Earlier this fall I got a chance to play with a new spey line. I found it interesting enough to write a review. Is it a skagit or a scandi? Well it's kind of all that wrapped into one. For an angler seeking a versatile steelhead spey setup with minimal of complication, this might just prove to be your answer.
Scientific Anglers Deliverance Spey Kit comes with a head and 4 different tips packaged in a tips wallet. The tips range for floating to full sinking.
Now I know what you thinking, this is just a multi-tip skagit system which is nothing new. Well, that is true but there's more to Deliverance than that. Let's take a deeper look.
Looking at these profiles above you will notice that heavier the tip the shorter the system becomes. A couple reason for this. Sink tips anchor well to the water, therefore they don't need to be as long. Also presentation is not exactly a concern with a sink tip. Just get it out straight and set up for the swing. On the other hand floating tips or dry line fishing requires us to have a better presentation and we need more material on the water to create an effective anchor.
Essentially what S/A did to accomplished this is they brought the loop back deeper into the head which allowed for room in the tip section to create a taper that would match the type of tip being used. By varying the lengths and tapers of the tip sections S/A created a line that truly plays multiple roles. Basically the same head can go from scandi smooth to aggressive skagit in just the change of the tip section.
For a skagit the head looks long but keep in mind this includes tip.
After many cast with different tips what I started to notice is I felt even less hinging then typical head/tip systems. Also, even tho the lengths changed with tip my casting stroke never had to adjust to it. Another thing I noticed is you lose this obvious head to tip joint. With the loops placed further back in the system the front feels much more seamless and fluid.
I'm always looking for ways to remove complications from my cluster of gear. I find the more time I spend honing in on a technique or single gear choice the better my results. Just walking down the trail with just enough for a day of swinging flies is refreshing.
You know, I started fly fishing because I wanted a less complicated, rewarding sport to enjoy. I look around and I'm starting to see in myself as well as others with overloads of complications. I think Scientific Angler Deliverance Spey can help reduce this load. Just equip your reel with your favorite Shooting Line and loop on Deliverance. Put your small tip wallet in your wader pocket along with a box of flies, spool of tippet and hit the trail with full confidence you have an effective working system. Now that's Deliverance.