Need help understanding gr windows??

[JoshN]

So I have a Echo solo 13-0 8 wt spey. The grs on the rod say 540-650gr. I have both a 550 gr and and a 600 gr. Why the big jump?? I'm new to this whole spey thing soo bear in mind. I bought the 550 frist casted it twice and then got a smokin deal on the 600 gr. Liked the feel of the 600 gr but was thinking of trying the 550 again. So is the lighter the head the quicker the castin storke needs to be? heavier the slower the cast is?? Any and all help would be very helpful. Thanks again

[mattklara]

Hey Josh,

The large grain window may be confusing, but it is realistic, and suggestive of the range of grain weights that the rod can cast.

The grain weight of line selected will depend on your personal preference, casting style, and preferred fishing technique (the size, weight, and wind resistance of the flies you might be chucking, the length and weight of tips, etc).

Skagit style casting and sustained anchor casts with tips and big flies will benefit from a heaver, shorter head with minimal taper. For an 8wt (without knowing that rod) I would say that 580-650 grains would put you in the Skagit realm.

Scandi or underhand style casting will rely more on line momentum, lighter heads, and longer front tapers than on pure mass to load the rod. Loading the rod with less mass means you provide more speed to load the rod. These grain weights for your rod would probably end up in the 500-550 grain window.

There is a 3rd line type that is not a shooting head. Mid-long belly lines. The weight of these might be even similar to the skagit heavier, but the weight is distributed over a much longer length, and there fore the casting stroke is longer and the energy input and timing even more complex. Even if you never fish lines like this, many instructors prefer to teach with them because they require the best technique.

What does that all mean for you?

I suspect that starting out in DH casting you will find the 600 grain line easier to cast as it is heavier and will load the rod more easily as your own energy, speed and timing inputs need to be less precise to get it out there and fishing. I assume it is a skagit taper. Hopefully a Compact Skagit from barstool as those rods and lines match well.

As you get better, or if you feel like it, try the 550 again. Is it a Skagit taper or a different type? Just remember that to get it to launch you will need to have a cleaner, more precise, smooth acceleration to a high stop than you do with the 600, which I suspect lobs out there without a ton of precision or much stop at all.

Hope that helps.