Josh Jenkins is the R&D Manager at Scientific Anglers. He recently took time out of his schedule to sit down with us and help make some sense out of why they design their various Spey lines the way that they do. Have you ever wondered the difference between skagit and scandi or what line you should pick for swinging flies in your local river? They are each designed with a specific fishing scenario in mind and Josh has the break down below!
A Brief Background
The world of two-handed rods and lines can be an impossible labyrinth for newcomers. Not only does an angler have to change how they think about rod and line weights, they also have to wade through a myriad of new terminology. The good news is that most of our fishing in North American, and to some extent the world, can be covered by a few simple combinations of rods and lines. In this article I’ll hopefully shine some light on basic two handed line concepts and tapers.
Two-handed casting was originally developed to efficiently cover great distances of water with minimal back casting room. Since its inception, rods and lines have developed in tandem for various fishing applications, typically centered around salmon or steelhead. The very first “spey” lines were nothing more than very heavy double tapers. In comparison to lines today, these double tapers were difficult to cast because the belly of the line was level. From there, more and more complex tapers were developed that moved the majority of the lines mass closer to the rod and away from the part of the line that was in contact with the water, also known as the anchor. As tapers matured, there was also a trend of making shorter lines that were easier for a novice angler to use.
Today, we can lump almost all two-handed lines into one of four major categories: Spey lines, Scandi lines, Skagit lines, and switch lines. If you are new to the sport, or want a basic line assortment to cover salmon, steelhead, and trout fishing in western North America and the great lakes, you will at least need a floating Scandi line and a Skagit system. There are a ton of microscopic variances in tapers within these categories, but there are generalities that can be synthesized for each group.
Scandi vs. Skagit
Scandi lines were developed in Scandinavia (go figure) primarily for targeting Atlantic Salmon. Scandi lines generally have head length between 30 and 45 feet, though trout sized Scandis can be shorter. Scandi lines typically have a very long, fine front taper and are intended to be cast with a “touch-and-go” style anchor. Most Scandis perform well with a standard tapered leader in the 12-15’, and don’t have enough power to turn over a large sinking tip. They can be used with lighter, sinking leaders to adjust swing depth.
Skagit lines are heavy, short, and aggressive by comparison. They were developed to be used with a sinking tip and to deliver large, heavy flies. Skagit lines are most often supplied as a head with typical lengths being 20 to 29 feet, although, again, trout sized Skagits can be shorter. Skagit lines are always used with a tip, so you can’t just buy a Skagit line and loop a tapered leader on the end. Sinking tips are available in a bunch of sizes and densities, but the important thing to remember is that they need a sinking tip to be cast and fished correctly.
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Pacific Salmon/Steelhead Fishing
The vast majority of two handed lines sold in North America are used to target steelhead and pacific salmon. Scandi lines are an excellent choice for early season, upper water column work. Higher water temperatures for summer run or early fall steelhead means that they are willing to come up to a fly that is on or near the surface.
As water temperatures drop in early fall, steelhead will become lethargic and less willing to move to a fly. They also tend to hold in slower water which is consequently deeper. This all means that the angler needs to get the fly closer to the fish to incite a strike. This is done by using a Skagit line with a sinking tip. Skagit lines are also a better choice for pacific salmon like the Chinook as the flies for these fish are large.
Trout Fishing
The concepts behind two handed line selection for steelhead and salmon can also be applied to swinging flies for trout. Scandi lines are an excellent choice for smaller trout flies like soft hackles and small un-weighted streamers. Trout presentations with Scandis excel when fishing emerging insects in fast water.
If the trout are holding deeper or smaller food items aren’t available in the upper water column, a Skagit should be used. Trout Skagit lines are the ideal choice for fishing deeper water and larger, weighted streamers.
If you’re viewing this in a newsletter or a reader, click here to see the video on our website.
Atlantic Salmon Fishing
Finally, we arrive at the original Spey fishing targeted species: Atlantic salmon. In comparison to pacific salmon and steelhead flies, Atlantic salmon flies are small and light, so a Skagit system is not as applicable here. Atlantic salmon fishing has traditionally been associated with longer Spey lines and Scandi heads, so Skagit lines are not accepted as well in this application.
Atlantic salmon fishing is a unique case where various densities of Scandi lines can be useful to present flies at various depths.
Any specific questions regarding what set up you should fish on your local river? Let us know below! Thanks again Josh Jenkins and Scientific Anglers!
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