Shooting Heads. In part one of a two part series, Dan Blanton explains shooting heads.

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1 Shooting Heads shooting heads In part one of a two part series, Dan Blanton explains shooting heads. It s absolutely mind boggling! Pick up a fly line catalogue by any one of the three or four major fly line companies and if you don t come away with a headache and a load of confusion after going through it, you re a tougher, smarter bloke than the majority of fly flingers I know, including me. Today, there is a specialty line available for not only every cast you might want to make but for every place you want to make it and for every species you want to catch with it. There is a Tarpon Taper; a Bonefish Taper; a Billfish Taper; a Tuna Taper; a Redfish Taper and why I haven t seen a Barra Taper, I don t know. Now don t get me wrong, most of these lines are wondrous developments and really do a great job for the purpose they were intended. It is also a fact though that you could probably catch most of the named species with a regular, standard weight-forward (WF) floater or sinker in either a fresh or salt water version, depending on the climate, and be damned with the specialty lines. That notwithstanding, I ve got most of the best of these tapers with noted exceptions; and I ve also got a rod and reel set up for each of them. I hate changing spools and re-stringing a rod every time I need to change lines. I carry at least six rods rigged in my boat to meet any contingency. However, when travelling these days, especially to far-off destinations, we find ourselves no longer having the luxury of generous baggage weight-limits. And while I ve always been a proponent of shooting heads for huge portion of my fly fishing, I m finding them even more important to me now because they not only let me adjust my line tactics quickly, they markedly reduce the amount of rods, reels and backup lines I need to pack for any given trip that involves a commercial airline flight, which equates to less weight. 11 Take my most recent sojourn to the Gulf of Carpentaria for example. Flying from California to Cairns, baggage weight wasn t an issue whatsoever. I was allowed two bags at 35 kilos each. That s a lot of gear considering I was packing few clothes. The rub came when I was flying to in-country destinations. The flight to Bamaga to fish with Greg Bethune aboard the Tropic Paradise limited me to 25 kilos period! Worse was the flight from Cairns to Weipa to have a fish with Fish Philliskirk. I was only allowed 20 kilos and absolutely no carry-on rods. Understand I wasn t targeting one species but a gaggle of them, ranging from offshore pelagics to a myriad of flats species to river and estuarine critters. I needed to be able to have the bases covered and Peter Morse The author hauls to create maximise line speed - hauling is an important skill to learn when using shooting heads.

2 shooting heads air by the heavier shooting head for amazingly long, effortless casts. A shooting head is first and foremost, a distance fly line. However, just to set the record straight, they can also be accurately cast both near and far and can be effectively used on all types of water from small streams and lakes to saltwater flats and the vastness of bluewater. They can be fished on top presenting a variety of flies from tiny dries to humungous poppers and they can be used to sink flies deep enough to give them the bends or knock the barnacles off sea urchins. Assemble a system of shooting heads that can be carried in a compact shooting head wallet or even in a zip-lock plastic bag and you are equipped to effectively fish the entire water column from top to bottom and anywhere in between. Only one rod and reel is needed, if that s all you have or wish to carry. 12 Fast moving species like tuna require accuracy, speed and distance from a cast. it takes more than one type of line to do it properly. With a system of shooting heads and one or two of those specialty lines on just three basic outfits I had all neighbourhoods covered like a tent. What is a real shooting head? More about shooting line Today there are three basic types of shooting line. There is a mono-type, such as the popular Slickshooter and Cobra. Then there s hollow-core, braided mono shooting line, followed by the mono-core, coated shooting lines in intermediate and floating densities. The best coated shooting line ranges in size from.024 inches to.035 inches in diameter, with.030 being the best average in my experience. Shooting heads are not the Teeny type lines; those specialty weight-forward, full length lines that are today referred to as integrated shooting heads. These are really full length, weight forward specialty fly lines that cast similarly to heads but don t provide many of the most important advantages true shooting heads do. A true shooting head (or just plain head) is a short length of fly line ranging from ten to about 50 feet, but is usually commercially manufactured at a length of 30 feet for single handed rods, longer for Spey or double handed rods. Most heads are nothing more than the first 30 feet of either a standard weight forward or double taper fly line, but can be made from a length of level line, including lead-core trolling line or Rio s T-8 and T-14 tungsten level lines. A braided mono loop is placed at both ends of the shooting head, one loop to facilitate 100 feet or so of small-diameter shooting line, the other for looping on leaders, short sections of fly line with a faster sink rate or for mixing and matching ten-foot tip sections. Because the shooting line (or running line as it is often errantly called), which attaches to the head, weighs considerably less than the head and is so much smaller in diameter, it is easily carried through the Mono-type shooting line is the best tool (and remember these lines are just that tools) for the job when extreme distance and depth are required, or when using a shooting head on a light rod, say 7 weight and under. Mono has less drag than the coated shooting lines and results in longer head sail time. It cuts the water better because of its smaller diameter and it provides greater sensitivity for detecting subtle takes at great distances. The negatives are that it tangles more and is blown around more easily than a heavier, coated shooting line. All shooting line needs to be straightened before casting but mono needs to be straightened more often since it has more memory than coated lines. The elongation, or stretch, is greater with a mono shooting line than with a coated one and setting a large hook at great distance can be problematic. I don t use a mono shooting line when tossing flies with a hook size greater than 2/0. Despite these inherent problems though, mono is still the best shooting line for use with light rods when fishing lakes and rivers for freshwater species. I m keen on shooting heads with Amnesia The author lets fly - making long casts are at the heart of the shooting head philosophy.

