I'd like to try to build some sinking/shooting heads. Does anyone have any preferences or pros/cons on what type of lines to purchase for hacking up for this purpose (ker-boom, deep water express). Any particular pieces of those lines that are more usefull than others? Lengths, weights, etc... I will be using them primarily on 7 and 8 wt. rods. Are full floaters O.k. for the "running line"?

I had a whole closet full of spools and teeny lines until someone offered me enough $$ to part with them. Anyhow, my thrust now is to carry 1 reel per rod, no extra spools, just line systems to match up to the water I'll be fishing.

Thanks for the input on the Airflo and Rio multi-tips in the earlier post.

Chuckn'duck,

I appreciate your minimalist and efficient approach. I tried that myself during one of my past fly fishing incarnations. Alas, simple as fly fishing might be, life isn't. So something is always changing.

I do keep a piece of Deep Water Express around for the once every year or two that I actually use it. I mostly use SA Hi-D and Hi Speed Hi-D sink tips. On those floating line days I prefer not to use a line marred by any splices, so stick to a full WF floater on those occasions (and the extra spool my preference necessitates).

Although I do have some 15' sink tips with loops, I mostly use one epoxy spliced directly to a WF floating line with the forward 15' cut off. I've found this line so versatile for sunk fly fishing that I frequently carry it exclusively, keeping my gear simple and to a minimum.

But I do think a WF floater with the forward 15' cut off and looped, along with a collection of floating, med. sink, Hi-D, Hi Speed Hi-D, and DWExpress would be a versatile system and have you prepared for just about any water condition imaginable.

Good luck, and let us know how you like the system.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Someone gave me this formula a long time ago and I'm still using it: Take a thirty-foot Hi-Speed Hi-D shooting taper of the rod's rated weight, cut it into two lengths, twelve and eighteen feet long. Cut a fifteen-foot length of floating line, one weight heavier than the the rod's rated weight (level line works just fine and is pretty cheap). Get a 100-foot spool of floating running line (Cortland or SA, .029 to .032 diameter). I use braided mono loop-to-loop connections to make changing the head easy and because the front ten feet or so of running line will eventually begin to wear (I put loops on both ends of the running line and swap ends when it begins to crack and peel). The reason for the fifteen-foot belly is to smooth out any tendency to hinge and this rig casts much better than any of the Teeny lines. I work the head and belly out beyond the rod tip with about two feet of overhang, double haul and let 'er fly. I agree with Salmo, for dry fly fishing (or greased line) a full floating line on a s[pare spool is the way to go.

I prefer using double tapers but then I thorw DT's on single and two handers. In regard to line types I don't think it make a huge difference, as the others have stated the keys here are buuilding a system the minimizes two things: hingeing and sticking i the guides. Throwing DWE on a 7wt can't be much fun. I make braided loop connectors with a small <1/4 inch loop to join sections, the aqua seal the loop. This has worked very well with no issue of hanging or breaking. Customer lines are a labor of love but when you tweak it just right man what a difference.

thick

I believe there is a big difference between a shooting head system and a sink tip system although the terminology seems to be melding.

IMHO, shooting head systems are primarily built to gain casting distance; control of the fly is a secondary consideration. This is very useful for the salt flats where sight casting to schooling fish is the norm. I use a shooting head system on my 6-wt for Silvers and Cutthroat while wading the shores of Puget Sound. I believe its usefulness in fly fishing the rivers here in Washington are minimal, however.

Sink tip systems offer the primary benefit of getting the fly down to the bottom under varying stream flows and still maintain control of the drift. Changing the weight of the first 15' or so with ease as conditions dictate provides flexibility. This is very useful fishing our PNW rivers varying depths and strong currents challenge the fly fisher. The secondary benefit is the ability to gain distance once you've re-educated yourself on the techniques of the cast.

Its extremely difficult, if not impossible, to control the drift of a fly with a shooting head system since the diameter of a floating shooting line is so small. Also, the shooting lines that I've used (Amnesia, Orvis' Hy-Flote) become rats nets in cold weather; not something you need when winter steelheading.

I made the switch to a Rio Versitip system on my 8-wt 3 years ago. I've since cut a Deep Water Express resulting in the addition of two additional sinking tips to the system. The system does everything I could possibly want under any conditions. Building your own system from a weight forward floating line could be the cost effective alternative to the multi-tip systems now on the market.

An excellent primer with step-by-step instructions on building shooting heads can be found by Martin Joergensen on his Global Fly Fisher site at http://www.globalflyfisher.com.
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Fly Flinger
"...Release All Wild Steelhead..."