EASY CASTING, MULTIPLE DENSITY SKAGIT HEADS for large flies and sink tips--offering perfect depth and casting control.
RIO's INTOUCH SKAGIT MAX GAMECHANGER heads are the perfect delivery system for casting large flies and sink tips. The heads feature RIO's Multi Density Control - a seamless blend of three or four different densities that ensures the smoothest transition of energy when casting, and the very best depth control when fishing. Say goodbye to hinging, weak casts and poor turnover with these killer heads. Each head is built with an ultra-low stretch core for the maximum in sensitivity and performance. A shooting line and a sink tip are required to make these heads perform at their best.
Powerful tapers to easily cast sink tips and large flies
Multi Density Control for maximum casting & fishing performance
Ultra-low stretch ConnectCore
Sizes in stock: (with Intermediate lines go 25 to 50 grains lighter than a regular Skagit max line)
Weight: 475gr Line #7 23ft/7m Flt/1ips/2ips/3ips Brown/Dark Aqua/Light Aqua/Orange
Weight: 500gr Line #7, 23ft/7m Flt/1ips/2ips/3ips Brown/Dark Aqua/Light Aqua/Orange
The easiest casting, most powerful Skagit head ever made.
The Skagit Max is an exceptionally easy casting Skagit style shooting head that will cast big flies, and the heaviest sinking tips with the utmost of ease. A unique taper design not only casts all the nasty stuff associated with Skagit fishing, but also forms beautiful loops and is extremely pleasant to cast. The head is built on RIO's ultra-low stretch ConnectCore for the utmost in casting control and sensitivity, and has a highly visible orange section loop for easy recognition. It is available in a multitude of lengths and weights to cover all rod and angling situations.
Ultra-low stretch core for the best in casting and fishing sensitivity
Easy loading design
Printed ID system on the front of the head for quick recognition
The easiest casting, most powerful Skagit head ever made.
The Skagit Max is an exceptionally easy casting Skagit style shooting head that will cast big flies, and the heaviest sinking tips with the utmost of ease. A unique taper design not only casts all the nasty stuff associated with Skagit fishing, but also forms beautiful loops and is extremely pleasant to cast. The head is built on RIO’s ultra-low stretch ConnectCore for the utmost in casting control and sensitivity, and has a highly visible orange section loop for easy recognition. It is available in a multitude of lengths and weights to cover all rod and angling situations.
Ultra-low stretch core for the best in casting and fishing sensitivity
Easy loading design
Printed ID system on the front of the head for quick recognition
RIO's iShort is the latest addition in the arsenal of heads for the Skagit fly fisher. The short, powerful head has an 8ft long highly visible floating back end that is easy to track during the swing, and can be mended for total fly control. The unique clear camo intermediate front section is a fantastic asset for when extra depth is needed, in strong current and also on windy days, or when a slower swing is needed.
iShort: Overall/Head Length: Approximately 18 ft at 350 gr to 20 ft at 575 gr.
The iFlight is the best choice for long distance casting on big rivers where your fly has to be fished at extra depth.
Powerful front end casts fast sinking tips and large flies
Slow sinking intermediate tip for deeper and slower presentations
ID printed rear loop for fast head recognition
Most Unique feature: The iFlight Skagit Spey shooting head is clearly distinguished from other Spey heads by the front end of the head (approximately 14 ft) that has an Intermediate sink rate of about 1.5 inches per second. the back 8 ft of this head is a black floating line that enhances mending of the front portion of the Intermediate head.
Application:The iFlight Skagit is a great choice for achieving deeper swings with Spey rods and is a surprisingly effective tool to fish standing waters with beach rods. The Intermediate front of the head gets just under the surface and eliminates wind drift. The Intermediate front of the head is also particularly useful if surface river turbulence interferes with the fly's swing.
Compatible tips: These iFlight heads are meant ONLY for use with sink tips of various rates, not for floating tips.
Line Taper: This Skagit head is a short, powerful Spey Head with a floating rear 8' section integrated with an intermediate front section.
Sink rate: This line has an 8 ft floating rear section and a 1.5 ips per second front section on the head.
Line weights available: the Rio iFlight Skagit heads are available in line wts. from 450 gr. to 750 gr.
Overall/Head Length: Approximately 22 ft to 23 ft
Line Color: the intermediate-sink tip section is a clear/translucent camouflage color; the rear 8 ft portion of the head is a high-vis orange to facilitate current detection and improve mending ability.
Line floating properties: Mixed: floating head with intermediate tip.
Welded Loops: The front and back ends of the iFlight Skagit Head fly lines deliver welded loops to ease the process of quick rigging to attaching sink tips.
RIO's iFlight is the latest addition in the arsenal of heads for the Skagit fly fisher. The short, powerful head has an 8ft long highly visible floating back end that is easy to track during the swing, and can be mended for total fly control. The unique clear camo intermediate front section is a fantastic asset for when extra depth is needed, in strong current and also on windy days, or when a slower swing is needed.