shooting line for still water bass and I can t recall all the times I ve felt a bass suck in a bugger on the sink at 80 feet and beyond and still was able to successfully set the hook.

Braided, hollow-core shooting line had some popularity a decade or more ago and some still like using it today. It works, but in my experience it is the worst performing of all shooting line.

3 shooting line for still water bass and I can t recall all the times I ve felt a bass suck in a bugger on the sink at 80 feet and beyond and still was able to successfully set the hook. Some don t believe this claim, but it s true. The reduced water drag of the skinny mono is what makes it possible. Braided, hollow-core shooting line had some popularity a decade or more ago and some still like using it today. It works, but in my experience it is the worst performing of all shooting line. It has more stretch than any shooting line I know of and I can t tell you how many big fish I ve dropped using it because I couldn t adequately stick them. Conversely, this may be an attribute if you re fishing small flies and light leaders. It s as abrasive as shark skin making it hard on the fingers, guides and ears. I hate the sound of it rasping through the guides. When the wind blows, the stuff sails around the deck like someone is chasing it with a leaf blower and when you get a tangle the mess will leave you ready for the drool room. Now if I could just get the knots in my leaders to hold like the knots I get in braided shooting line But hey, some people still love it. Not me! Max Garth, on the other hand, swears by his stuffed braided mono shooting line. He runs a piece of GSP up the middle of it and this A true shooting head (or just plain head) is a short length of fly line ranging from ten to about 50 feet, but is usually commercially manufactured at a length of 30 feet for single handed rods, longer for Spey or double handed rods. removes the stretch and stops a lot of the tangling. It works for him and you re certainly welcome to give it a try, mate. For just about all of my salt water shooting head work and a good deal of my sweet water flogging, especially in large rivers targeting whatever, my shooting lines of choice are coated. I ve tested just about all of them and it s come down to two types produced by two line makers I favour most. I use both an intermediate shooting line and a floater, depending on the situation. I like either a Rio or Scientific Anglers; both fabulous shooting lines. Of course there are other good shooting lines like those made by Airflo, for example. If I had to choose between one and the other density, it would be the intermediate. This density just seems to work superbly for most situations, even with floating shooting heads 13

If you are developing twists in any shooting line, the major cause is from not casting the entire amount of line you ve stripped off the reel or the shooting line is too heavy to unravel itself.

Those designed for cold water or temperate zones can be used in hot climates but the trick is to keep them wet keep them all wet, even those made for hot climates.

4 If you are developing twists in any shooting line, the major cause is from not casting the entire amount of line you ve stripped off the reel or the shooting line is too heavy to unravel itself. Used correctly, shooting heads often result in a beaming smile and a very bent rod. All shooting lines tangle. Some worse than others and mono is certainly more gnarly than the coated versions. Those designed for cold water or temperate zones can be used in hot climates but the trick is to keep them wet keep them all wet, even those made for hot climates. The secret to not going bonkers when using shooting heads is to enlist the help of a VLMD (vertical line management device), a tub that looks like a garbage can that you set on the deck, a rock, dock or beach, pour a little water into it and then strip your shooting line into it. These are a godsend and I wouldn t be without one. I ll provide more details on these units in part heads. They shoot well, rarely tangle, especially if kept wet, and knots don t set hard. They are easy on the stripping finger and are not as likely to give you a nasty line burn as other types of shooting line. Intermediates come in.024 and.030 diameters and the floaters range from.030 to.045. I suggest avoiding lines larger in diameter than.035 because they produce too much line drag which kills distance and casting ease. An exception might be when making short casts to structure and you have to stop a critter s run dead in its tracks by pulling it out of the sticks or risk losing the farm. Fast sinking shooting lines don t cast well and maddening twists develop quickly during casting because they do not remove themselves during stripping or when you make a fully extended cast that hits the reel arbor. A heavy shooting line simply doesn t work in my view. The same applies to full sinking lines. Connecting Loops The quick-change looping system used to attach a shooting head to a shooting line is one of the most valuable benefits of using shooting heads over full length lines. You can quickly change head types to meet any condition or to replace a head that becomes defective or has been crocheted through a brickyard or May-poled around a channel marker, gets chopped off or comes back in shreds. Lose a shooting head and you lose less than half the cost of a full line or an integrated shooting head. A dissected head can be replaced in a couple of minutes and you re back in action. Not so with a full line. The sound and feel of a loop going through the guides is annoying for some and some have a problem making sure they have the loop junction a few feet (overhang) beyond the rod tip before shooting a cast. If you try to shoot line with the connecting loops still inside the rod

