Shooting head

[stuart cawthon]

This is pro ably a stupid question but I am still learning.

[Zach Matthews]

Stuart –

Traditionally, shooting heads were thirty foot sections of heavy line attached to 100′ or so of “running line,” which was thin level fly line or even monofilament.

Nowadays the best shooting heads are actually fused to the running line just like a normal fly line, which makes them much easier to handle.

[stuart cawthon]

Zac, thanks for the info so I would need to have the shooting head on a spare spool?

[Randy Kadish]

I use a seperate running line, that way I can use one spool and several different shooting heads, in fact with one spool I can use six different shooting heads.

Randy

[andrew stoehr]

I’m with Randy.  By using a “fused” or “integrated” shooting head, you lose one of the great things about a shooting head set up: versatility (and economy…OK, so that’s two things).

I don’t find that a shooting head with the head and running line handle any differently from a “fused” system, provided that the ratio of head weight:running line diameter is the same.  (In my pairings, it’s often not, but when I want the shooting head to perform like a typical WF line, I can easily find a set up that will do that.)

My typical set up is backing…running line (which could me Suffix Elite mono, Froghair, Rio, or just the running line of some other WF line)…shooting head, all connected to each other by loop-to-loop connections.

Here’s a video showing some shooting head casting:

http://vimeo.com/3967060

[Tim Pommer]

Bringing loops through your guides has lots of drawbacks – wear on the line itself, hinders the retrieval, hinders casting if the head is brought all the way into the rod…

I can understand the versatility of having several heads and changing per the conditions.

[Mike Anderson]

Same here Tim. 95% of my fishing is with shooting heads. I personally don’t like the loops that much. Especailly after you get used to a good integrated line.

For me there are four lines that I use most of the time, 250 and 350 grain Streamer Express in Sink tip and Rio 250, 350, in the intermediate (I like the thinner Rio running line on the Intermediate).  I can cover just about all the places I fish with those four lines by varying the retrieve and wait time before retrieving. 250 for trout Bass etc, 350 for Bigger fish and flies or lake fishing where I need to sink down to 12′ or so. So I hardly ever need both grain weights on a single trip. I usually keep whatever weight I’m using rigged up on two rods. One sinking and one intermediate.

[andrew stoehr]

Obviously, whatever one prefers is what one should use. To me, true (i.e. not integrated) shooting heads are just one more tool in the arsenal.

[Mark Landerman]

I thought this was another Bil Laden thread.

[Adam McDowell]

I thought this was another Bil Laden thread.

I just sprayed my monitor

Stuart, Amnesia? is a great running line as well but after using shooting heads i have to agree with Tim P, because I hate the feeling of loops going through the guides. The streamer express or outbound lines will give you the same effect without the hassles of launching a knot through your guides at mach 5

[andrew stoehr]

without the hassles of launching a knot through your guides at mach 5

When I use my shooting heads, the loop (or knot) is never inside the guides when the cast is made, so that’s never a problem.

[anonymous]

I like em bofe.

[Author]

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