Micro Skagit/Spey

[grunde]

Thanks Lasse,

guess you are talking about the MaxShort? http://www.rioproducts.com/fly-lines/sp ... max-short/

Will probably get one (or two) for my single handers :-)

Cheers,
Grunde

[Ed Ward]

Yes, building this type of line for a singlehander is very easy. For anyone interested in doing so, a "rule" that has worked well for me, is to use the weight of a line 3 sizes heavier as a target figure. For example, if wanting to build a line for a 5 weight rod, then use the weight of an 8 weight line as the target. Then, it's merely a matter of finding some flyline that has the grains-per-foot to meet one's preference for creating the intended final line length. Also, if line building isn't your "thing", both RIO and Scientific Anglers currently offer Skagit heads that are light enough for use on many singlehanded rods.

I didn't reference attention to this vid as a means for promoting a "better" fishing system or line. I realize that the angling circumstances here in North America are of a different nature than that of much of Europe. In general, our fisheries are less pressured and in most locations, once we gain access to the water we are almost unlimited in the amount of water we can fish. So, we probably have much more latitude for making the type of fishing shown in the vid - covering lots of water quickly in search of aggressive fish - a viable and effective strategy. In other words, we don't have to concentrate on "working educated fish", if we don't want to. I actually thought that the exposure of this vid would spark more commentary on the dynamics of the casting rather than the type of line or type of fishing! I mean c'mon... for all the conversation I've made about ContinuousMotion/ConstantLoad and right there in obvious slo-mo vid of my casting can be seen the rod unloading between backstroke-to-forward-stroke! Are you guys getting soft in your old age or what?! Where's the "I told you so's"?!

[Unregistered]

Where's the "I told you so's"?!

For me it isn't about being right but about learning how all of this works, and in my case that invariably involves being wrong now and then.

[Paul Arden]

We're much too nice for that, Ed. Apart from which we've all been wrong many times too!

How do you find the performance of Skagit type lines on relatively stiffer rods compared to set-ups you're typically using? For example if you took your Skagit line as prepared for a five weight rod, and instead used an eighth weight? I realise that it will feel very different in the hands - and will require a different stroke - but I would have thought the line would perform exactly the same.

Cheers, Paul

[Lasse Karlsson]

Hi Paul

It does

Cheers
Lasse

[Stoatstail50]

Are you guys getting soft in your old age or what?!

if "what" is having a short thick head and being way heavier than normal then I'm soft and "what".

I was wrong on here about a knot once...it was a harrowing experience...nobody said "told you so" although I suspected they really, really wanted to...

[grunde]

Are you guys getting soft in your old age or what?!

Old age? No no no, we are all young, intelligent and sexy!

:-)

[Ben_d]

Paul,

In terms of the line performing the same, carrying a certain tip or fly it will do exactly the same job on whatever rod. You are absolutely right that the stroke will change though, in a really tight spot for roll & Spey casting with lumpy gear I prefer to be able to move the rod a greater distance more slowly and a softer rod relative to the mass of line being cast allows me to achieve SLP and cast more slowly and deliberately. I often think I am getting more of a spring effect out of the softer rod too, not sure that this is the case (I'm very probably about to be wrong too) but, that is how it feels. When I Spey cast with really heavy bits of string relative to the rod stiffness there is a definite feel of the rod slinging the line for me. Don't know how it stacks up in terms of what is actually going on, I've not really given it that much thought.
I think I'm probably going up more than Ed states in terms of line size / rod rating. A 14 - 15 gram head at 23-24' excluding the tip on a #6 rated rod is quite big weight.

Cheers

Ben

[Paul Arden]

I often think I am getting more of a spring effect out of the softer rod too, not sure that this is the case (I'm very probably about to be wrong too) but, that is how it feels

I think that this is probably the case. Certainly you can go to one extreme where the rod doesn't bend at all, and so there is no spring effect. And let's face it, we all know a slightly softer rod or a slightly heavier line assists roll casts. And conversely when distance casting we carry more line, and often stiffen up the rod, or drop the line size.

I've always found Salmon rods a bit bendy for me, and I'm sure that's because I've developed the quick stroke necessary for handling AFTMA compliant lines with relatively stiff single-handed fishing rods. And because I've been tackled up this way for a couple of decades at least, anything that's slow and bendy feels a bit odd to me. Mind you the few times I've cast competition DHD gear I've been in serious danger of garrotting myself...

Cheers, Paul

[easterncaster]

Paul,
...
I often think I am getting more of a spring effect out of the softer rod too, not sure that this is the case (I'm very probably about to be wrong too) but, that is how it feels. When I Spey cast with really heavy bits of string relative to the rod stiffness there is a definite feel of the rod slinging the line for me. Don't know how it stacks up in terms of what is actually going on, I've not really given it that much thought.

....
Cheers

Ben

Yes, and this slinging feeling is rather addictive I find. It can even happen with a single-hander when a rod has strong top section and hinging mid-section (ex: Thomas + Thomas NS-590).

Craig