shooting head

[rh crank]

My flyrod is a 909 Sage GFL, seems to be medium-fast action. I have a 30' shooting head weighing 265 grains that, when casted, seems a little too much to carry outside the tip, especially in waders.

What would be the appropriate length to cut this head back?

[Terry Thomas]

Start with one foot. You can always cut more off, but you can't add it back.

[Carl Blackledge]

My flyrod is a 909 Sage GFL, seems to be medium-fast action. I have a 30' shooting head weighing 265 grains that, when casted, seems a little too much to carry outside the tip, especially in waders.

What would be the appropriate length to cut this head back?

Crank,

I use a Sage 990 XI3 with a 300 gr shooting heads and that rod will toss that line a mile, be very careful before you start cutting the line up, maybe only 6 inches at a time.

Also be sure when testing the length and weight of the line that you use a weighted fly and regular length leader. my 2 cents.

Carl

[Andrew Guibord]

265 grains, if you cut it back you are in danger of being to light to properly load the rod. If you want to shorten the head, you should start with a heavier one. 265gr is not heavy for a 9 weight. Maybe practice with it some more before altering the head?

[rh crank]

Sorry for the typo guys, my mistake. The rod is not a 9wt but a 6wt. 30' at 265gn requires I bring 4' in the tip for the rollcast, especially when wading. I'd prefer to make this head work instead of buying something new.

[Jeff C.]

Another thing to consider is not cutting your head too short. Too short and your shooting head will dump. When I used shooting heads a lot I never went below 28 ft. Now the only shooting head I use on a regular basis is 28 ft. of LC-13 with a 5 wt Z-Axis switch rod when I have to get down deep.

[Mark Kranhold]

Roll cast the head out, and do one back cast (double haul) feeding a little line out as you go back and fire away on your forward stroke. If wading and you have a lot of running line in the water that could hamper your cast. Maybe try a waist mount stripping bucket to keep your line out of the water so you don't get that sticky water load.

[Jeff C.]

Line management is important especially when wading. Carry loops in non grip hand. Two strips in and loop over little finger, then three strips over your ring finger, four strips over your middle finger, five strips over your index finger. Open you hand and drop it he loops on my he forward cast.

[ChasingRainbows]

Based on my experience, matching a shooting head with a rod is very personal choice. I have a similar six weight and found that 30 feet of T-8 (240 grains) is perfect. I would cut a foot off, but much more and it will probably dump on your forward cast. It is always tougher to cast a shooting head while wading, or especially from a float tube. My only other piece of advice, which you may already be doing, is to stop your forward cast quite high, aim for a spot well above the water. All you can do is experiment, hope this helps!