Sink Tips for Shooting Heads?

Divad

Whitefish
In a quest to find a sink tip line in the 200-220gr window I was wondering if anybody has tried a sink tip as a shooting head/fly line hack?

The 15’ Rio Mow Heavy are 200grains and was thinking to splice that into a coated running line I have laying around.

It’s a single hand 8.5’ setup.
 

Porter2

Life of the Party
There are many options and all are personal choices. Line dumping @ SSpey mentions is a concern. When creating and casting some of these type of lines many will find slowing down and opening your cast is the best in launching these lines.

There are many intergrated sink tip lines with heads from 15' to 30'. In my opinion these will cast better than most anything you could create in trying to replicating the same line.

You could also purchase a intergrated 250 or 300 30' grain sink tip head and personalize it by cutting away (back) until you find a sweet spot. For a 30' 300 grain head if you cut off 8' you be at 220 and 22'.

The current shooting set ups I'm running on my 6 and 8 single hand weights are the airflo rage shooting heads/ rio running line/ and I use poly leader sink tips and a couple lighter MOW float/sink combo tips. I can cast a variety of ways incuding using the double haul with no hinge feel. This set up does not line dump but actually lays out pretty nice for me. It can send the fly a long ways, but it also seriously limits your mending abilities. A sacrifice for distance. If mending is a priority i use a good floating line and with a poly leader (if i want to go deep) or a traditional 15' Sink tip 3 or 6 intergrated line.

After re-reading your post you are trying to use an existing running line. So ignore the above. Go for it! The worse that can happen is you don't like it. You might be better off trying to get a 30' 200-225 grain head tho. Help eliminate the line dumping.
 

O' Clarkii Stomias

Landlocked Atlantic Salmon
Forum Supporter
These cast beautifully. Order right from the Guideline website. About 4 or 5 days in transit via DHL. Reasonably priced when the VAT is removed at checkout.
 

Divad

Whitefish
There are many options and all are personal choices. Line dumping @ SSpey mentions is a concern. When creating and casting some of these type of lines many will find slowing down and opening your cast is the best in launching these lines.

There are many intergrated sink tip lines with heads from 15' to 30'. In my opinion these will cast better than most anything you could create in trying to replicating the same line.

You could also purchase a intergrated 250 or 300 30' grain sink tip head and personalize it by cutting away (back) until you find a sweet spot. For a 30' 300 grain head if you cut off 8' you be at 220 and 22'.

The current shooting set ups I'm running on my 6 and 8 single hand weights are the airflo rage shooting heads/ rio running line/ and I use poly leader sink tips and a couple lighter MOW float/sink combo tips. I can cast a variety of ways incuding using the double haul with no hinge feel. This set up does not line dump but actually lays out pretty nice for me. It can send the fly a long ways, but it also seriously limits your mending abilities. A sacrifice for distance. If mending is a priority i use a good floating line and with a poly leader (if i want to go deep) or a traditional 15' Sink tip 3 or 6 intergrated line.

After re-reading your post you are trying to use an existing running line. So ignore the above. Go for it! The worse that can happen is you don't like it. You might be better off trying to get a 30' 200-225 grain head tho. Help eliminate the line dumping.
I think that’s a fair way to tackle this, I found a 200gr head in a sink 3/5 for $50. I’m thinking of going with that and adding a poly if need more weight.

What you and @SSPey bring up as line dumping I have had issues with in the past on lightweight heads.
 

Porter2

Life of the Party
These cast beautifully. Order right from the Guideline website. About 4 or 5 days in transit via DHL. Reasonably priced when the VAT is removed at checkout.
Always learning something new on this site. Another avenue. Thanks for info.
 

Chucker

Steelhead
In a quest to find a sink tip line in the 200-220gr window I was wondering if anybody has tried a sink tip as a shooting head/fly line hack?

The 15’ Rio Mow Heavy are 200grains and was thinking to splice that into a coated running line I have laying around.