The iFlight is the best choice for long distance casting on big rivers where your fly has to be fished at extra depth.
Powerful front end casts fast sinking tips and large flies
Slow sinking intermediate tip for deeper and slower presentations
ID printed rear loop for fast head recognition
Most Unique feature: The iFlight Skagit Spey shooting head is clearly distinguished from other Spey heads by the front end of the head (approximately 14 ft) that has an Intermediate sink rate of about 1.5 inches per second. the back 8 ft of this head is a black floating line that enhances mending of the front portion of the Intermediate head.
Application:The iFlight Skagit is a great choice for achieving deeper swings with Spey rods and is a surprisingly effective tool to fish standing waters with beach rods. The Intermediate front of the head gets just under the surface and eliminates wind drift. The Intermediate front of the head is also particularly useful if surface river turbulence interferes with the fly's swing.
Compatible tips: These iFlight heads are meant ONLY for use with sink tips of various rates, not for floating tips.
Line Taper: This Skagit head is a short, powerful Spey Head with a floating rear 8' section integrated with an intermediate front section.
Sink rate: This line has an 8 ft floating rear section and a 1.5 ips per second front section on the head.
Line weights available: the Rio iFlight Skagit heads are available in line wts. from 450 gr. to 750 gr.
Overall/Head Length: Approximately 22 ft to 23 ft
Line Color: the intermediate-sink tip section is a clear/translucent camouflage color; the rear 8 ft portion of the head is a high-vis orange to facilitate current detection and improve mending ability.
Line floating properties: Mixed: floating head with intermediate tip.
Welded Loops: The front and back ends of the iFlight Skagit Head fly lines deliver welded loops to ease the process of quick rigging to attaching sink tips.
OPST’s Commando Heads are extraordinarily fishable. These Skagit Heads are the result of decades of focus on sustained anchor systemology (SAS) by Ed Ward and Jerry French. They are designed to expand the capabilities of shorter spey rods, switch rods and single hand rods beyond that of normal. You may be surprised at their short length, but this was no accident. The ultra-short design provides an effortless casting feel and enhances performance in circumstances of restricted casting room, troublesome winds and in casting bulky flies. It also makes them more fishable than longer lines that are hard to control on the water. Wanna roll cast? Underhand? Nymph? Single hand Skagit with a haul? Overhead? Go right ahead.
The easiest casting, most powerful Skagit head ever made.
The Skagit Max is an exceptionally easy casting Skagit style shooting head that will cast big flies, and the heaviest sinking tips with the utmost of ease. A unique taper design not only casts all the nasty stuff associated with Skagit fishing, but also forms beautiful loops and is extremely pleasant to cast. The head is built on RIO’s ultra-low stretch ConnectCore for the utmost in casting control and sensitivity, and has a highly visible orange section loop for easy recognition. It is available in a multitude of lengths and weights to cover all rod and angling situations.
Ultra-low stretch core for the best in casting and fishing sensitivity
Easy loading design
Printed ID system on the front of the head for quick recognition
The Airflo Skagit Intermediate is a new concept in Skagit casting that will change the game of swinging flies for anadromous fish. By building a line with a short floating rear section coupled with an intermediate body, we took the ease of casting a Skagit head and combined it with the effectiveness of an intermediate Scandi. Although we designed it originally for steelhead anglers in the Great Lakes, it's quickly becoming a viable tool for West Coast steelhead and salmon, and Atlantic salmon fishing worldwide.
I use this line in the winter when the water is high and the surface water is fast - this line slows the swing down as it allows the link to get below the river's surface turbulence. It also allows your tip to get down deeper. - Jeff Layton
Try casting 15' of lead core on the end of your regular Spey line and you'll quickly find its not up to the job - enter the Skagit Compact. Skagit lines were originally developed by the Steelhead rats of the Pacific North West to get flies in front of fish regardless of environment. These short high power heads have the ability to make a cast in tight confined spaces, which often means the difference between success and failure. Perfected under the watchful eye of Tom Larimer, you can understand how excited we are about the Skagit Compact.
Tom guides the mighty rivers of Oregon and Washington, so required a series of lines that allowed his clients to quickly get the hang of fishing heavy level sink tips and big articulated flies. As with any line the shorter the head the more critical the weight. By refining the taper and length of the Skagit Compacts from 23 to 27 feet depending on head weight. We've created 15 models from 360 to 810 grains in 30 grain increments that ensure you'll be able to find the perfect match for your favourite rod. So, just add a running line, a sink tip and your good to go.
