Rio Elite Scandi Body Shooting Head

Introducing Rio's all-new Elite Scandi Body Shooting Head--think of it as your wingman for launching delicate, small-fly presentations far downriver. RIO’s meticulously stepped taper heaps the weight toward the back, turning rod loading into something as effortless as a lazy Sunday cast. Don’t worry, finesse didn’t take a back seat—its front taper and beefier tip diameter deliver flies with whisper-quiet grace, even on those long nylon or VersiLeader setups. Built with ultra-low-stretch ConnectCore Plus and RIO’s SlickCast coating, it’s as durable as it is smooth—plus it’s easy to identify at a quck glance thanks to the EasyID print and welded loops front and back.

Features

For top-tier line slickness and castability, Rio works their SlickCast coating into the Elite Scandi Body Heads. SlickCast is Rio’s proprietary technology that massively increases your line slickness and durability while massively decreasing your line’s friction. 

With their ConnectCore technology, Rio is able to reduce line stretch by roughly 30% while also increasing your line’s coating smoothness, durability, general performance, and sensitivity. ConnectCore is an excellent feature whenever you’re coming tight to a fish and need to deeply set the hook. This tech even reduces memory, making hand-stretching your line in between sessions nice and easy without hassle. 

Uses
The RIO Elite Scandi Launch is built for smooth, graceful casts with small to medium flies—think small to moderately weighted streamers, soft hackles, and surface or near-surface patterns where finesse is at the forefront. Its refined front taper and controlled tip diameter are perfect for turning over long tapered leaders or VersiLeaders, making it the go-to for delicate presentations in rivers where stealth matters when pursuing species like steelhead, salmon, and searun trout.

Temp
Cold to Moderate - Rio designed this head for use in cold to moderate temperatures, when pursuing a range of salmonids. This allows you to fish from winter through summer without your setup being compromised.

 

Taper/Weight

More Weight at the Back of the Head - The perfect taper to load your rod and land flies delicately, Rio introduces a stepped taper that focuses the mass towards the back of the head while decreasing the taper of the front of the head. This works to put more weight in the D-loop to load your rod efficiently while the front of the head works to turn over delicately and make soft presentations that are crucial for tough water and tougher fish.

More Info

Best For: Scandi Applications

Loops: Front (tip to leader connection) and Rear (running line to tip connection) Loops

Sinking/Floating: Float

Other Resources

2020 Tropical Saltwater Fly Line Shootout & Buyer's Guide

Fly Line Temps: Tropical Vs. Coldwater

Freshwater Fly Line Shootout & Buyer's Guide