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Thread: Shooting head question

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
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    Guerneville
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    290

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    Thank you Carl, I ended up ordering the line before seeing your second post unfortunately. I will ask them about warranty, maybe it was from the salt from striper fishing, but seems like it should have lasted more than a couple seasons.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
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    23,837

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Murakoshi View Post
    Try making your own using T-14 or T-17. I use T-11 and t-14 for my striper fishing at San Luis and the Forbear. Also in the delta.
    I use T-8 and T-11 for fishing for surf perch
    Yes Jay has a good idea, years ago we used 25' of level coated lead core line for our shooting heads up there before the T products existed.

    With T8, T11, T14 and T17 you could make up your own heads at about 25'-28' for wading.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    Santa Rosa, Calif
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    1,015

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Kiene semi-retired View Post
    Yes Jay has a good idea, years ago we used 25' of level coated lead core line for our shooting heads up there before the T products existed.

    With T8, T11, T14 and T17 you could make up your own heads at about 25'-28' for wading.
    Bill,

    Back in the day all of us old school Steelheader's made our own shooting heads out of LC 13, we made them of all different lengths depending on how fast or high the water was. The biggest aspect of LC 13 was it was rated at 25 pounds , however in the real life it broke anywhere between 16 and 25 pound test, so when you hooked the bottom a lot of times your outfit came back without any head at all. The newer T products from Rio are pretty much junk also , and are very famous for delaminating due to the fact that the core didn't stretch and the plastic coating would then peel off. I found the easiest way to correct all those problems was to just buy the SA shooting heads in the first place, cut off the goofy factory loops install the good old mono loops and then you were golden and never had to worry . PS the LC 13 or the Rio lines would never break until the fish were rolling in front of you. my 2 cents

    Carl Blackledge

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
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    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
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    Thanks Carl,

    Carl fished the Pacific coastal tidewater from an anchored pram for many decades so he is a wealth of info here.


    As I remember custom/home made lead core heads were used on the Smith river for King salmon from anchored prams.

    They were also popular for wading at Pyramid lake in Nevada for big Cutthroat trout.

    Another popular place for lead core heads was for Striped Bass.

    Lead core heads were popular for the salt water too.


    Most of those old timers from the Greatest Generation who fly fished the Pacific coast rivers are gone now.

    I am very happy that the movie, "Rivers of a Lost Coast", saved most all that history.


    For their salmon and steelhead fly fishing it was mostly a shooting head situation with monofilament running line.

    The most popular fly rod was a 9' #9 tubular hollow fiberglass.


    Many old timers made up or modified fly lines to make custom shooting heads in many sink rates and lengths.

    It was a shooting head world back then............


    In my fly shop in the 1970s we carried a huge selection of mostly Cortland and Scientific Angler shooting heads.

    Most were in 30 foot lengths with a braided Dacron loop wrapped on the fat or heavy end.

    On the tapered end there was nothing so many wiped on a Daron loop or tied on a mono butt section with a nail knot.

    When we received a shipment of lines we would weigh all the shooting heads and put a small label on the box with the exact grain

    weight. They came in different line body colors, braided Dacron loop colors and thread wrap colors to identify the weight and sink-rate.

    I think they came in size 6 through size 12 with a fixed grain weight which was not accurate.

    Cortland shooting heads varied a lot in weight which was good because we were able to get the right weight for each different rod.

    Scientific Angler shooting heads did not vary much in weight so we did not have that much selection to choose from.


    Shooting head veterans like Walt Bennett had a large selection of shooting heads in many different sizes/weights.

    If Walt liked you he would let you try on his heads at a local pond or the river to see what exact weight was best for your new fly rod.


    For Shad, Steelhead, salmon and Stripers it was almost all shooting head fly fishing "back in the day".
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    alameda
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    One other option to consider is to contact Steve Godshall (easily found on a google search) be sure to tell him what rod you have and what fishing techniques you plan on using it for. Steve is in Oregon and makes custom lines for many rods. His lines are awesome and the cost is in some cases less than a production line. I use several of his lines on my Spey rods.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
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    Steve Godshall is an expert in the Spey / Two Handed World in developing fly lines as well as fly rods.

    541-840-2594

    stevegodshall@charter.net
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

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