Shooting Lines

A Brief History of Shooting Lines

Pete Gadd works the Klickitat River using a Rio Skagit Spey line, which has been modified with PowerFlex Core Shooting Line.

Jim Green introduced monofilament as a running/shooting line for distance fly casting in 1946 at the Golden Gate Casting Club. That revolutionized fly casting. Suddenly fly casters could reach what before were unobtainable distances because the small diameter monofilament greatly reduced friction between itself and the rod guides. These shooting lines were attached to high density shooting heads. Lines of this design are still used today by such legendary distance casters as 13 time World Champion, Steve Rajeff. As a matter of fact, monofilament is still the choice as shooting line for the majority of tournament distance casters today. Monofilament does have one problem however, after it has been wound on a reel for a while it tends to take on the shape of the reel spool. It tends to coil much like the Slinky kids toy. This is called memory. In the early 1960's Amnesia shooting line was developed by the Sunset company. It was was developed specifically as shooting line, and could be stretched to instantly loose all memory which greatly reduced the possibility of tangles. This shooting line remains popular after more than forty years. Monofilament shooting lines are still evolving. Rio SlickShooter with its oval cross section is very popular. Frog Hair Shooting Line is bombarded with gamma rays during manufacturing to make it slicker and more tangle free. It is the latest monofilament shooting line to hit the market. Shooting heads and shooting lines quickly migrated from the tournament scene to fishing water. Anglers found that they could cast much further with this new system. Suddenly shooting heads were available in many different densities from high floating to deep sinking. Anglers took these new lines to large rivers for salmon & steelhead and to the saltwater or anywhere long casts were needed. Cortland fine diameter coated fly lines became popular as shooting lines with anglers during the 1970's. Larry Schoenborn, while he owned Larry's Sport Centers, sold hundreds of these lines in the Portland, Oregon area between 1973 and 1980. The Cortland shooting lines remain popular today, having been proven by hundreds of anglers multiplied by hundreds of days of on the water. Rio Powerflex Core Shooting Line, complete with integrated loops is the latest development in this type of shooting line. It is exceptionally slick and tangle free because it is built on a monofilament core. This summer, Patty and I were fortunate to catch very many Dorados using Rio shooting heads and Powerflex Core shooting lines. We will use this system while fishing the Sea of Cortez next year. Lately there has been renewed interest in shooting lines. There is a wider variety of designs is available now, than ever before. New monofilaments in both solid and hollow configurations are becoming popular. Tangle-free, braided, monofilament lines have found favor. New coatings are making shooting lines slicker. The smooth surface creates less friction when contacting the water or the rod guides. Many fly fishers using two-hand rods are switching to shooting head type fly lines, and there is much discussion about which shooting lines work best in that environment. Tom Larimer & Jeff Mishler stopped by my camp on the Deschutes the other day. After casual conversation about the steelhead fishing, Jeff picked up his 8139-3 Burkheimer, and proceeded to demonstrate the art of forming long straight casts with a Scandinavian head and a braided shooting line. I tried it, and had to admit it was mighty sweet. The shooting line was Airflo Miracle Braid. I bought some for myself. Last winter on our annual G.Loomis float trip down the Sandy River, I watched as Steve Choate reach places in the river that had never been fished with a fly before. Steve, who is a member of the G. Loomis pro staff and winner of the Musto Spey Casting Championship in U.K., has always been an advocate of long belly spey lines. On this day he was armed with a Scientific Anglers prototype Skagit head and GuideLine Shooter, hollow monofilament shooting line. Some of his casts and presentations were off the chart. He explained that since this mono floats, the coils coming off the water caused less disturbance to the cast than if they had sunk, thus enabling him to cast further.

Airflo Non-Stretch Miracle Shooting Braid

One the best overall shooting/running line for coldwater fishing with spey shooting heads, is Airflo MiracleBraid. It's incredibly light so it shoots a long way, has NO memory, floats, and doesn't tangle very often. Because it has no stretch, even those dainty strikes where the fish merely "stops" the fly can be felt. The feel is immediate and very pronounced. This is a great line to use in combination with Skagit and Scandinavian heads. Some anglers are even cutting the stock shooting lines from mid-length heads and replacing them with Miracle Braid because it gives superior performance.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
MBRATDNS	Airflo Non-Stretch Miracle Shooting Braid, 40-yard spool	35-pound test	$24.95

Frog Hair Shooting Line GAMMA's new "Molecularly Altered" Frog Hair Shooting Lines offer all of the casting qualities the big water angler desires. GAMMA's exclusive process builds-in flexibility and virtually eliminates coil memory, which produces lines that will shoot further and handle easier than any other running/shooting lines. Frog Hair Shooting Lines have the "slickness" needed to achieve greater distances. This processing also helps prevent kinking and allows the line to lay in soft, loose coils that literally "shoot like a bullet" through the rod guides. In the larger diameters, stripping is also easier, more controlled, and provides more secure
hook-sets. Many shooting/running lines must be presoaked the night before and kept wet right up until fishing time to help make them more flexible. But not Frog Hair! GAMMA's proprietary manufacturing process eliminates this bothersome step to ensure greater suppleness and more flexibility throughout the line. At home in both fresh and saltwater. Fluorescent orange SIZE .030, 88-pound test 44-yard spool
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
951124	Frog Hair Shooting Line, fluorescent orange	88-pound test	$12.95

