. For casting the Skagit Spey, the total head length
and weight must be matched to the rod. The total head length including
the sink tip should be no more than 3 - 3 1/2 times the length of the
rod. To adjust for rod length and loading, simply add a 5 ft or 10 ft
Skagit Cheater to achieve the desired load and length. The RIO 15 ft
sinking tips or T14 may be used to achieve the desired depth. The
Skagit Spey features RIO's welded loop for fast tip changes and is also
available as a full floating line with a 44 ft (13.4 m) head to cast
bombers and weighted flies for summer steelhead. The head is green with
a yellow running line for optimum casting control
Scott O’Donnell on Skagit Lines
“All levels of skill at spey casting will benefit from the versatility of Rio’s Skagit Lines,
but I don't believe anyone benefits more than I do. I'm a steelhead
guide that specializes in teaching spey casting. Each day my
responsibility is, not only helping people to become proficient casters
(often for the first time), but catching a fish or two as well. So,
it’s in my best interest that my anglers learn to cast a decent line as
quickly as possible so that I may begin to teach them how to fish.
Rio’s Skagit Lines have decreased the time it takes my anglers to
become good enough casters to be confident anglers - tenfold. The
short, heavy head is second to none for turning over heavy sink tips
and huge flies, and it’s versatile enough to fish a dry fly, making it
the favorite line of many seasoned spey anglers. More importantly to
me, the extra head weight makes it easier to feel the rod load, which
makes it easier for the beginner to learn.”
RIO on RIO Fly Lines
For more than 20 years, RIO has demonstrated passion, innovation and a
pure love for the fly fishing sport through its development of the
industry's highest performance fly lines. And the great news is, we at
RIO will continue to research, design and refine our fly fishing
products to ensure RIO fly lines are your preferred choice for years to
come.
In 1990, Jim and Kitty Vincent founded RIO in the mountains of Idaho on
the idea that exceptional fly fishing products should be built by
anglers for anglers. More than twenty years later, we're still fly
fishing in Idaho and driven by that same ethos. At RIO, we take great
pride in the promise to give you the absolute best of fly fishing on
your rod.