I like fishing the double handers using shooting heads. When using ~10m heads one often shoots 10-20m of shooting line. Not too often but every now and then the shooting line makes a mess and tangles into the bridge guides. Has anyone tried a line taming guide on a double hander? Any comments and experience on this?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2005 05:59AM by Mikko Stenberg.

Mikko:

If you wish to use the two handed fly rods for shooting line, you need to set them up for that task. A constraining guide or line tamer would be appropriate if the spey rod were set up for that method of casting. Normally, they do not "shoot" line at all, but cast a long aerialized line. That is the reason for the predominance of traditional style guides - little line movement through the guides during casting.

Doug Weber
WeberRod Works

Doug cheers for your thoughts. I think you are right in many ways - back in the good'ol DT days when line was not shot like you said. ;) Though the problem is that the whole term "Spey rod" to determine a two handed fly rod in general or "Spey casting" to determine practically all of the water friction based two handed fly casting is misleading IMHO. Here in Scandinavia most of the people use shooting heads with double handers and cast some versions of under hand casts or revised Spey casts. Shooting line is a fundamental part of this type of casting if one wants to reach beyond the shooting head. That is why I wanted opinions, views and tips concerning mounting a taming guide on a double handed rod.

Hi Mikko,

What type of running line are you using <> Or prefer to use ?

Oval mono such as Slickshooter.

...Or coated running line.

Also how long are your shooting heads....Visions, Guidelines, Loops ?

Bob Meiser

Hi Bob! I was hoping for you to give an opinion on this. :)

I'm using two 13' rods for my salmon fishing at the moment - Loop Grey Line and Scott SAS. My shooting head preference for those rods are ~9.5m heads at around 28-30grams. Floating and Intermediate heads are typically +9.5m and the "gloomy" fast sinkers are shorter. For the shorter gloomy lines I add (depending on the situation) a small 1-2m line tip made of #8-9WF Xsinking line's running line section to keep the overal lenght of the leader used for anchoring the underhand cast long enough.

You got the shooting head brands right that I'm carrying - they are the norm around here. ;) Though we've had this knitting/splicing thing going on here in Kotka for pretty many years now resulting people having some funky looking heads made of often 3+ different pieces of lines. :D Though just recently this maddness is calming down a bit due to the new commercial heads being so good.

I've been using round mono shooting line such as Amnesia for a some time now. It's ok stuff. I'm not a big fan of the coated fly line type running line such as Loop or 3M Mastery - too limp, does not shoot well and tends to tangle easily IMHO. Though I liked the Airflo Polyshoot a lot when it was still slick. I might try some stiffer and slicker coated running line in the future if one comes available.

Hope this information gives you some idea of the case.

Sweet Mikko

.....We're talking the same language here....};^)...!!!!

I know exactly what mean about choping lines into effective longer bellied shooting head line systems for underhand power deliveries.

Things have really quantom leaped all to the better in this regards.

Lot's of lines now available for the two handed angler right off the shelf.

I still have....And use some of the earliest Guidelines.

The trend towards the longer belly Scando style shooting heads is very exciting, as they allow the shorter, lighter in hand two handed rods to deliver extreme distances with incredible ease.

....Plus the lines are SO VERY effective for fishing.

A joy to cast and fish all day on the water.

Pretty exciting stuff for us two handers...};^)...!!!!

One of my favorite delivery and fishing line systems is the Rio Scando with tips.

We will generally just use just the belly, and build our own T-14 <> T-20 sink tips cut to length to meet conditions.

This 7/8 wt line( for example) at 450 grains does have a 45 foot head length with a build-in 11' intermediate sink compensator.

A great casting and fishing line, and it has become a go-to line for much of our go-deep, medium to large sized river conditions <> Both Salmon and Steelhead.....Winter and Summer as per water conditions.

We do seem to gravitate towards the Oval Slickshooter in 50# test (NOT the 30#) with these lines.

...Less tangle and memory, plus this running line loves cold water, mimimally effected by wind etc etc.

I have not yet used a trainer guide in this scenairo, but I can only think that it would be an asset.

I'd go for it...And I will do the same on my next MKS rod for my next trip to BC.

We can compare notes.....Best to you

Bob Meiser

Cheers for the input Bob! :)

Yeah the shorter shooting heads are comfortable and effective in my opinion too. It's kinda funny and interesting that things have been evolving to the same direction in North America and in Scandinavia. Though there are those old school DT lads who comment agains the mendability of a shooting head and stripping in the shooting line but I think that they have never actually even tried the system. IMHO nothing is more easy to mend than a light (especially monofilament) shooting line - just lift up and replace. One can even mend half way the shooting head if neaded. Also one can keep the running line off the water if one wants to e.g. avoid some tricky currents effecting the shooting head etc. And then the stripping part - I think that it actually gives an egde to a shooting head fisher and more flexability to fishing. One can strip in the line if neaded or give even feed out some line. None of this can really be done with a DT line or similar lines since the casting is done pretty much using a "fixed" line. Also one will fish the shoreline efficiently by stripping in the line before making another cast. Sure interesting stuff but getting a bit too off topic for this forum. ;)

I think that I'l try the tamer guide when I rebuild my SAS during the coming Autumn. I'll let you know how i did.

I guess I have to start saving up some money for those cool CTS blanks of yours too. ;) I feel like getting a 14-16' rod.

Take care.

-Mikko-

Quote Mikko Stenberg: "I guess I have to start saving up some money for those cool CTS blanks of yours too. winking smiley I feel like getting a 14-16' rod."

And I'll be waiting in line to test it...

This tamer thing for DH rods sound pretty interesting, maybe I'll try it on my 15' GLX.

Cheers,
Sakari

Mikko
Please excuse the ignorance,but what do you mean by a line taming guide? A larger than usual guide? - I generaly go one size up from the #20 most people use, on most of my speyrods, I think I am using a #32 - they work very well! I have such a guide on my Meiser 13' #12/13 on which I use a modified Scandanavian style head with T-14 tips backed by 50 lb slickshooter - a very efficient system.
Tight Lines
Gavin