Multi Tip Spey Lines by EF

So far in our series on fly lines we have covered skagit and shooting head fly lines. Both line profiles offer the opportunity to interchange the density of the tip or the head for any given day fishing to present the fly at a range of depths in the water.  Due to the taper design, each line profile also allows very good water coverage by allowing the angler the opportunity to cast long distances with comparative ease.  Our next line profile offers exactly the same benefits and as much flexibility as the above lines.  The multi tip spey line is available in a selection of different head lengths and as a result, covers a comprehensive range of fishing situations throughout the salmon fishing year.  If you are looking for one line for all seasons that is not only effective as well as economic, look no further than a multi tip spey line.

What is a spey line?

It’s not too many years ago since the trusty double taper line was the standard weapon of choice for speycasters throughout the world of salmon fishing.  The line profile was reasonably adequate for speycasting, but not ideally suited to distance casting.  The double taper’s limiting factor for distance was the level profile of the line. A double taper salmon line has a taper at each end (normally 10ft in length) with the main line being level diameter.  This meant that anglers were always shooting the same diameter of line on the forward delivery.

Realising the line’s limitations for this style of casting, well-known speycasters like Michael Evans and Rio’s Jim Vincent started producing specific spey taper lines.  Since the early nineties speycasting has experienced a huge growth in popularity and other manufacturers soon followed suit with an array of branded spey lines.  These lines are essentially weight forward in profile and comprise of a long front taper, a main belly, a rear taper (collectively referred to as the head) and thin diameter running line.  Using the same concept of the Skagit and Underhand lines, the head supplies the casting weight to load the rod and the thin running line allows the spey line to run through the rod rings with minimal resistance on the forward cast to achieve energy-efficient distance and water coverage.

The multi tip spey line incorporates the same design features of the spey line, but have interchangeable tips of various densities integrated into the front taper.  The tips are normally between 14ft-15ft in length and connect to the front taper of the line by a non-hinging loop to loop system.  The lines are supplied with a floating tip, intermediate tip (approx 1.5 IPS), medium sink tip (approx 2.5 IPS) and a fast sink tip (approx 6 IPS), with some manufacturers including very fast sinking tips (approx 8 IPS) for additional depth options.   First incorporated commercially in Michael Evans’ popular Arrowhead lines, a very positive development in spey line design has been the development of twin coloured lines to differentiate between the casting head and the running line.  With the head being one colour and the running line another, this allows the caster to accurately determine the optimum amount of fly line to lift into the speycast to truly benefit from the line taper design. 

What size of head should I buy?

Multi tip spey lines are available in a large selection of different head lengths for double handed rods of all sizes.  With such variations in head lengths and rod lengths, it’s impossible to give a generic recommendation on what head length to buy.  One of the main factors to consider when choosing a line is casting ability.  Before we look at the best head length for your ability, let’s firstly look at how to optimise the line’s casting performance.  When using a multi tip spey line, the lines will cast at their most efficient when the head is just outside the rod tip.  This will offer the optimum casting weight to work in harmony with the rod’s rating during the casting cycle.  As the angler implements the forward delivery and releases the accumulated shooting line, high line speed is generated as a result of only thin running line shooting through the rod rings.  If the head is retrieved to the point the angler is handling the main belly, two things will happen with the forward delivery.  Firstly, line speed will be reduced as the thickest part of the head’s diameter has greater contact with the rod rings creating increased friction as the line starts to shoot.  Secondly, the loop profile at the front of the unfolding loop tends to be more open and rounded in shape. If the line is retrieved to the point that only the short rear taper at the back of the head is within the rod tip, the unfolding loop is tighter and pointed in profile and as a result more energy efficient at presenting the fly.  Armed with this information, when it comes to buying a multi tip spey line, it’s important to choose a line that will allow you to lift and control the full length of the head during the casting cycle.  Take for example a 15ft salmon rod as the standard weapon of choice for the UK salmon angler.  Line systems with short heads of around 55ft work very well for the broadest range of casting abilities and as such, lines in this range are the biggest sellers.   With the head outside the rod tip during the casting cycle, beginners right through to advanced casters can enjoy the benefits of this head length to cover most waters with energy efficient casting.  With head lengths of around 65ft, intermediate to advanced casters are able to aerialise and control the main casting head outside the rod tip, shooting thin running line on the forward delivery.  Spey lines with heads of 70ft and longer are better suited to the more advanced caster able to handle the additional head length during the speycasting cycle. 

