Any avid trout fisherman living in prime steelhead country has undoubtedly thought about giving spey fishing a try at one time or another....
SKAGIT
We are going to start with Skagit lines as it is usually the one that people just starting out tend to use and for good reason. When properly matched to the right rod, a Skagit line is easier to cast, and one can quickly learn to huck nice tight loops. They were originally designed in the Pacific Northwest, more specifically on the Skagit River. Their purpose is to throw big heavy flies and heavy sink tips with ease. The diameter and weight of these lines are typically larger than other lines used on the same rod. Additionally, they tend to be shorter than other lines, which gives the caster less line to get out of the water before performing a cast. Lines like the Rio Skagit Max make a perfect workhorse line for the novice and experienced caster alike. While they can be a tad bulky for summer fishing, they will still get the job done and are the go to line when fishing anytime between October and March. The two main downfalls of these lines are the bulk and the amount of stripping required when performing casts. When fishing summer runs in super clear water these lines can create a lot of surface disturbance when casted which can spook already skiddish fish. Also even when fishing a Skagit Long line, which run 30’, one has to strip in a lot of running line before performing the cast. That means if your target area is 70 feet away, you will have around 24 feet of running line (30’ Skagit Head, 10’ sink tip, 6’ of tippet) to manage and get through the guides on your rod without getting tangled.
To
Summarize Skagit Lines
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Pros
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Cons
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Easy to learn on and easy to cast
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Lots of stripping between casts
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Will cast just about every tip and every fly imaginable
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Can be bulky and not necessary for summer fish
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Great for peak steelhead seasons
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Surface Disturbance
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Less line on the water when performing a cast
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Rio offers in 3 lengths, Skagit Max Short, Skagit Max, and Skagit Max Long. To match your fishing needs.
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SCANDINAVIAN
Scandinavian or Scandi for short, are lines designed for Atlantic Salmon fishing in the Scandinavian region, where “greased line” fishing is extremely popular. These lines are shorter than traditional lines, but lighter and longer than Skagit Lines. A 7wt Skagit Max head is going to be 475 grains and 23 feet, while a 7wt Scandi line will be 450 grains and 34 feet. If you are a fair weather fisherman, then this is the line for you. These lines are designed to be stealthy lines, they cause less surface disturbance when casted and are designed to cast smaller unweighted flies. Casts on these lines tend to be a tad more complex and a bit more difficult to get the hang of. Named splash and go casts, they keep some of the theory in Skagit casting as far as needing an anchor point, but are sped up and more intricate to keep the line from barely splashing the surface. These lines are great for summer steelhead fishing, when the water is still clear and fish are easily scared off. Small flies are used during this time as larger flies are not necessary to draw a fish’s attention, and more likely to scare it off. These lines are not designed to throw heavy sink tips or big heavy flies and trying to do so will be an extremely exhausting and frustrating process. Verisleaders and long tapered mono leaders and small flies are the name of the game with Scandi lines, but of course we cannot keep it this simple for you all. Two Scandi lines that do not fit the typical “Scandi” profile are Rio Scandi Body and Rio Scandi Short. There are other manufacturers out there with the same style of line, but for this article’s purpose we will stick with Rio lines. The Scandi Body and Scandi Short lines are what I would consider a mutt breed. They take the best features of Scandi line and the best features of Skagit line and throw them into one line. In short, these lines have the grace of Scandi with the power of Skagit. These lines will not allow you to throw huge heavy flies. They also won’t be as subtle as the Scandi line, being that they have a slightly thicker diameter which causes more surface disturbance when casting. These lines will be able to throw small up to medium sized flies easily, with a lot more subtlety than Skagit line. Additionally, these lines can easily handle both Skagit and Scandi styled casts. Again with all Scandi lines managing running line can be a problem, with Scandi lines being roughly the same length as their Skagit counterparts.
To
Summarize Scandi Lines
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Pros
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Cons
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Lighter line, and a tad longer. Meaning slightly less time stripping
and a little easier on arms/shoulders
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Cannot throw big flies, or heavy tips
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Subtle presence great when subtle presentation is necessary
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Because you can’t use heavy tips or heavy flies you won’t be able to
fish at depths Skagit lines can.
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The go to line for summer fishing. If you don’t plan on fishing in
harsh conditions this should get the job done most of the time
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Easier to cast than traditional lines
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To
Summarize Scandi Body/Short Lines
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Pros
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Cons
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Will cast bigger flies than Scandi
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Cannot cast flies as big as Skagit lines can
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Can use heaviest Versileaders and even light MOW Tips no problem
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Cannot use Heavier MOW Tips that are used when Dredging
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Will work well during most of the year, and chances are you will be
able to find a fly and tip to match the majority of conditions.
