Let’s first start by going over the major difference between a tip and a poly/versileader. In still water, I’ve used sinking leaders to hook bass, walleye, pike and perch in water as deep as 10 feet. Rio Spey Versileaders - Rio's Spey Versileaders are available in 6' and 10' lengths and come in six different densities - Float, 1.5 ips, 3 ips, 4 ips, 5 ips, and 7 ips. Even if I carried a sink-tip on a spare reel or spool, changing lines to fish just one run wouldn’t be time-effective. Polyleaders are Airflo's offering, and Versileaders are the equivalent product from Rio. The first method is to tie on the leader material much like how you typically add tippet to a leader, using either a blood knot or surgeon's knot. On the end of your tip/polyleader will be your leader and your fly thereafter. RIO Head Wallet. Airflo produces tips in T-7, T-10, T-14, and T-18, whereas Rio produces tips in T-8, T-11, T-14, and T-17. Ultimately, when swinging flies, leader shyness is not as much of a concern, so I tend towards using heavier test leader material. One more disclaimer, there are some types of tips on the market that do not neatly fall into either of the above categories, however we'll just say that these are for "niche" applications and not paramount to the understanding of basic Skagit and Scandi line setups. It is equivalent to using 13.5' of LC-13 or T-14. That way, you won’t keep cutting back your sinking leader when changing tippets (see below). For example, if you have a 27 foot head and a 12 foot tip on a 13 foot rod, you would have a 3-to-1 head+tip to rod ratio (27' head + 12' tip / 13' rod = 3, thus a 3 to 1 ratio). You just need 9-12′ of straight mono leader. FLO tips seamlessly combine intermediate and T material to create a smoother transition from the skagit head. Now I can fish those same deep or fast stretches I used to skip, without the hassle of switching out my line. But for simplicity sake you don’t need one. 4.2 out of 5 stars 8. Skagit and Scandi heads are pretty specific as far as which type of tip works best for them. Rio Skagit MOW Tips - Rio MOW tips are dual density skagit tips which seamlessly integrate varying lengths of level floating line with corresponding lengths of level T. They are available in T-8, T-11, T-14, and T-17, in 10' and 12.5' lengths (12.5' only available in full sinking), and are factory looped on both ends. Low water is the only time I fish this particular set-up; for most of the season, I prefer a sinking PolyLeader and a three-foot section of level 2X or 3X. Sinking leaders are an excellent temporary fix when you need a sink-tip line, but don’t have one. They work with ANY grain weight line … Polyleaders or Poly Leaders. Cons: More expensive than level T, cannot use with F.I.S.T heads or other sinking skagit heads (due to intermediate butt section). $12.95 $ 12. The answer to this depends on what length rod you have, what length skagit head you are using, and of course, personal preference. Minimize the chances for failure at connections, as well as wind resistance and you should be o.k. For example, an angler with a 6 weight spey rod might really want to use a T-14 tip in a given run to get his/her fly down as deep as possible. When To Use A PolyLeader Airflo developed the PolyLeader so that the kinetic energy created by the fly line could be carried further, for longer, smoother, more accurate casts. The primary benefit of this is that it preserves your Poly/Versileader by allowing you to change your leader material as frequently as you want without cutting/shortening the pricey Poly/Versileader. Back in the day, there were few pre-packaged skagit tips available. RIO Kahuna LT Strike Indicator. Fine, I'll dive a little deeper down this rabbit hole - for winter steelhead I typically recommend a tip assortment of T-7, T-10, and T-14. Airflo offers Polyleaders in 5, 8, 10, and 14' lengths, while Rio offers Versileaders in 6 and 10' lengths. 10 – 11 ½ foot rods – a five foot poly/versileader. 