What line rating should I buy?

As mentioned earlier, before the advent of spey lines, double taper lines were used almost exclusively for speycasting.   These lines were single-figure rated i.e.10wt line for a 10wt rod (There is still salmon anglers today that keep the faith and use these fly lines to good effect.)  The line sizes were calibrated from the AFTM scale and rated by the weight of the first 30ft of the fly line.  With modern spey taper line design incorporating long front tapers on the head to aid fly turnover and presentation, the AFTM rating became outdated.  Today’s spey lines are measured by the gram weight of the head (in the USA, manufacturers class their lines in both grams and grains weights) and have double or even triple line ratings i.e. 10/11 or 9/10/11.  This is a superior system as it takes into account the physical casting weight of the head and not just the first 30ft of the fly line.  Although there are slight weight variations between manufacturers, the corresponding grams to head weight conversion of multi tip spey lines in their full floating form are approximately as follows: 9/10 = 47grams,10/11= 50 grams and 11/12 = 54 grams.  As a general guide, when choosing a line for your particular rod that has a dual number rating, select the first number to correspond with the rating of the rod i.e. 10/11wt spey line for a 10wt rod.  When choosing a line that has a triple rating for the same rod, select the middle number to correspond with the rod i.e. 9/10/11line for a 10wt rod.  

What are the advantages of a multi tip spey line?

Like the Skagit and Underhand casting systems, the multi tip spey line offers not only the opportunity for long, energy efficient water coverage, but also a large selection of depth options using tips of different densities.  Modern spey line design has embraced the interchangeable tip concept to great effect.  With the majority of the line floating on the surface and the last 15ft ranging from floating on the surface to sinking 8 IPS and below, effective water coverage in a host of different fishing scenarios is open to a broad range of angling abilities.  In cold water conditions, the salmon angler no longer needs to wrestle a fast sinking line or head for that matter, to the surface before performing the main cast.  With a fast sinking tip it’s possible to lift the fly to the surface and perform the spey cast in one action, something almost impossible with a full sinking line of 2.5 IPS and faster.  As well as being available in different head lengths, allowing the angler to choose the right line for their casting ability and fishing practices, one advantage of the multi tip spey line is that it’s an economic line system that requires only one reel, one line and a pouch of supplied tips of various sink rates.  No need for the additional expense of spare spools or lines that not only bite into the wallet, but also can bulk up your wading jacket

What are the disadvantages of a multi tip spey line?

The multi tip is an excellent all year round line that has one limitation rather than a disadvantage – fly presentation in deep, cold water of early spring and late autumn.  With the standard 15ft tips available in densities of 8 IPS and below, it’s not so much the ability to get the fly down to the fish’s taking window, but more the angle the fly is presented.  The fly will tend to be presented nose high as it swings through the stream.  In such conditions, a full sinking line or a sinking head of similar density will have the edge on presentation as a result of more sinking line sharing the duty of sinking the fly.  This has the effect of reducing the fly’s nose high angle and allowing it to swim on a more even keel.

Summary

The multi tip spey line is an excellent all year round line, which is a highly effective fly line system for the modern day salmon angler.  Available in different head lengths to suit all levels of casting abilities and fishing applications, the line offers flexibility in distance and depth control. The line system is not only limited to speycasting.  Due to the nature of the taper design in essence being a weight forward profile, a multi tip spey line will also perform overhead casting techniques with ease.  With one reel, a main belly line and a selection of interchangeable tips, a multi tip spey line is an effective, mobile and economic method of pursuing migratory fish.