power taper lines

[salmonfly]

madkeen said:

Does anyone know what the guideline 11/12 heads weigh uncut.

MadKeen, which Lines are you talking about? are you talking about floating lines or sinking line???
Raph.

[madkeen]

Raph I was talking about sinking lines.Springer so at 55g would that be about right for a 18ft B+W norway?

[madkeen]

Springer think most of the boys are using overhead cast with 18/20m of double taper line.Thats what I was going to try the guideline head on to see if the 11/12 would load the 18fter.I suppose adding a polytip would help with the anchor if using the spey cast.

[hairyscotsman]

I had a 11/12 power taper for my 18ft Clan macleod (10/11) and had to replace it with a 10/11 power taper as it was so heavy.
I have wet cell 2 and type 4 shooting heads cut at 18/19yds and the shorter power taper throws a longer line than either of the longer shooting heads which surprised me.
I would say i was chucking it an extra 8/10yds with the power taper. This was done on dry land but the difference was really noticable and it loaded the 18ft rod perfectly.
I know the guys on stormont fish with the longer shooting heads but is this because there has been nothing better on the market over the last 20 years than cutting DT lines
I would agree that for spey casting they may be a bit short but for an overhead or underhand cast they seem ideal.

[madkeen]

Tried the 11/12 on the 18ft norway today and they fly out overhead casting.Double spey easily 40yds,single spey a touch further.That was with the heads uncut straight out the box.

[hardygem]

I was using my new power tapers for the first time today on my 15ft lpxe . I started of with a float/sink3 and later changed over to a sink1/2 both these lines were effortless to cast(once i got my timing right) and just flew out .neither lines have been cut and i'm not sure if they need to be at all .i'll give them another outing before deciding.Overall i'm well impressed with them

[patrik]

I have the same experience. There was no need to cut the #10-11 F/S3, S1/S2 or Hover for my 15' Stinger. However, lines of the same type (e.g. F/S3) and class can vary rather much in weight. Hence, if you know what weight you want and you don't want to cut the lines: ask your dealer to weigh the lines for you before buying. This is rather common in Sweden and I figure it is one reson to go to your local dealer instead of shopping on the internet.

[jimthefish]

petersc said:

Here's a small website I wrote up to assist our local sinktip-using steelhead anglers pick up some info on the use of Scandinavian shooting heads. Some of it will bound to be old news here, but a few bits may be useful.

home.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/scando-2.html

HTH

Peter

I've just found and read this link. Excellent, useful stuff. Thank you for sharing with us.
You are obviously an expert on shooting heads, Peter.

[petersc]

Thanks, glad it was of some use.

Cheers

[elwyman]

As Jim said, an excellent read Peter - don't think I've seen a more detailed treatise on using shooting heads.

[wilson]

I was wondering what the back loops folks use with the PT lines?

I have a few with temporary kevlar loops on but I'm never satisfied with the feeling they give when you have to reel them through the guides.

-Chris

[jimthefish]

springer said:

I

I might try pushing the braided core through some regular Cortland braid to strengthen these week loops before whipping and aquasure.

You are on the right track. See attached link for the ultimate method usinig heatshrink tubing. Works a treat once you have the hang of it.
www.flyforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7749&page=2

[jimthefish]

springer said:

Cheers Mr G ;D

Have you tried it yet, is it as easy as it appears or does Mrs Springer need to stand by with the extinguisher?

Best not try it in my nylon pajamas

I have tried it and it works particularly well with the sinking Power Tapers. It melts the whole lot together like a factory weld. In case it is not clear, the heatshrink tubing is pulled off at the end of the operation.

[petersc]

I tried the heatshrink method and screwed it up horribly -- don't have the touch for it. I've also used braided loops secured by a nailknot then whip finished over the rough end and over the joint formed at the end of the fly line. That method worked OK but it was still very clunky.

Since I could never get other people's methods to work, I ended up producing my own loop system that's worked well for me. It's made up of running line loops knotted to the core, then whip finished. The knots are self-locking so the more pressure applied, the tighter the knots grip. I've tested a number of these loops to destruction and in every case, the fly line core failed first at pressures of 30 to 40lbs.

The whip finishes are colour coded so that I can distinguish a 9/10 Hover from a 10/11 while in the field.

Here's a sample:

home.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/scando-5.html

They move through guides as smoothly as factory loops and don't hang up on the tiptop.

If anyone is interested, I could provide a blow-by-blow description of how they're made.

[petersc]

After re-reading this thread, I thought it best if I make this part of the website so here's an HTML version that I installed this morning.

home.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/scando-10.html

[wilbert]

There are some good ideas here for forming the loops on the butt end of the shooting head the problem I now have is which one to go for as I am in the middle of tuning some guideline and airflo shooting heads to my B&W Norway. I am very pleased with the results so far and every time I chop off 4" it feels better to cast, so far I have dared to chop 16" off and its getting to the point where it feels pretty good.