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Not as Subtle as Scandi Lines
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Subtler than Skagit lines
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Will perform both Skagit and Scandi casts well
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SWITCH
While switch rods are not technically spey rods, they are a group of rods that people getting into spey fishing find the most appealing. These rods are not as long as spey rods, but do serve a dual purpose, which also makes their lines a little more versatile. A switch rod can go from swinging flies one minute to indicating the next, making them a great intro package for anyone looking to get into steelhead fishing. While they can run both swinging and indicating setups pretty well, they do not excel in either. Guys who only want to indicate will find that single hand rods suit them just as well, while guys looking to solely swing will find the same to be true with spey rods. Where switch rods excel the most are small coastal streams, where shorter casts in tight corners is the norm. However, if you are looking to dabble in swinging flies, and want a rod that can also chuck the biggest indicator setups, it is hard to go wrong with a switch rod and a line like Rio’s Switch Chucker on any river. The great thing about lines like these is they can easily handle just about every setup you throw at them. Want to throw on a 1” thingamabobber with a bunch of split shot and a couple flies, it will do it. Want to throw a big nasty intruder, it will do it. Want to swing small traditional flies in the summer, yes it will do it. You can use Verisleaders and most MOW tips on them, and they will just as easily turn over a 12’ leader as they will a 6’ one. However, they do come with some disadvantages. When running an indicator setup this line is much bulkier than traditional weight forward lines, and therefore can make it difficult to mend without affecting your drift. Swinging can be done with most flies, but you will find it does have limits and your casting distance will be more limited. Additionally, you will have to factor in the amount of weight you have in your tip and fly when swinging. You will have a lot of difficulty throwing a huge fly with a heavy sink tip. We suggest going with one or the other, but not both. Meaning if you want to throw that huge intruder go ahead, just make sure you use a lighter sink tip. On the other hand, if you want your flies to have a deeper swing, put on a heavier sink tip but a lighter fly.
To
Summarize Switch Lines
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Pros
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Cons
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Pretty versatile, can swing and indicate.
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Is not the best option for swinging flies or indicating
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Great rod for beginners looking at spey fishing but are not sure.
Worst case scenario you are left with a powerful high stick nymphing rod
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Once you get the hang of it you will find yourself wishing you had a
spey rod so you can throw longer casts.
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Will cast most swing setups
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Cannot cast both big flies and heavy tips
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Short rods tend to be better for smaller rivers.
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TRADITIONAL
Traditional lines are a throwback to how spey fishing all started. They have long heads, and the running line is integrated into the head. If you are looking for distance and less time stripping in running line these are the lines to use. These lines work great on larger rivers where 100’ casts are the norm. These lines are also great for those looking to get back to the most traditional ways of fishing as possible. The casts will be different than Skagit and Scandi casts, and managing that much line correctly can add a pride factor all in its own. There are some rivers today where it is frowned upon to use any casting style and line that is not traditional. Sink tips can be used on these lines, but with caution. Remember these lines were originally just double tapered weight forward lines with distance being the primary goal. Flies tended to be fished towards the surface with the weight of the fly being the primary force of deciding how low the fly would sink. Most companies make these lines in three lengths, Short Belly, Mid-Belly, and Long Belly. You can kind of think of these as you would Skagit, Scandi Body, and Scandi. The Short Belly is going to be the easiest to cast, with more grains per foot in the head. It will also be easier to turn over bigger flies and tips. Mid-Belly is going to have a little less grains per foot, but your head is going to be longer meaning less time spent stripping. Long-Belly is going to have the least amount of grains per foot, it will mean the least amount of time spent stripping but also there will not be a lot of wiggle room for adding weight to a fly or a tip. To be perfectly honest with you, there is not a guy in the shop that has had the time to try and become an effective traditional spey fisherman, and with the odds of hooking into a fish already being so low why throw another difficulty into the mix.
Summarize
Traditional Lines
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Pros
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Cons
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Will throw longer casts
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Hardest to learn/cast
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Less time stripping line
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Less control in fly depth and fly choice
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Prestige factor
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To Conclude
First off congratulations you have made it this far and your head has not exploded. There are a variety of styles, lines, flies, rivers, and fish out there, and each line talked about above has a time and place for it. Some of you may find that Skagit Lines suck for the type of fishing you want to do and others might find that same to be true with Scandi. Being that Big Y is situated in prime steelhead territory we are here to help. Our guys have fished many types of river across the USA, from Alaska to Michigan, and just about every notable river in Oregon. We have been on the small streams along the Oregon Coast and fished the Deschutes pretty religiously. This article is meant to act as a jumping off point and is in no means set in stone. If you are looking to get into spey fishing and want some honest answers on how to make the sport most enjoyable for you, please don’t hesitate to stop by or give us a call.