99. As such, putting a Skagit tip on a Scandi head or a Polyleader on a Skagit head will result in greatly diminished casting performance. Luckily, the fly line industry has followed this same path and now offers a variety of pre-packaged skagit tips in the 10-12' range. How much tungsten is used is what the "T" rating identifies. Riffle is the lightest tip and has a sink rate of 2-3 ips, Run has a medium sink rate of 5-6 ips, and Bucket is the heaviest with a sink rate of 8-9 ips. Knowing exactly which sink tip to choose for the type of water you are fishing will take some trial and error. Skagit tips are available in a wide variety of sink rates, from floating to very fast sinking. Scientific Anglers Third Coast Textured Spey Tips - The SA Third Coast tips are pretty unique in that they are both tapered and textured. Choosing the right tip for your spey setup is crucial to casting performance and is not quite as straight forward as it once was. In case you missed it, in Demystifying Spey Part 1 we discussed the basics of modern spey line systems and took a deep dive into the topic of Skagit vs Scandi heads. For example, lets say that you want your fly to get down quickly, but you don't want to achieve too much overall depth throughout the swing, this would be a good time to use the 7.5'Float/2.5' T-14 MOW tip. Below I'll identify and discuss some of the more popular skagit tips currently available. VersiLeader 7 ips 15' goes deepest. Just a few years ago this section would have been very short, as the only type of Skagit tip available was level T, cut to the casters preferred length. Thus, lower line weight rods might struggle casting higher "T-" tips. You do not. A polyleader (also called a versileader by some companies) serves two primary purposes for spey casting. And by "only use" I mean absolutely do not trust anything else...at all. Rio VersiLeaders are a nearly exact copy of Airflo PolyLeaders. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Ice-fishing Friday: 3 pro tips for catching fish on busy, pressured lakes, Blue Fish Radio: Fitness secrets from an expert who trains pro anglers, Ice-fishing Friday: The 6 all-time best ice lures (and how to fish ’em), How much is your vintage firearm worth? In my opinion no, but it does create the opportunity for experienced anglers to really dial in the perfect sink rate/depth for water that they commonly frequent. If you are fishing slow moving shallow water you will want a lighter tip. Poly/Versileaders turn over smaller flies well, but struggle with larger/heavier flies. What kind of leader material is best? Airflo FLO Tips - These are my personal favorite tips currently on the market. By "pre-packaged" I mean that the tips are ready to go out of the package. Skagit Tips are used in conjunction with Skagit heads, while Poly/Versileaders are used in conjunction with Scandi heads. Here are some common "T" ratings and their associated sink rates: You will notice that there are some overlaps in the above "T" ratings, such as T-10 and T-11. This is especially relevant for lighter weight spey rods and "trout" spey rods which often struggle to cast "T" tips. But some people love them! But why not just add split shot to your leader instead to get the fly deep? Versions of this product have been around for more than 10 years, but they’ve become more practical to use now that most fly lines come with a loop on the end. No. Sink rates vary from a sedate 1½ inches per second to a super-fast seven inches per second. They come in a pre-determined (usually 10' or 12') length with loops welded on both ends, totally ready to attach to your head and go fishing. As even novices know, floating lines are versatile, easy to cast and the best all-around choice for fly fishing. Simon Gawesworth, a Vancouver, Washington-based product manger for Rio, suggests also tying a small loop at the tip in order to connect your tippet with another loop-to-loop connection. They are made in USA and actually cost less. This system allows you to track, control, and fish your fly accurately. Packaged level T usually comes with a welded loop on one end, but not the other (since it is assumed the the customer will cut the tip). A secondary consideration in tip selection is rod weight. RIO Spey VersiLeader - 10' Price: $14.99 More Details. “It’s phenomenally good when fishing emergers.”. Scientific Anglers Head Wallet. Both are equivalent to using about 10' of LC-13 or T-14. As far as the leader goes, 2-4 feet of untapered leader material is all you need. All that means is they grip the water better than a traditional nylon leader, which helps you load the rod more efficiently. As far as pound test goes, 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen is my go-to for winter steelheading, however I'll sometimes drop down to 12lb if I feel like it is more appropriate given conditions and fly choice. Rio Freshwater Versileader, Brown/Green Loop, 10ft 3ips 4.8 out of 5 stars 3. Keeping the conversation specific to the realm of Skagit and Scandi, "Tips" fall into two general categories: Skagit Tips and Polyleaders/Versileaders. The sink rate of T-10 and T-11 are virtually identical, however different manufacturers use different T designations. They are a