Cheap shooting heads
- This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated Aug 2, 2007 at 4:12 pm by
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I found a spool of 100 yards of 37 pound leadfree leadcore line at a local sporting good shop for $9. I bought it thinking I’d try it on one of my Orvis Depth charge lines that the trolling motor ate.
The running line was intact so I cut the weighted section off the Orvis line leaving just a running line. Next I cut about 30’ of leadcore off the spool. Then I inch wormed the braided outer shell of the leadcore back exposing the lead wire. I cut the wire then released the outer shell and slid it back down. Then I folded the outer shell onto itself, whip finished and glued it creating a loop. I repeated this on the other end. Next I whip finished a loop in the old Orvis running line and connected the leadcore to the running line vie loop to loop. I gota admit I think it might cast further then the original Orvis line did. I had no problem shooting 100’ whatsoever. The big test will be on the water but the initial results are very promising. If it works as good on the water then essentially I’ll have a line that cost about $1 to make that’ll replace a $79 line. I don’t know the grain weight per foot and I don’t have a scale to find it out.Ohh yea, you can cast it on the rod first to determine the proper length (weight) for the rod before you put the loop on the terminal end. Simply cut off sections till it casts just right.
I’ve been buying the integrated lines for years now. I was getting them for $20 to $30 but those deals have sort of dried up. I might never have to buy another if this works as good. The loop to loop slides thru without any problem at all. It slides thru so well that I think I’ll start whip finishing loops on all my lines now.
I haven’t broken a rod yet and I throw 600 grain at times. And yea, I don’t think my rotator cup is gonna make it till I retire.Bryan if you are in the boro stop by Murfreesboro Outdoors and it’s in a bin in the far left of the store with some other old fly tying material. He has several spools left that were $25 but are marked down to $9.
Mike –
That’s essentially the LC-13 shooting head setup that’s been popular with Dan Blanton’s board for years.
Yea Zach I think leadcore was prob the first shooting head ever made. This is an old timers way but hey it works.
The leadcore line has a braided sleave like the stuff you use, that covers the wire. I just remove the wire from each end and whip finish a loop in the braided stuff. It is 37 pound strength. The small dia mono running lines scare me. Does Amnesia coil badly?
The heavier the head the less false casing and longer casts you can make.. And it manages big flys like bunnies well..
You want the stiffest backing line you can find for your shooting heads.. I threw the amnesia out first day I used it.. The best shooting mono is some stuff i cant remember the name, but its getting hard to find, and its dissapearing from the shelves, but very stiff we all used it for leader 15 pluss years ago before flourocarbon tippit.. ..
Put your heads on the end of wonderline and youl have the best backing for shooting the stuff ive found… You can get good heads from rio, they come in 12 foot lenghts with loose ends and you cut it to what you want, and its also heavey.. Costs about 12 dollars here.. You can loop to loop it onto your dry line when you need it… I personally keep a 200, 300, 400 rio depth charge line on their own reels… And if im going to be in shallow river spots i have wonderline with a short head.. Once you get good one piece sinking flylines you wont go back..
Grease your line with scientific anglers fly line dressing.. It staines the white 300 dc backing to brown, but gets things slippery…
The dams keep shaking loose moss flushing it out of somewhere and I have to be ready for that… there are two kinds of moss, that floating in the top current , and that growing on the bottom.. You need to be inbetween these two for best streamer fishing.. 🙂
Heres a moss busting tip.. On your leader leave the ends of your barrel knots stick out about 1/8 of an inch or slightly more.. When the line hits the water and starts to sink it picksup the surface moss bits and this slides down to the streamer.. Moss on the streamer will not be productive at all.. The mono protrusions picks up this bits and pieces of moss and keeps if off your hook.. This doesnt seem like much but for me probably triples my bites.. This is in a specialty situation tho, maybe you dont have loose moss problems..
dave.
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