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Shooting head set up

11K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Warren 
#1 ·
Just an observation/question since my observations are generally wrong.

When casting a shooting head - intergrated or not. I have observed that the best casts occur when the full length of the head is outside the tip with very minimal overhang.

However -

It is far easier to generate power when some (3-5') of the head is inside the tip. It is almost as though the stouter line transfers the energy to the rest of the head better.

Is this true? Or is it just an illusion because a 30' head is easier to control than a 35' head?

The reason I'm asking is because I want to try a new line for my two-hander. I am going to buy a 750gr Skagit line and there are a few ways I can set it up.

First just buy the full line and use it as is.

Buy just the Skagit head and loop it to my perfered running line the Airflo ridge line (I like Rio Lines - but the Outbound for instance has a running line that sucks ass so I generally hack the line and loop it to the Airflo ridge line...its like putting D'angelos subs into Subway breads the best of both worlds.)

Or I have a 11/12/13 Windcutter that I don't use. I figure I could cut it with 6-7' of belly, and loop the head (or just braid marry it.) Now when I cast I'd have the full mass of the Skagit head outside the tip, plus 6 or so feet of belly inside to help power the cast - assuming that actually does help power it.

Any thoughts?
 
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#2 ·
heads

I use the Airflow 40+ lines a lot and sometimes a Teeny Fast sink. Both these are integrated shooting heads. I find I get the best distance with about 4-5 ' of running line outside the tip. But, I have the best accuracy with 2-3 ft out. For loop to loop heads, I try to get the head outside the tip-top fairly gently; here I like ideally 1' of running line out to avoid hingeyness.
 
#3 ·
Every good 2-hand Skagit head caster I know casts with 3"-8" of running line out the rod tip unless he is making very short casts that are less than the Skagit head's length. In other words, you want a little running line out the rod tip, but not enough to make the line feel "squirrelly" when cast to maximize casting efficiency.
 
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