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Simon Gawesworth talks us through why the RIO Elite Scandi Body is the ultimate Scandi Shooting head you’ve been waiting for!
RIO’s Elite Scandi Body is a series of Scandi-style shooting head bodies, which, in layman’s terms, is simply that they are the “body” section of a Scandinavian-style shooting head, to which you must add a tip to complete the line. The advantage of such a system is that an angler can have a rod, reel, shooting line and Scandi body, and then have a selection of different length and density tips. These tips can be easily switched as conditions change. It keeps costs down considerably, makes for very fast on-the-water changes, and allows an angler to be extremely versatile and ready for any water condition they come across – all with a small pocket-sized wallet of different tips.
The Evolution of RIO’s Elite Scandi Body
RIO’s new Elite Scandi body is an update from the previous Scandi body, so if you are familiar with that, you’ll know what this concept is all about. You’ll also want to know what is different about the new bodies. For a start, the new body is longer than the old one, especially in the bigger line sizes. All the old bodies were 23ft long. These were great on short rods but created problems for many anglers using 14ft and 15ft rods with skipped anchors as it was just too short to grip. The new heads, in those bigger salmon sizes, are 25ft for a #9, 28ft for the #10wt, and 31ft for the #10+ size. The longer body really smooths out the cast and gives a much better anchor for longer, more powerful casts.
Another change, and perhaps the best one of all, is that RIO has taken advantage of a relatively new manufacturing technology that has made it possible to perfectly dial in the weight of each foot of fly line and tip. This means the new bodies have a “grains per foot” weight at the front of the body that match the grains per foot at the back of the recommended tips. No more mismatched tip to body sections. This merging of grain weights results in a seamless energy transfer between the body and the tip during the cast. So there isn’t the slightest hint of a wave, ripple or hinge point where the two meet – something most multi tips lines suffer from.
For example, if we take an Elite Scandi Body Floating #9, the grains per foot at the end of the head is 10.3gr, and the grains per foot at the butt of an MDC 18ft 9+ Tip is 9.3gr. All of this technical information regarding grains per foot can be found in the specification tables of each line and tip on our website.
Scandi Style Shooting Heads That Are Built For Control, Depth & Versatility
Another change that I really like is that Guide Flyfishing has worked with RIO to design two dual density bodies which have been added to the line up exclusivly for UK, Irish & Scandinavian dealers. So in addition to the Floating body Hover/Intermediate, and Intermediate/Sink 3 versions are now availbale from retailers in these markets. The Floating Scandi Body excels in summer conditions and lower water, and provides perfect presentation of small to medium flies. The Hover/Intermediate body sinks slowly and comes into its own on windy days, in cooler temperatures, and when fishing in bigger flows. The Intermediate/Sink 3 body is the perfect choice for early season, deep pools, and in higher water heights.
It is an exceptionally versatile solution for anglers who need precise control over depth, swing, and presentation in two-handed setups. Designed as the complete delivery system for long, tapered sink tips, these bodies are the perfect engine to propel a wide range of sinking tips across to the far bank and allow you to present flies at a multitude of depths – all in a single line system.
Engineered to Match — Tip Choice Made Simple
The perfect tips for the Elite Scandi Body are RIO’s new dual density MDC 12ft Sink Tips and triple density MDC 18ft Sink Tips. The 12ft MDC tips are the ideal choice for Switch rods and two-handed rods less than 13ft, and the 18ft MDC tips are the best option on double handed rods of 13 feet and longer. The head was meticulously designed to match these RIO MDC tips, and adding the correct size of tip to a body will ensure the smoothest possible turnover, the longest flight time, and efficient, effortless casting strokes.
For anglers who prefer a single-density sink tip, the new RIO Classic Sink Tips are also an excellent choice. Available in a full range of floating and sink rates, they offer dependable performance and straightforward depth control without the complexity of multi-density designs. With four tip sizes—5/6 (95gr), 7/8 (110gr), 9+ (125gr), and Power (150gr)—it’s easy to match the correct grain weight to your Elite Scandi Body for smooth turnover, balanced casting, and confident presentation across a wide variety of fishing conditions.
A very simple but ingenious idea that the RIO boffins added makes the correct match up of body and tip easier. They have introduced a colour-coded sleeve on the back end of the tip, and the front end of the body. The #5 and #6 bodies and tips feature a white sleeve at the welded loop, the #7 and #8 models are marked with blue, and the #9 and #10 sizes carry a grey sleeve. It’s a simple but genuinely smart system that removes any guesswork—making it quick and easy to ensure you’re always fishing the correctly matched tip and body combination.
The Complete Scandi Shooting Head System
If you already have the new RIO Elite Scandi MDC kit, you can supplement this kit with the addition of the same sized Hover/Intermediate and Intermediate/Sink 3 bodies. The grain weights, taper design and sleeve colours are exactly the same as the floating body that come with these kits, but now you can fully round out the kit for a very adaptable and complete system.
All in all, I am a big fan of the changes RIO has made to their Scandi body. I have used Scandi VersiTip systems for many, many years and love the simplicity, versatility and convenience that these systems allow. The updates and changes RIO has made to this new Elite Scandi Body have made it even better, and an essential piece of kit for the salmon angler.
