Thoughts on shooting head for beach fishing:
I stuck a 200g Commando head on my beach rod today and fished the usual spots!
Hooked 5 or 6 fish (despite the wind) and landed 3, but I was really experimenting with casting, fishing and landing a fish with the shooting head system.
Previous to this I used a SA full integrated intermediate line and a regular 10 lb fluorocarbon leader.
Today: 200g OPST commando head, with a 55g RIO sink tip (slow). Mono running line and a 5' fluorocarbon leader
Pros:
1. You can shoot a mile of line with a regular overhead cast or a single hand spey cast.
2. It can deliver pretty heavy flies out to distances I probably can't reach consistently with my double haul.
3. You can switch up tips and go from sink to intermediate with ease.
4. Using a single spey or snap-T, you can comfortably cast without the repeated hauling of line (I have elbow tendonitis)
Cons:
1. Stripping the head back into the guides is super annoying. I had a loop to loop connection and it would consistently get caught and interrupt the stripping in. I have hooked fish pretty close to the beach and this is hard to keep smooth.
2. After stripping all the line in, you have to either roll cast or shake all the line out and set up for another cast.
3. The waves/wind push around the floating head more than an intermediate line. (Not terrible but with wind and current, it changes the path)
4. The sink tip sinks too fast. (not the problem with the head, but an intermediate tip or combo tip would work much better.)-also a shorter tip would work much better- like the OPST 5' tip (which NO ONE has in stock)
5. Mono running line isn't super fun to handle in the salt water.
6. Setting up a spey cast without current isn't always easy.
Thoughts:
1. I wish I could try a head/integrated line with the same density as the 200G OPST. Ideas??
2. Any ideas for a running line to head connection knot that will hit the guides less?
3. Any thoughts on tips or densities of tips?
4. Next test is my trout spey….to be continued…
Brian
I stuck a 200g Commando head on my beach rod today and fished the usual spots!
Hooked 5 or 6 fish (despite the wind) and landed 3, but I was really experimenting with casting, fishing and landing a fish with the shooting head system.
Previous to this I used a SA full integrated intermediate line and a regular 10 lb fluorocarbon leader.
Today: 200g OPST commando head, with a 55g RIO sink tip (slow). Mono running line and a 5' fluorocarbon leader
Pros:
1. You can shoot a mile of line with a regular overhead cast or a single hand spey cast.
2. It can deliver pretty heavy flies out to distances I probably can't reach consistently with my double haul.
3. You can switch up tips and go from sink to intermediate with ease.
4. Using a single spey or snap-T, you can comfortably cast without the repeated hauling of line (I have elbow tendonitis)
Cons:
1. Stripping the head back into the guides is super annoying. I had a loop to loop connection and it would consistently get caught and interrupt the stripping in. I have hooked fish pretty close to the beach and this is hard to keep smooth.
2. After stripping all the line in, you have to either roll cast or shake all the line out and set up for another cast.
3. The waves/wind push around the floating head more than an intermediate line. (Not terrible but with wind and current, it changes the path)
4. The sink tip sinks too fast. (not the problem with the head, but an intermediate tip or combo tip would work much better.)-also a shorter tip would work much better- like the OPST 5' tip (which NO ONE has in stock)
5. Mono running line isn't super fun to handle in the salt water.
6. Setting up a spey cast without current isn't always easy.
Thoughts:
1. I wish I could try a head/integrated line with the same density as the 200G OPST. Ideas??
2. Any ideas for a running line to head connection knot that will hit the guides less?
3. Any thoughts on tips or densities of tips?
4. Next test is my trout spey….to be continued…
Brian