I listened to Dec Hogan recently on a fly fishing show and wanted to quickly share that here. Dec breaks down spey lines in a very simple fashion at the link below.
Spey Line Clarification with Dec Hogan
That link above is from the Reno Fly Fishing Shop Podcast. I’m excited to listen to more of the episodes from the crew there.
A brief summary of Dec’s explanation can be broken down in a simple form.
Skagit Lines
Skagit style lines are like a garden hose. Super heavy and thick line on the front of the fly line helps to cast sinking tips and heavy flies.
Scandi Lines
Scandi style lines have weight in the back of the line and then a very fine taper going down to a thin front taper. These are great for swinging light flies on the surface.
Grain Weight
All rods have a specific grain weight that goes with the rod. A typical two handed rod for spey casting might be between 12 feet and 13.5 feet. Find a rod in your budget and then look at the grain weight.
Check out Rio’s line selector app here.
There is a range of grain weights for each rod so if you are unsure just pick a weight in the middle. If it’s a 400 to 500 grain rod, just go with a 450 grain weight.
Practice
The most important thing is to get out on the water and practice. And practice some more. If you have the chance, get a fly casting lesson.
That’s all I had today. I just wanted to make sure to remind myself of this great show. I’ll have Dec on my podcast very soon so looking forward to that.
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