Any skagit casters here?

N
ninja2010
i'm new to skagit casting and have a coupla questions...

i have a 9' 8wt fast action rod with an extended fighting butt (5") so it's not a problem to cast the double spey and snap-t. i'm spooled with a 375 gr 20' skagit short with a 10' sinktip, making the total 30', which is a bit over 3x the rod length. from what i understand, this setup should work fine... but for the life of me, i can barely shoot 25'-30' of running line.

is that because that's about all i can expect from a 9 footer? or is my line incorrect? i know that what i have (375 gr) is for 5/6wt switch/spey rod. am i underlined? what would happen if i overload the rod?

thanks in advance for any help on this.
 
M
mlw
I am a beginner too, so take this for what it's worth, but I have a 420 on a 10'8" 8wt switch, and it shoots fine. I have been watching a couple dvd's, Rio's Spey Casting and Ed Ward's Skagit Master (which is great). My guess is that Ed Ward could shoot a 375 on my rod considerably further than I can the 420.
Michael
 
A
Alaskan Assassin
I'm new to the Skagit casting game myself but havent tried these casts on my single hand rods. I think if you were to use an 11' Switch or a 12-13' Spey rod you would see a huge difference in your ability to cast further distances. Longer rods allow you to load easier and keep that line off the water.
 
Irishrover
Irishrover
ninja2010 said:
i'm new to skagit casting and have a coupla questions...

i have a 9' 8wt fast action rod with an extended fighting butt (5") so it's not a problem to cast the double spey and snap-t. i'm spooled with a 375 gr 20' skagit short with a 10' sinktip, making the total 30', which is a bit over 3x the rod length. from what i understand, this setup should work fine... but for the life of me, i can barely shoot 25'-30' of running line.

is that because that's about all i can expect from a 9 footer? or is my line incorrect? i know that what i have (375 gr) is for 5/6wt switch/spey rod. am i underlined? what would happen if i overload the rod?

thanks in advance for any help on this.
How are you holding the running line? Do you have it doubled up and where is your rod tip ending up at the end of your forward cast? I'm usuing a 13' St Croix with Air Flow 540 grain. The amount of running line I am able to shoot depends on keeping drag off the running line and having that rod tip somewhere around the ten O'clock position at the end of the forward cast. Now for me that doesn't always happen but I'm close.
 
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N
ninja2010
thanks one and all for the input... i really appreciate it.

anyways, after 3 weeks, i broke down and got a 10'8" rainshadow 8wt, and lined it with 450gr skagit and it definitely works better. :lol:

(btw, i also wrote to simon gawesworth about the original question on my 9', and he was very helpful... nice guy. he thought that shooting 20'-30' was dang good for a 9 footer. :D)

well, i'm soooo totally bitten by the fly fishing bug - now i want to start tying flies (tube flies) and i'm enjoying myself so much more on the water, just casting and casting and casting...
 
Irishrover
Irishrover
ninja2010 said:
thanks one and all for the input... i really appreciate it.

anyways, after 3 weeks, i broke down and got a 10'8" rainshadow 8wt, and lined it with 450gr skagit and it definitely works better. :lol:

(btw, i also wrote to simon gawesworth about the original question on my 9', and he was very helpful... nice guy. he thought that shooting 20'-30' was dang good for a 9 footer. :D)

well, i'm soooo totally bitten by the fly fishing bug - now i want to start tying flies (tube flies) and i'm enjoying myself so much more on the water, just casting and casting and casting...
If you ever want to met up down at Dodge Park and do some spey casting let me know. I'll drag my 13' St Croix down there too.
 
N
ninja2010
Irishrover said:
If you ever want to met up down at Dodge Park and do some spey casting let me know. I'll drag my 13' St Croix down there too.

hey, that'll be great! appreciate it.

i need to watch someone who knows what they're doing, and also someone to watch how i'm casting. the only "lessons" i've had are from youtube :lol::lol::lol:

maybe we can meet up tomorrow?
 
Irishrover
Irishrover
That sound good I'm up for tomorrow. What time is good for you.
 
H
Henning
Single hander skagit

Single hander skagit

I've been messing around with Skagit lines on a single hander too. I've had pretty good success with a 420grain Airflo Skagit Short (23') on a Sage z-axis, 9' 8wt. I can thow the head and a 7' tip of t11 about 65-70'. I'm pretty happy with that distance because this is going to be my tight water coastal setup. If I need longer casts, I'll use a double hander.

The only problem is I have a hard time throwing heads heavier/longer than the 7' T11. I'de like to try the Rio Skagit Short, which is only 20', to see if I have more versitility.....
 
N
ninja2010
Henning said:
I've been messing around with Skagit lines on a single hander too. I've had pretty good success with a 420grain Airflo Skagit Short (23') on a Sage z-axis, 9' 8wt. I can thow the head and a 7' tip of t11 about 65-70'. I'm pretty happy with that distance because this is going to be my tight water coastal setup. If I need longer casts, I'll use a double hander.

The only problem is I have a hard time throwing heads heavier/longer than the 7' T11. I'de like to try the Rio Skagit Short, which is only 20', to see if I have more versitility.....

hey henning... welcome aboard.

with a 9 footer, you'd want your flyline + sinktip to be between 27' and 33". you should be able to work the airflo with up to a 10' sinktip. although, i find that the taper doesn't help to turn over the heavier sinktips/flies. i'm currently throwing the 450 gr skagit flight head, which also has a taper, and it's the same issue. the only way i could chuck the large and heavier flies was to shorten my sinktip and tighten up my d-loop.

the straight skagit short i had was more powerful when it comes to turning over anything you tie on. but at 375gr, it was a bit light for my 9 footer (which i found out is actually a #9/10) so that's why i'm now spooled with the 450gr flight head. if you like throwing the big 'uns, then you'd prolly like the skagit short.
 

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