Additional Information
Product Use: Skagit Specific Heads for Controlled casting in Tight Spots
Line Size: 360-810 - (30 Grain Increments)
color: Mantis Green
Density: Floating
Core Material: Low Stretch (6%) Braided Power Core
This is the 2nd version of the famous Airflo Skagit Compact shooting heads that emerged about 10-years ago and took their place as one of the most popular Skagit type heads ever produced. The original Skagit Compact is still very popular with many of the worlds most knowledgeable steelhead/salmon anglers and guides.
The new G2 (generation two) is a little shorter overall than its predecessor. It has a slightly longer rear taper so that an angler can leave a little more shooting line beyond the rod tip while casting. And because of the of this lengthened rear taper the head is a little more stable in flight. The front taper has also been lengthened slightly to increase flight time and to blend more seamlessly with Airflo's wildly popular Flo Tips. This head is two colored. The rear blue part of the line has more flotation built into it so that it is more controllable while on the water.
Many angler who are familiar with the older version of the Skagit Compact will find it hard to believe that it can be improved upon. These new heads are just beginning to arrive. That is why we only have a small range of sizes. So far our tests have disclosed that the new line performs very well
Think of the Rage Compact Fly Line as the line that is between a Skagit and a Scandi.
Too often we heard the cry for a line that cast like our Skagit Compact, but fishes as a straight floater. So, working with Tom Larimer, we developed the new Rage Compact. This addition to the Skagit family keeps you in the 'Floating' game under extremely windy and tight quarter casting situations.
Its aggressive front taper gives ultimate power for driving casts into the strongest winds, the rear taper helps load quickly, giving you incredible control in tight casting conditions. Nine sizes from 360 to 600 grains, and lengths of 27' to 32' make matching the proper size to almost any two-handed rod easy and succinct. The front loop has the line size printed on it for easy recognition. As with all Tactical Shooting heads, built on our low stretch, low memory braided Power Core.
A fly line gets dirty like anything else, and should be cleaned every few trips. Rio's new Wonder Cloth is a micro abrasive cleaning pad that strips out the deep-lying dirt without roughing the fly line.
Infinitii Spey Swivel made by Grabflies, attaches (via loop-to-loop connections) between the shooting line and shooting head and eliminates twists and kinks often caused by spey casting.
The difference between Grabflies "Infinitii Spey Swivel" and others on the market is that the loops are flyline welded to the best quality swivel (breaking strength 78 lb) on the market. The Flyline has a breaking strength of 30 lb, then doubled over, for an approximate strength of 50 lb.
I held off on making these as my first experience with Spey swivels was a hinging effect occurred during the D Loop, but with the doubled over flyline welded onto the swivels this isn't a problem. Since I use my Infinitii Swivel Tips I didn't need these for my fly presentation. What I found is that my Infinitii Spey Swivel can help your cast fly straighter as twists in the flyline are allowed to unwind, thus removing torque. Plus the bonus factor of helping your mono running line not get as many twists or kinks.
RIO Products' Gel Spun fly line backing offers the option of backing your fly lines with stronger material and more of it. This material is RIO's formula for maximizing strength and quantity of backing on any fly reel. With this Gel Spun fly line backing, you will be able to outfit your fly reel with more yardage of backing than traditional Dacron fly line backing.
This is the 2nd version of the famous Airflo Skagit Compact shooting heads that emerged about 10-years ago and took their place as one of the most popular Skagit type heads ever produced. The original Skagit Compact is still very popular with many of the worlds most knowledgeable steelhead/salmon anglers and guides.
The new G2 (generation two) is a little shorter overall than its predecessor. It has a slightly longer rear taper so that an angler can leave a little more shooting line beyond the rod tip while casting. And because of the of this lengthened rear taper the head is a little more stable in flight. The front taper has also been lengthened slightly to increase flight time and to blend more seamlessly with Airflo's wildly popular Flo Tips. This head is two colored. The rear blue part of the line has more flotation built into it so that it is more controllable while on the water.
Many angler who are familiar with the older version of the Skagit Compact will find it hard to believe that it can be improved upon. These new heads are just beginning to arrive. That is why we only have a small range of sizes. So far our tests have disclosed that the new line performs very well
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Podcast Interview
 "InTouch Skagit Max GameChanger, 4D")
 "Rio Skagit Max Shooting Head")
 "Rio Skagit Max Shooting Head - Short")
 "RIO Skagit iShort Shooting Head")
 "RIO Skagit iFlight Shooting Head - on sale")
 "OPST Commando Skagit Head")
 "Rio Skagit Max Shooting Head - Long")
 "Airflo Skagit Compact Intermediate")
 "Airflo Skagit Compact")
 "Airflo Skagit Compact Floating 2.0")
 "Rage Compact, 540")
 "Wonder Cloth by Rio")
 "Rio Gel Spun Backing 30lb / 300yd Spool")
 "Infinitii Spey Swivel")
 "Gel Spun Fly Line Backing")
 "Fly Line Wallet, by Grabflies")
Made in the USA by Jeff Layton