Micropteris,
Tailing Loop is right on the money with the shooting head/Amnesia system. A good friend of mine from the left coast set me up with a couple of shooting head systems that I used on my SW safari. It is the best! (Many thanks, Dave E.!) You simply install braided loops on each end of your shooting head for a smooth transition that causes little problem in casting. I have heads in all weights from 8 to 13 and from floating to LC, including many in-between sink rate heads. What is so good about this system is that you can carry several different sink rate heads with you to cover many different water depths, without having to change spools or full-length lines. There are several websites that will instruct you on constructing the braided loop system for shooting heads. Give them a whirl!