Building a Shooting Head

If I'm bulding a shooting head from a 30 ft length of uniform sink line, what's the best approach to sizing the length of the shooting head to my own casing ability/inability? Is there a better approach than taking the full 30 ft length with running line out on the water and incrementally cutting down the shooting head until I can handle it?

Thanks for your help,

tt

[lee s]

#1 - The 30' NEEDS to be heavy enough to load your rod. (Or whatever length you cut it to.)
#2 - Heads shorter than about 24' get real prone to dumping. (27' - 33' seems acceptable and quite "user friendly" for single hand operation.
These are "generals"......not
"absolutes".
......lee s.

lee s,

With the longer shooting head I find myself roll casting multiple times to get the line on surface. This is after retrieving nearly the entire length of running line such that the connection in only 6-8 ft beyond my first rod guide. Then I immediately pickup the shooting head for the back cast and apply a quick single haul to fully load the rod on the forward cast.

Is there a better approach to using a shooting head? Admittedly this is the technique that I've fallen into as I try to get the feel for handling a shooting head.

At this point the multiple roll casts (up to 6) that I need to get the line on surface is the part of the technique that feels wrong. I assumed it was because the shooting head was too long for my casting ability. I'm open to other suggestions.

Thanks for your help,

tt

[lee s]

We ain't so good at writing pictures but.......retrieve till the head/running line connection is in your retrieve hand. Then you only have to roll up half the head. Extend on your backcast till there is about 1'-3' of overhang (again the head/running line connection) at the rod tip and you are ready to "haul" and cast.
Don't forget your "stops" and toss at the horizon.
....

[tailingloop]

As Lee said, 30ft plus or minus is a good length. Most manufactured heads are 30ft with some shorter and some longer.

Sometimes novices will try a head that is too light for their rod, or occasionally too heavy. As a rule of thumb, the head should have a weight corresponding to a line weight 2 line weights greater than the rod's rating (assuming a 27-30 foot head - this is roughly equivalent to working with 40ft of standard WF line). I use an Umpqua Line scale (nice piece of gear for $20) to weigh sections of line when I cut up lines for shooting heads.

I cast as Lee describes, with an added step. As Lee noted, I retrieve until I the head/shooting line connection is in my hand. One roll cast is usually sufficient to bring the head to the surface. I then make a back cast and a soft forwards cast - just enough that I can shoot that 10 feet or so of head plus a couple of feet shooting line beyond the rod tip and lay it down on the water. I then follow this with a normal presentation cast. I do not ever false cast a shooting head.

A more extensive discussion on casting can be found here:
[url=http://www.danblanton.com/casting.html:37def]www.danblanton.com/casting.html[/url:37def]

This article is old and some of the product info is out of date but the technique is correct.

Thanks lee s & tailingloop. That makes sense. Sounds like the flaw in my technique is not retrieving all of the running line. It seemed like I would need to keep the connection outside of the guides to avoid a loss of energy when the connection ran back out on the forward cast. But I see your point, fully retrieve the running line so that only a single roll cast is needed to bring the shooting head up on top and then make a line pickup and soft laydown cast to shoot the connection back through the guides before making the presentation cast. By the way, don't worry I was not trying to false cast a shooting head.

Thanks for the advice.
tt

[lee s]

Please, please, please.
DO NOT learn to lay the line in the water on the forward cast UNTIL the delivery! This is called "water-hauling". It is a casting tool and has it's uses. Such as knocking debri from your hook or when needed due to wind conditions. But HOPEFULLY only at those few times. Learn to keep your line in the air. If we can do this with LC......anybody should, with a bit of practice and application of good casting principles, be able to keep all other heads above the water till delivery.
One would NOT slop the water above a trout so why learn slopping the water above ANY fish, many of which may be MORE spooky and hard to entice.
There are occasion where slurp IS desired and may be an attractant to some fish (Dorado in the salt?), but if you start with slurp and stealth is required, you CANNOT backstep to stealth. However you can start with stealth and backstep to slurp.
Sorry, it is just one of my pet peeves...someone burning the water of the fisher above them, especially in a line-up. However if you always fish alone.....
This sounds far harsher than it is meant to be. I would like for people to think about it some though.....the elimination of any excess comotion that is possible. It may increase your success and it cannot hurt it.
Tailing loop, I like the idea of a line scale. Gonna have to aquire one.
.......lee s.

lee s,

OK now I'm just confused. If I retrieve the connection through the guides to be able to roll cast the shooting head to the surface with a single roll, how do I get the connection back through the guides before the forward cast? Do I shoot line (10-12') on the back cast, make a hard stop and then single haul on the forward cast? Is that what was meant by "extending on the backcast"?

As far as frothing water with the intermediate lay down that was suggested, it can't be as bad as multiple roll casts to bring the shooting head to surface. So it would still be an improvement over my first attempt with a shooting head.

Thanks for your patience,

tt

[lee s]

A haul on the backcast also will get it going for you. If it is easier to extend on the forward, do so, but you will need two more casts then.....one back and one forward.
And yes, it would be a grand improvement from what you describe. And MANY of us started just that way.

[tailingloop]

Hey Lee, lets disagree - to a degree--

Laying the line out straight on the water before the presentation cast is one of the tried and true techniques used by most s.h. users that I know (yours truly excluded), including those that instruct specifically in the use of heads. The use of the waterhaul immediately following can be a key a smooth effortless backcast that really helps setup an effortless long distance presentation cast with minimal effort.

As for the stealth aspect, I haven't found this to be an issue in any situation where I have employed heads. In the surfzone it is not an issue at all, in other situations we are generally casting well beyond the the 35ft or so where the laydown occurs so I am not laying down on their heads. Indeed, fishing at that back end of our common friend Jay R.'s boat (Jay will sometimes lay it down and sometimes not) we have never had a significant difference in catch rates with the stripers. In waters where I need to make stealthy long casts I will use a full length line were I can false cast 50 or 60 feet and shoot out the rest.

Now if fishing a lineup for steelhead or salmon I can see were a different approach may be in order.

The best thing trouting_thomas can do is look for advice and information like Dan's articale that I posted previously as well as others like this animation here
[url=http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/shootingheads/animation.html:4e0f7]http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/shootingheads/animation.html[/url:4e0f7]

And Lee,

Looking forward to seeing you and the rest of the gang at this year's Striperfest.
Craig Smith