To choose a Skagit head for fall steelhead, match the head weight to the sinking tip you plan to fish and keep it inside your rod’s grain window, the range of head weights the rod is built to cast. A Skagit head is a short, heavy fly line that turns a sinking tip over on the front. For most 7- and 8-weight spey rods, a 500- to 580-grain head with a 10-foot medium (T-11) sinking tip handles most fall water, and you go heavier, to T-14, for depth.
Match the head to your sink tip
A sinking tip is level tungsten line rated in grains per foot, so a T-8 tip weighs 8 grains a foot, T-11 weighs 11, and T-14 weighs 14. Ten feet of T-11 comes to 110 grains, and that weight is what the head turns over, so a heavier tip takes a heavier head.
RIO’s chart pairs each tip class to a band of head weights:
| Sink tip | Head weight |
|---|---|
| Light (T-8) | up to 475 gr |
| Medium (T-11) | 475–575 gr |
| Heavy (T-14) | 575–700 gr |
| Extra-heavy (T-17) | over 700 gr, or big flies |
Independent testing puts a light tip near 20 to 30 percent of the head’s weight and a heavy tip near 30 to 50 percent. Fall tips run heavy, mostly T-11 and T-14, which puts most anglers on heads from 500 to 700 grains for a full-size two-hander.
Read your rod’s grain window
Your rod’s grain window spans about 80 grains, say 520 to 580. The lighter end suits a Scandi head, a longer, thinner line you cast with a light leader; the heavier end suits a Skagit head with a sinking tip, so you fish the heavy end for the cold-water swing.
A short, dense head loads a rod on a lighter number than a long head of the same style. That is why OPST sizes its Commando heads by its own chart, which runs lighter than the rod-maker window; pair a short head by a long head’s grain and you over-line it by about a line size.
Choose the sink tip for cold water
As water drops through the 40s, steelhead hold deep in slower water and move only a little to eat, so the swing has to run deep and slow. A heavier tip barely helps with that: from T-8 to T-14 the still-water sink rate changes only about two inches per second. Tip length, the angle of the cast, and swing speed set the depth, so add length or steepen your angle before you add grains.
The fall tip menu is short:
- Moderate flows, 45–52°F: 10 feet of T-11, the everyday tip.
- Deep or fast runs, or big flies: 10 to 12 feet of T-14, with the head grain toward the top of your range.
- Slow tailouts below 42°F: a lighter T-8 or a shorter sink section, so the fly hovers over soft water.
Keep the leader short and stout, three to four feet of 12- to 16-pound fluorocarbon, and the tip at or under your rod length. Heads, tips, and running line connect loop to loop, so you can change tips as a run deepens.
The short version
For a full-size spey rod, start with a 550-grain head and a 10-foot T-11, move up to T-14 and a heavier head for depth, and drop to T-8 in slow tailouts. Match the head to the tip you fish, stay inside your rod’s grain window, and reach for tip length and casting angle before more grains when you want to get down.
FAQ
What grain Skagit head do I need for fall steelhead?
For a 7- or 8-weight spey rod in the 12-foot-6 to 13-foot-6 range, a 500- to 580-grain Skagit head is the common starting point. Switch rods run lighter, around 450 to 525 grains, and big-water 8/9-weights climb to 600 or 700. Stay inside your rod’s printed grain window and fish toward its high end for the heavy tips you fish in fall.
How do I match a sink tip to my Skagit head?
Match the tip’s weight to the head so the head turns it over. Use light T-8 tips on heads up to 475 grains, medium T-11 on 475 to 575, heavy T-14 on 575 to 700, and extra-heavy T-17 over 700. A tip too heavy for the head folds the cast, and one too light hinges and never turns over.
Does a heavier sink tip fish deeper?
Barely. Moving from T-8 to T-14 changes the still-water sink rate by only about two inches per second, and less than that on a tight line in current. Depth comes mostly from a longer tip, a steeper casting angle, and a slower swing, so change those before you change grains.
Do I count the sink tip in my rod’s grain window?
It depends on the brand, so follow one chart from start to finish. RIO builds the tip weight into its recommendations and leaves it in the count. OPST sizes its short heads lighter than the rod window. A traditional view leaves the tip out. Pick one system and adjust by feel.
How long should my sink tip and leader be?
Keep the sink tip at or under your rod length, with 10 to 12 feet the workable standard. Run a short, stout leader of three to four feet in 12- to 16-pound fluorocarbon. A long leader lets the fly ride up above the depth the tip is holding.
