Overlining for regular lines and shooting heads are two different items. Generally speaking, it's not a good idea to overline a rod. However, remember the old days of double line weight designations (i.e. 6/7 weight)? Depending on the rod, the rod may cast better, for you and your style of fishing, than say a WF7. So, if a person has a fairly stiff, fast-action rod, the rod may feel more comfortable with a line heavier. Just the reverse, but I have a Graphite 2 Sage LL 4 weight that actually casts better (in my opinion) with a 3 weight line. My 6 weight GLX I line up with a WF7 if I'm floating down the Yakima banging the banks with hoppers, and a DT6 if I'm in a situation requiring more subtlety. Just today that same GLX was booming a 30' WF8 intermediate head, looped to a floating running line, out in the salt. That same 30' head, when used on my 6 wt. Sage SP, slightly 'overpowers' the rod. Dan Blanton has a Bulletin Board website where there are a bajillion discussions on shooting head running line setups. Many of his Board participants (which include Lee Hanley, Bob Nauheim, Dan Blanton, Les Johnson, and occasionally Lefty Kreh) are heavy duty saltwater fisherpersons, fishing for stripers in the San Francisco area, and the shooting heads are very popular with this group. Heads are popular when a person is gunning for maximum distance, or trying to 'get down' in the water column rapidly. The folks down in Florida promote the use of full fly lines, where distance and accuracy are both important. Fast rods are the norm and, generally speaking, the participants who promote shooting heads promots overlining by one to two weights as most appropriate. Of course, these folks are highly skilled casters; shooting heads have their own little peculiar casting nuances relative to regular fly lines. So, overlining is not inherently correct, incorrect, or inherently bad; the line choice(s) are based on your rod, your casting skill, and your intended purpose for the line. Richard -----Original Message----- From: Keith Bell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thursday, August 17, 2000 11:05 AM Subject: RE: Fly Line Question >I agree with Jere, > >I think shooting heads are only useful where the extra distance they afford >is absolutely necessary. When fishing for trout that extra distance is not >normally necessary and in fact I think many angler's get in the habit of >casting too far. Shooting heads, especially standard 30 footers, can be a >pain to cast and deal with even under the best of conditions (which assumes >a stripping basket.) A 45 footer is much easier to handle because you can >get out enough line to load larger rods effectively before the shooting head >is through the guides (the primary limiting factor to casting shooting >heads.) Granted, steelhead and salmon fishing are some of the best examples >of a possible need for shooting heads. > >Keith > >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2000 2:45 AM >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: Fly Line Question > > > >My thoughts on shooting heads. You've got a line that is long, a DT which >takes up the maximum space on a spool and you are using a 4wt which is at >the >upper limits of the reel (ie) 3-4 which means it is made for a 3wt, or 4 wt. >You've got 2 shooting heads if you cut your DT in the middle! 45ft of >shooting >head that gives you lots of room for backing. However, in a 4wt. you more >than >likely want to trout fish; short casts with no premium on distance. The >shooting head would mean that on a 35 ft cast and now you mend,let out 10 ft >of >line in your presentation etc., you now are holding backing in your hand. >I, >personally, do not like that and would rather have a floating flyline to >strip >etc. However, there is a positive side. You could often get great >satisfaction from the fish that "tore into my backing!" This would work, but >I >think that a WF line would work better on your reel. They fish, virtually >the >same in the lengths you would be fishing with, and the WF would provide you >with plenty of backing. Jere > > > > > >> Sean Ransom wrote: >> >> > Hopefully this question makes sense and sorry if it is a no-brainer- >> > >> > I just purchased a Cabelas Drake II 3-4 fly reel. I guess it is supposed >> > to hold 75 yards of 20lb backing. My question is that I can barely fit >> > any backing line on the reel if I put all 90' of my DTF4 fly line on the >> > spool there is no room for backing. >> > I really have not even come close to going into backing line but my fear >> > is if I get into bigger fish i will and will not have enough line. I >> > mainly fish small rivers but am starting to get into lake fishing. I >> > cannot cast farther than 50 feet as it is so I am seeing no need for all >> > that fly line. >> > >> > So the question is : How much actual fly line will I need? Can i just >> > cut off 20 yards from the back end of my flyline to accomodate some >> > backing line? >> > >> > Thanks for the help. >> > >> > -sean >> >> You might look into a shooting head. 30 ft of a DT and the rest is all >mono >> backing. I can probably get you more info if you're interested, just let >me >> know. >> >> Darin >> >> >> > > > >
