Buying the correct spey/switch lines
By AmericanFly Staff
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Click photos to enlarge
Start with shooting line
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Pick the appropriate Head
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Pick the right tips & go fish!
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What you will Need on Your Reel
To get started you will need a reel rigged for success. Simon Gawesworth of Rio, Bill Lowe(spey guru) & David Sloan compiled these recommendations. Here’s what you need:
1. SlickShooter or a floating Powerflex Core shooting line attached to backing.
2. A Skagit Flight Shooting Head or a Steelhead Scandi Shooting Head
3. M.O.W tips and/or Spey VersiLeaders with multiple sink rates
4. An Appropriate Leader.
With this rig, each fly fisher would be primed for any situation they would encounter and only have one reel!
#1 SHOOTING LINES
This is the line between the Backing and the Head. It is much thinner than a typical floating line, which allows the head to pull it out easily for greater distance when casting.
Powerflex Core Shooting Line- A supple floating shooting line with a coldwater coating for tangle-free performance and features a large welded loop at the front end to speedily attach Heads. The easiest size to begin with is .030”. It is still thin enough to shoot well, but doesn’t tangle as easily as lines with smaller diameters.
Slick Shooter- A super Hard, slick finish oval shaped nylon shooting line, with no memory after being stretched and an extremely low coefficient of friction for long distance casts. This is a line that the intermediate to advanced spey caster will truly enjoy. Its thin diameter makes long casts far easier, but does require more line management when stripping in between casts.
#2 HEADS
Skagit Heads
Skagit heads are much shorter than traditional spey line heads which make them an extremely effective fishing tool that everyone can cast. Longer bellied lines are more difficult for the beginner spey caster because they require more precision in the casting stroke to get the line to turn over properly and struggle to turn over quick sinking tips and larger flies. Skagit Heads pack the same grain weight as longer heads into a shorter overall length, allowing the caster to load the rod with less line out making for an easier to cast. Having the same grain weight/mass in a shorter length also lends itself better to turning over quick sinking tips, heavy flies, and casting in close quarters. Heads attach to the running line via welded loop to loop connections that come on every Head and Shooting Line.
Skagit Flight- These lines, unlike some other Skagit Lines, feature a taper that produces outrageous line speed coupled with tight loops. The Flight comes in 25 grain increments from 350-700 grains with one last grain jump to 750. The head length varies from 22’-32’ depending on grain weight. Cheaters are not needed with these heads.
Skagit Short- Ideal for Switch Rods - These lines offer all the benefits of a full Skagit head but in a shorter length, 20’, and are better suited for Switch Rods which are shorter than Spey rods. The Skagit Short comes in 50 grain increments from 275-625. Cheaters are not needed with these heads.
Scandinavian Spey Heads
Scandinavian style lines are longer than Skagit Lines, but still shorter than longer, more traditional lines. Their taper is more pronounced and delicate than a Skagit, making them an ideal fit for turning over traditional steelhead flies and blasting a tight loop through heavy wind. They can be fished on both Spey and Switch Rods. Heads attach to the running line via welded loop to loop connections that come on every Head and Shooting Line.
Steelhead Scandi- The shorter head length and shorter front tapers make it ideal for casting larger steelhead flies with sinking Spey VersiLeaders. They feature Rio’s new skinny welded loop at each end for easy rigging.
#3 TIPS
The Tip attaches to the end of the Head and is crucial in determining the depth your fly will swing through a run. Tips come in a variety of sink rates, from full floating to sinking at 8-9 inches per second. The length of most tips will be between 10’ and 15’.
M.O.W. Tips- These tips are very unique because they blend both floating and sinking portions together into one tip, most of which are 10’ long, giving the angler precise control of the depth and speed of the their swing. They come in the following dimensions:
1. 10 ft floating tip
2. 7.5 ft of floating line seamlessly integrated into 2.5 ft of sinking tip
3. 5 ft of floating line seamlessly integrated into 5 ft of sinking tip
4. 2.5 ft of floating line seamlessly integrated into 7.5 ft of sinking tip
5. 10 ft level sinking tip
M.O.W. Tips should be used with Skagit Flights and Skagit Shorts and come in 3 separate weights: Light (T-8) for Skagit lines of 475 grains and less, Medium (T-11) for Skagit lines between 475 and 575 grains, and Heavy (T-14) for Skagit lines of 575 grains or more. These should not be fished on Steelhead Scandi Heads.
Spey VersiLeaders- A series of sinking leaders designed for the spey angler. They have a 24 lb core and are available in 10’ and 15’ Lengths. They have 6 options for sink rate, from floating to sinking 7 inches per second. A welded loop in the butt end makes it easy to attach to your fly line and simply add tippet to the stripped core at the front for your fly. These are designed to be fished on the Steelhead Scandi Head but can be fished on the Skagit Flight or the Skagit Short.
#4 LEADER
The leader is straightforward, for sinking tips about 4’ of tippet tied to the end of the sink tip will do the trick. Depending on the size of fish being pursued, 0x-3x tippet is all that is typically necessary and when in doubt error on the side of heavier rather than lighter. When using a floating tip, a 9’ leader will typically work great.
Correct Lines for Spey and Switch Rods in grains
Sage Spey Rods----Skagit Flight----Steelhead Scandi
Z-Axis 5126-4---------375---------385
Z-Axis 6126-4---------425---------435
Z-Axis 7136-4---------525---------480
Z-Axis 8129-4---------675---------550
Z-Axis 8134-4---------650---------550
Z-Axis 9143-4---------700---------510
Z-Axis 10150-4--------750---------X
Z-Axis 10160-4--------750---------X
TCX 7126-4------------625---------550
TCX 9140-4------------650---------X
TCX 10150-4-----------750---------X
VXP 6129-4------------450---------435
VXP 7133-4------------525---------480
Sage Switch Rods----Skagit Short----Steelhead Scandi
Z-Axis 5110-4---------375---------310
Z-Axis 6110-4---------400---------310
Z-Axis 7110-4---------450---------350
Z-Axis 8110-4---------550---------510
TCX 6119-4-----------425---------350
TCX 7119-4-----------450---------385
Temple Fork Spey Rods----Skagit Flight----Steelhead Scandi
TF061264P----------425----------385
TF081264P----------525----------510
TF081334P(skagit)--550----------550
TF091404P----------650----------X
TF101504P----------700----------X
TF09139SCA---------650----------X
TF10149SCA---------750----------X
TF12124T-----------X------------X
TF 4/5 1264DC------350----------310
TF 5/6 1264DC------400----------385
TF 7/8 1304DC------475----------450
TF 7/8 1404DC------500----------480
TF 8/9 1364DC------650----------X
TF 8/9 1504DC------600----------X
TF 9/10 1404DC-----700----------X
Temple Fork Switch Rods----Skagit Short----Steelhead Scandi
TF41104DC----------310----------310
TF05114P-----------325----------310
TF61104DC----------375----------350
TF71104DC----------425----------385
TF81104DC----------475----------450
TF91104DC----------525----------510
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