It’s a single hand 8.5’ setup.

15’ of t8 spliced to 15’ of 9 weight floating line including the tapered bit cut from a DT, spliced to your running line… it will still dump, just not quite as bad. I have done a lot of these sort of experiments in the past, with a fair amount of tweaking you can make something that works just about OK. Fun to do if you are into it, not worth it if you just want something to fish with.
 

_WW_

Geriatric Skagit Swinger
Forum Supporter
In a quest to find a sink tip line in the 200-220gr window I was wondering if anybody has tried a sink tip as a shooting head/fly line hack?

The 15’ Rio Mow Heavy are 200grains and was thinking to splice that into a coated running line I have laying around.

It’s a single hand 8.5’ setup.
We used to build shooting lines all the time before the spey revolution.
Quick and easy method: Get a WF line and cut off the front 15' and loop at that point. Attach sink tip in the weight class your rod and line is for.

Deluxe Expert version:
Get an 8' section of belly from a DT line that is two weights heavier than your rod weight. Loop both ends. Attach one end to an .030 running line and attach either an 8wt or 10wt sink tip to the other.
 

DerekWhipple

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
These cast beautifully. Order right from the Guideline website. About 4 or 5 days in transit via DHL. Reasonably priced when the VAT is removed at checkout.
I really want to pick up one of their multi-tip scandi heads (well, all the heads they sell are scandi heads), just trying to figure out the best venue for purchase.
 

SurfnFish

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
best fly gear I have ever owned - rods, reels and lines - has been from Guideline. My mind is blanking on who on the WFF used to rep for them...traded him a camera outfit for a complete Guideline 9 wt switch outfit for kings - superb outfit.
 

DerekWhipple

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
best fly gear I have ever owned - rods, reels and lines - has been from Guideline. My mind is blanking on who on the WFF used to rep for them...traded him a camera outfit for a complete Guideline 9 wt switch outfit for kings - superb outfit.
Based on what I could find on speypages, they apparently left the US market a while ago. There is still a Canadian distributor, I'm probably going to order from them, it seems to be more cost-efficient than ordering from Europe.
 

Wanative

Spawned out Chum
Forum Supporter
There are many options and all are personal choices. Line dumping @ SSpey mentions is a concern. When creating and casting some of these type of lines many will find slowing down and opening your cast is the best in launching these lines.

There are many intergrated sink tip lines with heads from 15' to 30'. In my opinion these will cast better than most anything you could create in trying to replicating the same line.

You could also purchase a intergrated 250 or 300 30' grain sink tip head and personalize it by cutting away (back) until you find a sweet spot. For a 30' 300 grain head if you cut off 8' you be at 220 and 22'.

The current shooting set ups I'm running on my 6 and 8 single hand weights are the airflo rage shooting heads/ rio running line/ and I use poly leader sink tips and a couple lighter MOW float/sink combo tips. I can cast a variety of ways incuding using the double haul with no hinge feel. This set up does not line dump but actually lays out pretty nice for me. It can send the fly a long ways, but it also seriously limits your mending abilities. A sacrifice for distance. If mending is a priority i use a good floating line and with a poly leader (if i want to go deep) or a traditional 15' Sink tip 3 or 6 intergrated line.

After re-reading your post you are trying to use an existing running line. So ignore the above. Go for it! The worse that can happen is you don't like it. You might be better off trying to get a 30' 200-225 grain head tho. Help eliminate the line dumping.
If you please, what is line dumping?
 

Porter2

Life of the Party
If you please, what is line dumping?
It is when some short shooting heads basically want to nose dive on you instead of laying out better and/or carrying distance, (unfurl). Other saying I have heard used to describe this is line piling. Weight and length of shooting heads have a lot to do with it as does the way you try to cast these lines. In general shooting heads that are to short will limit your ability to cast longer. Hope that makes some sense.
 
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