Airflo’s Skagit Compact System

The Ultimate Spey Head Set
Spey rods and spey lines are one of the fastest growing segments in fly fishing and there’s good reason for that—fishing spey revitalizes longtime single-hand anglers and it’s just downright fun.

In fact, trying to master a whole new skill-set, including dozens of casts off either shoulder, can take the emphasis off fish and and place it more on the cast. And that’s a good thing if you are fishing steelhead because they have been called “the fish of a thousand casts.”

I guess I’m enamored with spey fishing because it’s not natural for me yet. I have to think before each throw, concentrate like crazy and go through the motions. Sometimes I get brutally disgusted with myself and my physical ability. Other times, it all clicks and I’m throwing like a demon, launching rockets wherever I need the fly to be. I remember fishing at B.C. West on the Dean last summer and struggling with my cast for four days. Then, on the fifth day something happened. It was like getting into a rhythm while shooting free throws or something. One cast after the other reached across the Dean. I barely tried. Things just happened and it was like every cast was tearing up the net. In high school and college I used to shoot a hundred free throws and turn around and shoot another 100. I wanted to be good and I wanted my team to win, and I enjoyed the challenge. Same thing in spey. I don’t get tired of trying to be better.

However, part of the problem with spey—and you’ll be wrecked from the start if you can’t dial this in—is matching a shooting head to your rod. And how do you do that? Go out and buy a $50-to-$100 head only to find it doesn’t correctly load your rod? Do you just make do with the damn thing and hope for the best? That’s what I was wondering when someone showed me their entire Skagit Compact head system from Airflo. And I needed to own one.

What’s the system? Get this. If you by this collection you get 12 heads, plus a great case to organize and carry them in, and you get a card that corresponds to the colors on the lines to make identification simple. You also get suggested line ratings so that you can you can quickly grab a head, say, rated to 6 or 7 weight rods and give it a throw. If that doesn’t feel right you can grab another head rated to 6 or 7 weight. That doesn’t work? Try the 6/7 rating. Or the 7/8 rating. Sooner or later you are dialed in.

And I like the attitude from Airflo. Step #1 in using the system is this: Pop, crack, or twist open favorite beverage. Step #5 is: Celebratory swig. Don’t get any on your shirt. Step 6: Cast like you stole it.

Along with the heads you get a 20-pound Ridge running line and a 30-pound Ridge running line.

Get the system. Cool. Good to go. Take a rod to the river. Take your pack of Skagit Compact heads. Spend an hour trying different heads for each of your spey or switch rods. And have a blast.

I don’t think that Airflo even advertises this shooting head set. But you can get one for $450. I think it’s worth it. If you’re going to take up spey and stick with it you’ll use all of these.

Want more info? Check out Airflo at  www.flyfishusa.com/lines/airflo/airflo-spey-lines.htm

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