Skagititis redux

Skagititis redux

Somehow I seem to have touched a nerve in the Skagititis humor post, and some guys think I am getting all preachy. Far from the case. The intent of the entire post came from several personal experiences of myself and other anglers switching back and forth from skagit heads to short or medium length spey lines, and resulting comedy of errors that resulted. Under no circumstances should the (I thought rather humorous post) be construed as Erik disrespecting the pioneers of Skagit casting such as Bob Strobel, Harry Lemire, Ed Ward, or others too numerous to name.

Just because I choose, when the conditions allow, to use a dry line does not mean that I disdain any other form of fly fishing, nor does it mean that I believe that I am a better angler. Experimentation and learning is what it is all about. What if I do this? Will this work? How can I present my fly in these conditions? How big/small can I get away with? I am an avid fly-tier of classic flies, so that is what I use, because I think they are pretty and artful, not because I think they are better than what you are using.

As fly anglers we tend to place ourselves into groups. This is a normal process of identity forming. Inherent in human identity is both who you are and who you are not. We all tend to classify ourselves in this manner. I am better than that guy because… or I belong to this group and not that one. As Permaskunk pointed out, it can be quite silly really.

Skagit casting is a very effective method for winter steelhead. Often on our rivers with your back against the wall and overhead branches, it is practically the only way. It allows the delivery of large flies to dour fish, and allows us to fish dirty water as well. Guess what? I use it too.

What does bother me though is that seemingly the entire world of two handers jumped on the Skagit bus and now are unwilling to do anything else. Tackle companies have followed suit and the sale of running lines and short heads dominate everything. RIO discontinued the Grand Spey. It didn’t sell. If you want to find a DT line, good luck… Try the UK. The midspey was discontinued, the XLT dumbed down, etc. etc.

This leads to encounters such as the following from this past fall on a run in the PNW.

Guy from California (GFC):    “Say, saw you fishing, you land a steelhead?”
Me:                “Nope…no runs, no hits, no errors in that piece of water.”
GFC:                “What Skagit head are you using?”
Me:                “No skagit head. A Hardy mach 2”
GFC:                “Oh. The reason I asked is that I saw you stripping a lot of line.”
Me:                “That is because I was throwing the entire line.”
GFC:                “Oh… what kind of tips are you running?”
Me:                “Mmmmgfff!”


So, in conclusion, chill out. Fish the way you want, have confidence in the swung fly, and enjoy yourselves on the water… whatever line you are using. I don’t care.

Peace!

Skagititis

Skagititis

A friend of mine recently coined the term “Skagititis” to refer to the syndrome of the inability to cast a ‘normal’ flyline after spending a given amount of time with a Skagit head.
For those of you that don’t know what a Skagit head is, it is a highly shortened and thickened flyline designed to allow the user to throw larger flies with heavy sinking tips. If your standard floating flyline weighs 600 grains in a 55 –65 foot head, a Skagit line for the same rod would weigh around 700 grains in a much shorter length- say 25 to 35 feet plus tip.

Sufferers of Skagititis exhibit one or more of the following symptoms when casting longer belly lines.

• Weak D-loop formation
• Lack of body motion
• Lack of body twist
• Too much anchor in the water
• Too short a stroke

Not everyone suffers with Skagititis. Some casters can switch back and forth and adapt the length and timing of their stroke appropriately. Others however, may suffer acute Skagititis and feel that they can’t cast at all. Skagit heads are so easy to cast that my Neanderthal friend Og can do it.

I suffer from this syndrome from time to time myself, but it is curable. Simply pick up that old windcutter, delta, long-belly, or even DT line and start casting in slow motion. It all comes back.

Skagititis sometimes comes with complications. Some of these are:

• Runninglineitis:    The malady of buying every running line on the market in search of one that lasts and does not tangle. A related problem is forumitis, which is the widespread but minor disease of dominating internet forums by obsessively posting about running lines.

• Tangleitis:    The problem of compulsively cussing at and picking knots out of your running line.

• Sinktip tinkeritis:    The disease of constantly tinkering and futzing with length, weight, and construction of homemade and custom modified sinking tips. In extreme cases the sufferer no longer actually goes fishing, but spends all his or her time in the garage late at night with the shades pulled and grows a long beard.

• Sinkintheriveritis:    The issue of carrying so many different heads and sinking tips stuffed in your vest and waders that you actually sink into the bottom of the river.

• Depthitis:    The syndrome of losing all confidence that a steelhead will move to your fly without a heavy sinktip even in 50 degree crystal-clear water.