On Saturday 27 September 2003 09:18 pm, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > After spending the first (of hopefully) many days fishing Oyster Bay Harbor > and Long Island Sound from the shore, I realized I will need to get a lot > more distance to my salt water casting. The surf casters seemed to be > throwing line out 100 yards or more. Not that they caught any fish mind > you, but when the schools come through I know my 60 to 70 foot cast will > not do! Which brings me to the question of shooting heads: > > Any sources for info? > Do you make your own? > Running line? > How do you rig the fly and tippet? > etc., etc., etc.?
First off, how is your double haul? In order to keep a shooting head up, you are going to need to be very proficient in that cast. And if you don't know how, I suggest you take a class, or have a good caster help you. When I started, I had so many little problems, that it was hard to double haul. A class fixed that for me. The only shooting head that I make is from Rio T-14 sinking line. Its the cheapest way to make ultrafast (10 inches/second) sinking heads. All I do is have a shop cut me T-14 to make the right grain head, T-14 is 14grains per foot. Then I use 'Kevlar Super Loops' in the 2 inch and 1/2 sizes to make it into a finished head. I use 2 nail knots on the terminal end of the loop to hold it tight to the line. I buy most of my heads in prepackaged form. One to avoid is the 40 foot heads that Rio and Cortland makes, due to the greater length, they are even harder to keep up. Stick with the 28 or 30 foot heads. If you have a fairly stiff rod, line size doesn't matter much, I toss 9, 10, 11, 12 weight, and 400 grain T-14 heads on my 9 weight, and it seems to only want heavier. In the beginning try heads that are one or two line weights above your rod. Several companies make running lines of several sizes. Rio, Cortland are the big two. Start with a floating line in the style of a normal fly line. These are easier to move over to. I have also used braided monofilament line, and that is a very nice, limp line to cast. Normal monofilament and Amnesia are quite fine and hard to hold well. I use a short leader on my fast sinking heads, and a more normal leader on my slower sinking heads. Basically you just rig the fly normally. And when you get more than one head, get the little shooting head bag many manufacturers have, they are nice to keep the lines tidy in your vest. Rob -- In my family there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. Norman Maclean
