RIO Skagit Flight question

[bassakwards]

Is there a difference between the Skagit Flight SHD and the Skagit IFlight?

I don’t see in the description of the Flight that it is an intermediate, so I'm guessing the i indicates intermediate and my flight line is floating?

[JasonB]

Yes, the I indicates intermediate. If you've not fished with one yet, you really should give it a go. While I don't think I'd want to fish one much in summer/fall conditions, for winter I have a feeling it will turn out to be my go to line. It's not so much the extra depth that the sinking head achieves that excites me, so much as the way that it minimizes a lot of excess mending and keeps the swing nice and slow with minimal effort. I just played around with one a bit this spring and summer, and I feel that it just worked in some runs where a standard skagit head was really getting pushed and pulled all over the place; making a nice slow smooth swing very tough.

JB

[bassakwards]

Perfect, thank you I'll be getting one shortly then.

Do you need to lighten up the grain weight?

[Jeff C.]

I keep mine the same grain weight as the Flight. have iFlights for my 7 and 8 wt TCX switch rods.

[DAVID95670]

I keep mine the same grain weight as the Flight. have iFlights for my 7 and 8 wt TCX switch rods.

i keep them the same grain weight, i also have an iShort for my switch

[winxp_man]

I have a way of using iFlight heads.

Example. Sage TCX #7 Spey rod.

500gr iFlight head I use with heavier tips. T-14, T-20

550gr iFlight head I use with smaller tips. T-8, T-11


This so far has been very effective for me and lets me keep to much line weight off my rod. Some times its not good to over load a rod. I tend to see that being the case when you us heavier flies to. DAVID95670 is my witness to this. When I caught my first salmon on the American this year while fishing together.

[JasonB]

Hey Aron,
I am a bit confused by your post, although granted that I am easily confused by most things spey related. Would you expand a bit on your thinking in terms of head weight to tip weight to fly weight? Wouldn't the heavier head not turn over the heavier tips more efficiently? It seems that what you're describing would be the opposite?

My use of skagit heads in general, and particularly the intermediate ones is somewhat limited, so I'm always interested to hear more. I will say this: so far I have not been particularly happy with the way the regular skagits actually fish, never mind casting them... the intermediates however, I've found to be really sweet to swing.
Cheers,
JB

[winxp_man]

While your statement would make some sense Jason the iFlight heads also sink making casting a little different then floating heads, and making the tip and head seem like one. With a floating head you have that break between a sudden sink from the T-Tip and the floating head.

For what I used in my example the TCX #17 12-6 spey rod the tips that I should use are the T-11 tips. Remember the higher you go in T-Tips the more weight you are adding. Thus making casting lets say T-17 15' with a iFlight 550gr head real hard. To much weight in my opinion for the rod.

What I am doing when I use what I mentioned above is countering the weight by using a less grains on the head. Also remember that sometimes the fly you use also add weight if its bunny or any other big flies. Oh and the Tips really get heavy when you start using the T-14 15', T-17 15' tips and such.

[JasonB]

That makes sense now. I guess I've not yet experienced that end of the grain window of any of my rods, but I could totally see what you're saying... that does start sounding like a lot of weight for a 7wt. Thanks,
JB

[Jeff C.]

From what I understand the general rule is for heavier tips and flies you need a head with more grains for lifting power and turn over. Maybe one of our spey gurus can chime in?