shooting heads The relatively inexpensive cost of heads make anglers more enthusiastic about casting to line killers like this large GT. tip, you ll kill the cast and dump the line.

You look, listen and feel for the loop passing out of the rod tip.

5 shooting heads The relatively inexpensive cost of heads make anglers more enthusiastic about casting to line killers like this large GT. tip, you ll kill the cast and dump the line. The noise and feel of the loops passing out of the rod tip is a boon for night fly fishers since it lets you know when you ve extended the proper amount of overhang. You look, listen and feel for the loop passing out of the rod tip. Rio s shooting lines come with angler-friendly, welded loops which I ve found to hold up extremely well even in give no line contests. They are the best of their type I ve found. Scientific Angler s intermediate shooting line may well be the toughest of its type on earth and it casts superbly. You do have to rig it with your own braided mono loops but that s no big deal. SA s Mastery saltwater floating shooting line in.035 diameter is brilliant if you need a floating shooting line (mending requirements). It shoots well, won t go limp in hot climes and is as tough as a boar s hide. If you don t want to mess with making your own loops then just purchase Rio heads with quality welded loops. If you purchase SA heads or make your own heads from Rio s T-8, T-14, lead core trolling line or from old weight forward or double taper lines, then you ll have to make your own loops and install them. There are lots of ways to put a loop on a shooting head and a shooting line but the best loops in my experience are braided mono loops of 50-pound Gudebrod braided mono, which are trapped to the line with a single nail knot. 15 Line management devices dramatically reduce the potential for tangles during casting, even when used from the beach.

shooting heads 16 Getting your heads together Between the various line manufacturers there are now available just about any type and density of shooting head to meet any condition, anywhere, for both

6 shooting heads 16 Getting your heads together Between the various line manufacturers there are now available just about any type and density of shooting head to meet any condition, anywhere, for both fresh and saltwater. They come in a gaggle of densities from floaters to dredgers ranging in sink rates from 1.5 to more than 10 inches per second. I have several line wallets for various rod weights that include all of today s available shooting head types. I call this a Complex Shooting Head System and it lets me deal with just about anything. Of course you may not need every density of shooting head. Maybe the waters you fish, or plan to fish, only require two or three types. I call this a Simple Shooting Head System. A Complex System consists of a floater, an intermediate type I, types 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 sinking heads and a few heads of T-8, T-14 or lead core. I personally use both SA and Rio and a couple of Airflo heads. Up-sizing is a critical consideration when purchasing shooting heads. Why? It is because most of today s lines are sized by the weight of the first 30-feet of line. However, the majority of modern rods are line-sized by casting around 45 feet of line extended. That extra 15 feet of line adds considerable weight. It s the weight (load) that bends a rod, producing its reflex power. If you line a rod with the rated line shooting head, you in effect, will be under-lining it because most heads are only 30 feet long resulting in an under-loaded rod. You get the best performance with a 30-foot head, used on a single handed rod, by up-sizing by at least two sizes. Rio shooting heads are already uplined by two sizes, but if you purchase another brand be sure to purchase them at least two weights heavier than the rod s line rating. I know this sounds a bit confusing, but it really isn t. It s just the way it works with shooting heads. Sinking lines, especially the fastest sinking of the lot are much smaller in diameter than floaters and lesser sinking densities. Accordingly it doesn t take much line speed or energy to get them going and to keep them going and you can even cast a line up-sized three times the rod s rating. It s done all the time. For example; I use 9 weight heads on my 6-weight rods all the time. They cast marvellously, especially with a light, mono shooting line. If you want to broaden you fly fishing horizons, be able to meet any condition anywhere, to make long, effortless casts and cover the entire water column from top to abysmal depths, and to reduce the net weight of your tackle when on exotic trips, consider putting together a system of shooting heads. A selection of running lines and shooting heads, plus a line winder, create a diverse and easily adaptable fly line system. Peter Morse

The Dummies Guide to Switch Rods & Lines

Allan Ekert International Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Fly Casting Instructor allan.ekert@yahoo.com.au May 2013 The Dummies Guide to Switch Rods & Lines I first wrote about switch rods in Casting