[mikepat1]

Hi was just wondering what the differences would be between shooting head grain weights. My rod is rated 480-540. I dont have enought expertice to know which is the proper head for what situation. Any input appreciated.

 

[henderson]

rod model

tell us which rod you have and others will share their experience with it. these ratings are the rod's range. start in the middle or towards the heavier weight
if you are new to spey.

 

[JFHill]

Skagit head weights

Hi,

I have found there to be a large window with most rods. It can be quite an ordeal to narrow it down. Both Rio and Airflo have good charts,but are meant as a base starting point. Whatever rod you have may want more or less, you may feel comfortable with more or less.

As a current example, I was recently after a 1257 Scott L2H(which I got) and Rio called for 425- 475gr. and Airflo 450gr. That being said, I wanted a rod in the range of 500-ish.
Was almost talked out of it until I looked at the Scott site and found their recommendations in fine print on bottom of page. They call for 520gr +/- 5 % depending on water,tip weight,size of fly,etc.

Yes, you can adjust your stroke somewhat to accommodate, but , their recs. are BANG-ON!!!
At least with what I like for feel.


I would suggest going to your local flyshop and they should have a demo kit for lines. Try one from both ends of the spectrum, one in the middle,and maybe see if your rod manufacturer has their own recs as Scott does.

It will come down to personal feel and as you get better at casting,like most people(or as I seem to have noticed),you may find you will start to like lighter heads and casting ¨Off the tip¨ of the rod.



Lots of good info on this site, and many willing to help out. Do some searches and you will likely find exactly what you are looking for.



Cheers,

Jan

 

[fish0n4evr]

With compacted shooting head (skagit head) it's not so much about a situation. You wouldn't need a different weight for certain situations as an example. More about technique. Heavier heads (within the GW) and sustained anchors almost always go hand-in-hand. Lighter heads lend themselves better to waterborne anchors.

I've always thought of skagit-heads as specialized line systems to be used when a speyline just doesn't fit. For example in winter with higher water level and constricted casting room. But I know that is not the case across the board. Anglers with reduced range in motion and shoulder injuries employ the skagit-cast in order to keep at it.

 

[mikepat1]

Right now I have ancabelas lsi 8wt 11'6" its matched with a skagit switch 540 grain. 20 ft head. Ive been casting between 8-12 ft of t-11. I will be trying comparible lengths of t14 soon. I a decades old single handed steelheader. Ive switch rodded it because I indi and swing flies. Very hard to cast a weighted intruder on a 8 wt 9.5 foot rod. Can now swing and drift without packing a ton of gear. Rio line selector recommended 550 grain skagit short and airflo recommended 510 grain skagit switch. Both 20 ft heads. I went a little heavy with the 540 but I figure would be simpler to learn as well as chuck some weight. Was considering the I skagit for winter dreging ss the fish are deep and the flies are large. I guess as long as im not pushing the rod beyond its capabilities, ill stick with the 540 till I decide to try something else.