The ECHO Scandi Compact Shooting Head is a premium floating shooting head designed for Scandinavian-style casting with lighter flies, small tubes, and delicate presentations. Created by Tom Larimer and Tim Rajeff, it delivers elegant, flowing casts for Atlantic salmon, sea trout, and large trout on Norwegian rivers, Scottish beats, Icelandic salmon rivers, and Scandinavian sea trout waters. Available in eight grain weights from 240 to 480 grains, manufactured by Airflo to exacting standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ECHO Scandi Compact Shooting Head?
The ECHO Scandi Compact is a premium floating shooting head designed for Scandinavian-style (Scandi or Underhand) casting. Created by Tom Larimer and Tim Rajeff, it features a compact design with optimised length for easier casting in confined spaces, welded loops on both ends for quick tip changes, and a sky blue colour for excellent visibility on the water. Manufactured by Airflo using premium materials.
What is Scandi casting and why use a Scandi head?
Scandinavian casting — also known as Scandi or Underhand casting — is a graceful, efficient technique that excels with lighter flies, smaller tubes, and more delicate presentations compared to Skagit casting. Scandi heads feature longer, more gradual tapers that load rods smoothly and deliver elegant, flowing casts — perfect for summer fishing, low-water conditions, and situations where finesse matters more than raw power.
What makes the ECHO Scandi Compact different from other Scandi lines?
The compact design optimises length for easier casting in confined spaces on smaller European rivers and tighter beats. Welded loops on both ends allow quick, secure rigging and easy tip changes on the water. The sky blue colour provides excellent visibility for line control and mending. Manufactured by Airflo to premium standards and designed specifically for European fly fishing conditions by Larimer and Rajeff.
Which European rivers and waters suit the ECHO Scandi Compact best?
The Scandi Compact excels on Norwegian salmon rivers, Scottish and Irish spate rivers and beats, Icelandic salmon rivers, Scandinavian sea trout rivers, Baltic sea trout coastal waters, and any European salmon or sea trout water where summer low-water conditions call for lighter flies and delicate presentations. It's the natural choice when fish are selective and a heavy Skagit setup would be too much.
What species can I target with a Scandi head?
Atlantic salmon with small tubes and traditional patterns in summer and low-water conditions, sea trout on Scandinavian and Baltic rivers and coastlines, steelhead, and large wild brown trout. Scandi heads are particularly effective during summer months when fish are more selective and require delicate presentations rather than the power of a Skagit setup.
What is the difference between Scandi and Skagit heads?
Scandi heads feature longer, more gradual tapers and work best with lighter flies and smaller tubes, whilst Skagit heads are shorter and more powerful, designed for heavy sink tips and large flies in high water. If you're fishing summer salmon with small patterns or pursuing sea trout with delicate presentations, a Scandi head is the right choice. In high water with large flies and heavy tips, reach for the Skagit.
Which grain weight do I need?
Match the grain weight to your rod's recommended Spey or shooting head grain window:
-
240 grain (15g) — 28ft/8.5m — suits 6–7 weight rods
-
270 grain (17g) — 29ft/8.8m — suits 7 weight rods
-
300 grain (19g) — 29ft/8.8m — suits 7–8 weight rods
-
330 grain (21g) — 29ft/8.8m — suits 8 weight rods
-
390 grain (25g) — 31ft/9.4m — suits 8–9 weight rods
-
420 grain (27g) — 32ft/9.75m — suits 9 weight rods
-
450 grain (29g) — 33ft/10.0m — suits 9–10 weight rods
-
480 grain (31g) — 34ft/10.3m — suits 10 weight rods
Is the ECHO Scandi Compact available with worldwide shipping?
Yes — the ECHO Scandi Compact Shooting Head is available from Balticflyfisher with worldwide shipping. Whether you're fishing Norwegian rivers for Atlantic salmon, pursuing sea trout on Scandinavian and Baltic waters, or swinging flies on Scottish beats, Balticflyfisher delivers to your door across Europe and beyond.
