Shooting Heads for Switch Rod

[Idadon]

Since the mid 50's until recently I fished for Steelhead with shooting heads and either Amnesia or a floating running line. I still have a reel spooled with a running line and one of my old heads attached. It's a 9wt, 30' head, dark brown so probably a #4 sink. My question is will this head work on my 6wt 11 foot switch Rod?

I know the rule of thumb is to go up 2 weights on a switch if using a regular WF line. I always went up a weight on my heads so the 9wt head would seem about right. My switch Rod is nothing special, a Cabela's Tlr, but I don't want to dramatically overload it when I finally get to experiment.

Nobody around here seems to know for sure. All I get is advise on what Skagit line to buy. Help.

[Lance Gray]

Have you casted yet? Do you know how much it weighs in grains? When you weigh it - if the grains match your max on your switch rod you are good.

I have a X-Axis that I throw an intergraded head on, it's a 440 grain line. Basically it has the running line and head together. No switching out lines.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Most are using floating heads with sink tips on two handed fly rods for fishing up river with runs and riffles.

For wading the lakey tide water I guess you could use a sinking head.

Wading in the surf or rivers for Stripers you could sue a sinking head too.


Where are you thinking of going to?


Call the shop and ask for Terry, Doug or Andy for help with two handed stuff......

.

[Idadon]

planning another fall over on the Klamath and Rogue and my annual spring run to the Salmon. I've got a Rio Switch on the Rod now, and that seems pretty good for indicator rigs as long as it's a light setup. Not so good for swinging flies that are bulkier. Trying to avoid buying another line if possible. I grew up with shooting heads so hoping some of my old ones might work. I think most 9wt heads come in around 240 grains. My switch line is 350 grains for the whole thing.

It strikes me that even though I have some experience casting Spey/Switch rods, I really have no idea what I am doing. Kind of like a driver that's totally ignorant as to the workings of the internal combustion engine. Maybe it's true what they say about "Old Dogs".

[troutless]

Generally speaking translating 2-3 line sizes between a single- and double- hander is a good rule of thumb if you are converting in the same casting style. For example a 4wt double-handed spey line, say a scandi head, spey cast on a single-handed 7wt. Or something like an Airflo 40+ 9wt works well on a 6wt switch. But a true 9-wt shooting head around 240gr is going to be light if speycast on a 6wt switch. Also, while it can be done, the taper is not going to be one that works especially well for speycasting. Having said all that, you have little to lose by trying it, and I am always an advocate for experimenting with new line combos, if for no other reason than to understand what *doesn't* work.

However, really, even if you get the weight and length right, you're probably going to be much happier setting out the extra $50 for a skagit head or similar. A 30ft full-sinking line on an 11ft rod is not going to be very much fun to speycast all day, well, really, for anyone, but, especially for a relative newcomer. Add a big heavy winter fly to that and you have a recipe for madness. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself. Better yet, try it on a lake! And please post video.

Since this is in "spey" I presume we are talking speycasting. Overhead, different story.

[John Sv]

Slightly off-topic but not really off-topic:
When people refer to overhead casting with a 2 hander, are they referring to an all-air cast, or letting the fly and line touch down on the back cast, and then doing a water-loaded overhead forward cast?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Overhead casting is what they do in places where you have lots of room behind you.

It would be when surf fishing, lake fishing or open river fishing, mostly for long distance.

They are usually casting streamers that you strip back.

I hope that helps......

[Idadon]

I guess in my mind I had the idea of fishing my shooting head casting singlehanded. Over the years I adjusted but that hinge 30' down the line is always a problem. Makes the cast feel awkward and led to a fair amount of casts with the head landing like a wounded duck. Sometimes it required a well timed "duck" to avoid getting a SH wrapped around your head. The good part is that when my timing was on putting the fly out past the 100' mark was easy. Of course the necessity of dredging up 30' of #4 sink line up from the depths without pulling that hinge point inside the Rod tip caused problems. That quick little roll cast and then immediately trying to jerk the whole 30+ feet of line behind you and getting it straightened out---well could lead to issues too. I planned on experimenting with my SH when the water thaws out hoping that the extra couple of feet of Rod might make it work. If it doesn't I've still got my old 8wt that's well versed in shooting heads (just not sure I've still got the timing or the arm for them).

I suspect that I'll end up buying a modern Skagit head like Troutless suggested. Just worried about all the extra heads & tips and such that goes along with them. I've got the nymphing figured out I think but I'm open to suggestions as to the one perfect line to swing a #8 Silver Hilton on the lower Klamath or a Demon on the lower Rogue.

As to John SV's question. In the early 80's, on the Gualala, my son got a tutorial on casting a shooting head from the infamous Bill Shaad. The kid was dropping his line behind him and using that to load his cast just like you mentioned. I listened in on the conversation and heard Bill tell the kid that it was a good way to loose flies on rocks not fish. Should be avoided. Bill was a great caster so the advise was heeded by my son and he became relatively proficient.

[John Sv]

I tend to do a water-loaded cast as mentioned by Idadon when fishing a two hander at Pyramid. No rocks there, plus fly never reaches bottom and you can go yard. It is the stripping back that gets tedious. I can see where doing that in rocks would get nasty. Anyway sorry for the digression.

[Idadon]

No problem John. To be honest I've used the water in back of me too. And if you've got the room what's the harm. It's actually a pretty good way to cast when your tired like at the end of a long day and your casts start to droop.

Thanks Bill. I do enjoy fishing open rivers with BIG gravel bars and easy wading. The Spey cast feels awkward to me so if I can I always seem to regress to overhand/singlehanded. I even tried the overhand/singlehanded with my St Croix 15 footer 10/11 wt once. Not so good! Besides it not working I think I did permanent damage to my wrist and shoulder. The good thing is that it's all fun.

I do appreciate you guys responding. There are Spey fisherman up here in Idaho but not a lot of them. Just hasn't caught on maybe because so much of our fishing happens from inside a drift boat.