Shooting Head

[Mike G]

Is anyone using these?

 

Shooting heads are frequently recommended where long distance is an advantage such as fishing big rivers where targets are far off or in lakes to cover large areas of water as you would fan casting with casting or spinning gear. One can buy premade heads or make them from a section of double tapered line.

 

What gives? Thanks in advance.

[ronk]

A big reason flylines cast further these days is that they come with a thin running line making them more like a shooting head than in years past.Lee Wulff figured that out years ago when he designed the excellent Triangle Taper line.

[Stuart_Van_Dorn]

If you've ever cast an outbound line by RIO, you've cast something like a shooting head line. What shooting heads are are interchangeable front ends (hence head) that you attach to a running line to create a heavier front end to the fly line. I have seen shooting heads made from copper trolling line, lead lines and so on.In the old days, running line was just a heavy monofilament with a loop that you attached to your custom head. Now this is not new technology but actually old. It has been use for many years by the Spey or two handed casting groups out in the Pacific Northwest who are making very long casts in very large rivers.

 

A shooting head will not help you cast further if your casting form is bad. Also there is a bit of science or mythology in shooting heads. Because shooting heads come in different lengths and weights, you get to choose what you want to cast for example, I have the RIO set of shooting heads that vary in weight from an clear intermediate head to a very heavy head, all designed to be used with my 9 weight, I also have them for a 7 weight rod but that rod is a 10' rod and handles the heavier shooting heads for distance casting.

 

Shooting heads can be purchased or made. The people using shooting heads most often are steelheaders who need weight+distance because of the size of the fly they're casting. They are interchangeable heads that can be used in a variety of fishing situations but they won't help you cast farther. Also they are generally made for two handed rods or rods designed to handle a lot of line out of the tip.

 

If your goal is to cast bushy deer hair flies I'd suggest a bass taper or an outbound line and lots of practice to get your casting to the point where you're making consistently long casts. A heavier head on a fly line doesn't necessarily make for easy casting. Chuck and duck is common and if there's not enough power in your cast of rod, tailing loops will be common.

[Stuart_Van_Dorn]

If you've ever cast an outbound line by RIO, you've cast something like a shooting head line. What shooting heads are are interchangeable front ends (hence head) that you attach to a running line to create a heavier front end to the fly line. I have seen shooting heads made from copper trolling line, lead lines and so on.In the old days, running line was just a heavy monofilament with a loop that you attached to your custom head. Now this is not new technology but actually old. It has been use for many years by the Spey or two handed casting groups out in the Pacific Northwest who are making very long casts in very large rivers.

 

A shooting head will not help you cast further if your casting form is bad. Also there is a bit of science or mythology in shooting heads. Because shooting heads come in different lengths and weights, you get to choose what you want to cast for example, I have the RIO set of shooting heads that vary in weight from an clear intermediate head to a very heavy head, all designed to be used with my 9 weight, I also have them for a 7 weight rod but that rod is a 10' rod and handles the heavier shooting heads for distance casting.

 

Shooting heads can be purchased or made. The people using shooting heads most often are steelheaders who need weight+distance because of the size of the fly they're casting. They are interchangeable heads that can be used in a variety of fishing situations but they won't help you cast farther. Also they are generally made for two handed rods or rods designed to handle a lot of line out of the tip.

 

If your goal is to cast bushy deer hair flies I'd suggest a bass taper or an outbound line and lots of practice to get your casting to the point where you're making consistently long casts. A heavier head on a fly line doesn't necessarily make for easy casting. Chuck and duck is common and if there's not enough power in your cast of rod, tailing loops will be common.

[Gavin]

I have a shooting head setup on my 7wt...its a 30' fast sinking 8wt head, backed with 115' of Rio Slick Shooter Running Line..I can cast it a country mile...100-120' no problem, but youll need good form and a good double haul to do that...Its not a very versatile setup. Line management is an issue, but its great for for dredging streamers on big deep water. About the only time I use it is when I have the luxury of bringing more than one rigged rod along with me. Cheers.

[Guest rich mc]

the guys on danblanton.com use them alot. some of them even make them shorter to match what they are throwing. several also use suffix 30lb as the running line. they mostly fish from a boat and have a line management device [ garbage can ]

[Mike G]

the guys on danblanton.com use them alot. some of them even make them shorter to match what they are throwing. several also use suffix 30lb as the running line. they mostly fish from a boat and have a line management device [ garbage can ]

 

Thank goodness it is not a stripping basket!

[Mike G]

I have a shooting head setup on my 7wt...its a 30' fast sinking 8wt head, backed with 115' of Rio Slick Shooter Running Line..I can cast it a country mile...100-120' no problem, but youll need good form and a good double haul to do that...Its not a very versatile setup. Line management is an issue, but its great for for dredging streamers on big deep water. About the only time I use it is when I have the luxury of bringing more than one rigged rod along with me. Cheers.

 

Gavin,

 

Thanks for your direct experience with shooting heads.