great addition to Spey lines and Scandinavian style heads and provide the angler with a … In the past few years, Skagit tip design has progressed substantially and there now are quite a few different types of skagit tips on the market. For bass fishing the river with 8 ft holes a floating line with a sinking polyleader or versileader will work great especially if using streamers.They will get the streamer down deeper quicker in fast water.The sink rate depends on how fast the water flow is and fly weight.If flow is low you can go with a slower sink rate.I use a straight fluoro leader but mono will be … The number that follows it is the inches per second that the tip will sink. And too much weight can give the fly an unnatural action. Tie a perfection or surgeons loop into the leader, loop-to-loop that sucker onto your tip, and go fishing. With the simple loop-to-loop connection, you can attach a sinking leader to your line in mere seconds. Floating tips, well, they float. Tim Rajeff explaining the finer points of Airflo Poly Leaders Each of these sink rates are offered in three different grain weights - 96 grains, 132 grains, and 168 grains. It is fairly obvious why you need to have a shooting head and running line, however there often tends to be some confusion as to whether or not a tip is absolutely necessary. Posted by Yuen, Mah at 8:03 PM. As for sink rates, I’ve primarily used the fast and super-fast sinking leaders to get down in broad, deep or fast rivers, or to really dredge the bottom in stillwaters. The butt is 2.5 feet long and is made of thicker intermediate line which then transitions into 7.5 feet or 9.5 feet (depending on  whether it is a 10' or 12 foot long tip) of level T. The benefits of this dual density design are easier line pickup, improved turnover/loop shape, and a straighter connection to the fly in the water (due to less sagging of tip during the swing). That being said, "T" is a far more popular type of tip in the world of Skagit, so be prepared to mostly speak about skagit tips in terms of T-. The feel super cool when they zip off the water and cast really smoothly and are pretty neat. Get it as soon as Tue, Jan 19. Airflo Trout 10' Polyleader Kit. The "Sink" system is pretty straight forward. Rio builds their VersiLeader in several different models, and while a couple of them are designated as “spey” leaders, all of them will work (and they work great as emergency sink tips on single handers as well). You will be sent an opt-in email to confirm that you would like to receive emails from us. Commando tips are offered in three sink rates - riffle, run, and bucket. This makes things super easy. Soak a cotton ball in nail polish remover, wrap it around the coated leader for a few minutes, then scrape away the PVC. This is where OPST presents a solution with their Commando Tips. First, it helps anchor your line to the water when performing a spey cast. It was born out of necessity for precise spey fishing. Why TV’s Fish’n Canada guys can’t stay away from Lake Simcoe. Get it as soon as Mon, Jan 18. Quick Change. Email This BlogThis! On to today's agenda - all things Tips! The simple answer is to more precisely control the depth and sink rate of your tip/fly. Versileader – Rio. The typical length of a Skagit tip is 8' to 15', with most skagit casters nowadays opting for tips in the 10-12' range. Cons: More expensive than level T, doesn't have quite the same casting feeling as "T" tips when used with full size spey rods - not necessarily a con, but they are different. If you are fishing deep heavy flowing water, you will want a heavier sink tip. They are available in a variety of sink rates and come in lengths from 5' to 14'. Cons: More expensive than level T, textured coating can slightly diminish line stick and subsequent rod load. Since joining Outdoor Canada in 2010, Scott has won 18 National Communication Awards from the Outdoor Writers of Canada for his adventure travel and fly fishing articles, and been nominated for five National Magazine Awards. They’re also much less likely to tangle. The Salmon/Steelhead version comes in 5', 10' and 14' lengths and are available in seven different densities - Floating, Hover, Intermediate, Slow Sinking, Fast Sinking, Super Fast Sinking, and Extra Super Fast Sinking. For example, you may see "Type 3", which is the same as Sink 3 or S3. Yet many times I’ve bypassed fast or deep river sections because I knew the only way to fish them properly was with a sink-tip line, and I didn’t have one. Then I discovered the sinking leader, a nifty accessory that instantly turns a floating line into a temporary sink-tip. Follow us on social media and keep up-to-date with Canada's fishing and hunting authority. And 15lb Maxima is some strong stuff! Do I need a floating Polyleader on my floating tip? There certainly is some merit to this, but realistically, a simple untapered piece of leader material works well enough that I have rarely ever bothered doing anything else. Put another way, there are a lot of freaking skagit tips to choose from nowadays. As a basic summer steelheading assortment, I would recommend picking up the Floating, Intermediate, and Fast Sinking Polyleaders. As we mentioned, changing polyleaders requires nothing more than looping on a new leader to your fly line. They also pair great with the Airflo Rage head. Price: $9.99 More Details. Airflo Polyleader Extra Super Fast Sink 4' Bass Pike - Black. I swung the fly just under the surface with good success: three fish on, two to hand, and several short-strikes and swirls. Today's fly lines load rods more effectively, shoot farther and accommodate speciality fishing tactics better than their counterparts from yesteryear. Also: That's too many line to line connections. Orvis 7' Trout and 10' Salmon Polyleader/Only 7' Trout Polyleader 4.8 out of 5 stars 10. No more homemade tinkering required. Happy New Year and thanks for tuning back in for the second edition of Demystifying Spey. So yes, you must have a tip. I'll offer this advise, if you are hanging up on the bottom with any frequency, your tip is too heavy. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of every email. I have spent some time with these tips and have been impressed. Nowadays, I stick to approximately a 2.5-to-1 ratio. What other items do customers buy after viewing this item? And keep up-to-date with Canada's fishing and hunting authority! But that’s all they do. For spey rods 12' or shorter, I would recommend Poly/Versis in the 5-8' range, for spey rods 12-13'6", I would go with 10 footers, and rods 13'6" and up, go with 14 footers. My current favorite skagit setup consists of a 20' head, a 10' tip, and a 12'6" rod, resulting in a ratio of 2.4-to-1. The length Poly/Versileader to choose depends on rod length as well as casting style/preference. The term “Polyleader” was first coined by Airflo. I then tie a perfection or surgeon's loop in the leader material and attach it to the Poly/Versi via a loop-to-loop connection. Polyleaders are Airflo's offering, and Versileaders are the equivalent product from Rio. This ratio looks at "head length + tip length" to "rod length". They also pair great with the Airflo Rage head. This could be a whole blog post in itself, so I'll hold off on going down the tip selection rabbit hole for now. For example, OPST offers a Sink 5/6 tip in both 132 grains and 168 grains. Most tips nowadays come out of the package ready to go with welded loops on both ends. Airflo Polyleaders are weighted attachments that connect between the end of the fly line and the leader. Over the past couple of years, the variety of skagit tips on the market has grown immensely. Depending on the manufacturer, level T is usually packaged in 10-30' lengths, with the intention of the the consumer cutting the tip to their preferred length. But even the best fly lines on the market can't undo our casting flaws, leaving lousy casters with, at most, somewhat … $11.95. There are quite a few spey anglers that prefer to taper their leaders by using a stiffer butt section. For rods ranging in size from 12-13 ½ feet think about a 10 foot poly/versileader. Polyleaders, or Versileaders, are the ideal tips to use with Scandi heads (as well as long belly and mid belly lines). In rivers, sinking leaders shine when swinging wet flies and stripping streamers. After several seasons of using them, I’ve found they cast easier and farther than leaders weighted with shot. Pros: Get better casting performance out of any weight rod due to ability to appropriately match grain weight of tip to grain window of rod, a great tip option for lighter weight spey and switch rods, looped and labeled. If you are missing any one of these three line components, you do not have a complete spey line and your casting will suffer. So no more guessing which one of your tips is T-this and which one is T-that, it is printed in plain letters on the butt end of the tip. Sold under the brand names VersiLeader, from Rio Products, and PolyLeader, from Airflo and Orvis, a sinking leader is a seven- to 12-foot length of tapered monofilament that’s been coated in tungsten-infused PVC to make it sink. For most fishing scenarios, 2-4 feet of leader material is sufficient.