GuideLine Shooter

This is an incredibly slick, tangle free floating, hollow monofilament. This shooting line was first showed to us by Steve Choate, who is one of the most talented long distance Spey casters in the Pacific Northwest. Steve pointed out that since line coils are usually hanging in the water, especially while an angler is wading deep, it is imperative that the shooting line floats. If this line sinks it creates a lot of friction coming back out of the water when the cast is made. This friction tends to pull the front of the shooting head down while in flight, thus negatively effecting the distance of the cast. Using GuideLine Shooter, he
was able to fish parts of our river that had never been fished before with a fly.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
392113	GuideLine Shooter Ultra Float Shooting Line	35-pound test	$24.95

This fish was taken with a Rio Skagit spey line which had been altered to use Rio PowerFlex shooting line.

There are a number of reasons for using shooting heads and shooting lines. Traditionally shooting lines are used to cut down on friction in the rod guides while performing long casts. A floating or sinking head is used to load the rod, the cast is made and the head pulls the fine diameter shooting line behind it. First used for tournament distance casting, this system quickly migrated to salt water, and Pacific salmon fishing. Since then it has been used for many fly fishing applications. The newest arena where shooting heads and shooting lines are making an impact is in Spey fishing. Spey line shooting heads have been popular for a number of years in Scandinavia.

Many west coast steelhead anglers have also found Scandinavian style shooting heads to be very practical for fishing their rivers. The original Skagit style lines were shooting heads. The latest fad is to replace the running lines on Rio's Skagit Spey and WindCutter lines with Rio PowerFlex Core Shooting Line, because it is slicker and more tangle free than the original running line. Also one reel can be loaded with backing and a shooting line, and many heads can be interchanged on to it. This system creates less bulk than packing around several extra reel spools.

Rio Powerflex® Core Shooting Lines Powerflex core shooting lines feature a strong single strand monofilament core that results in a thin diameter and a very smooth finish for maximum shootability and distance. Made with RIO’s proprietary SlickShooter® Process to provide maximum durability and retain the smooth, slick coating that makes these lines so easy to cast. The ultimate shooting line when distance and manageability are important, they combine the slickness and suppleness needed for the highest in performance and are virtually tangle free. These lines were developed for
fishing with indicators for salmon and steelhead in the Great Lakes and West Coast fisheries, as well as being an excellent choice when used with any shooting heads. All Powerflex shooting lines come with RIO’s proprietary welded loops on both ends. The rear loop is small, so the backing can be attached in a very streamlined fashion. The front loop is large enough so that a whole line spool can be passed through it. Length: 100 ft (30.5 m) Colors: Floating Cold Water: Chartreuse Intermediate Tropical: Green Tint
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
19021	Rio Powerflex Core Shooting Line, Cold Water, Floating	.035-inch	$34.95
19024	Rio Powerflex Core Shooting Line, Tropical, Intermediate	.035-inch	$39.95

Varivas Airs Shooting Line
The VARIVAS® Shooting Line has become very popular with distance casters and steelhead/salmon anglers who want to reach our farther. Simply stated, AIRS reduces friction while running through your guides. You will instantly notice the difference between this and any other shooting line we are aware of. The secret is the eight air chambers that run lengthwise inside the line, which gives AIRS its floatation, and also gives it a slightly ridged cross-section on the outside for less contact with rod guide surfaces. Varivas AIRS remains supple even in winter cold water conditions for tangle-free performance. You will have to stretch it as it comes off the reel spool and then it remains straight for that casting period. Ideal for Scandinavian and Skagit style shooting heads. Hi-viz yellow for great visibility. Supplied in 100m spools (approximately 110 yards)
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
VSL-024	Varivas Airs Shooting Line	24-pound, .016	$31.95
VSL-030	Varivas Airs Shooting Line	30-pound, .019	$31.95
VSL-036	Varivas Airs Shooting Line	36-pound, .021	$31.95
VSL-047	Varivas Airs Shooting Line	47-pound, .027	$31.95

	*	Search	Catalog	Trips & Schools	Bargains
	Our Waters		Order Info	Weekly Newsletter	Events

Airflo	Frog Hair	Sunset Amnesia
Cortland	Guide Line	Varivas Airs
	Rio

7.
Cortland 444 SL Running Lines for use with shooting heads. 100' length.
Item	Description	Price	To Top
431041	Cl Running Line, Floating, Yellow .027	$22.00
431010	Cl Running Line, Floating, Mint .031	$22.00
431027	Cl Running Line, Intermediate, Blue .031	$22.00

Amnesia, Fluorescent Red, 200 ft. spool
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
AMN-R-25	Amnesia, Fluorescent Red, 200 ft. spool	.021 - 25 lb.	$4.25
AMN-R-30	Amnesia, Fluorescent Red, 200 ft. spool	.024 - 30 lb.	$5.00
AMN-R-40	Amnesia, Fluorescent Red, 200 ft. spool	.028 - 40 lb.	$5.40

Amnesia, Fluorescent Chartreuse, 200 ft. spool
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
AMN-C-25	Amnesia, Fluorescent Chartreuse, 200 ft. spool	.021 - 25 lb.	$4.25
AMN-C-40	Amnesia, Fluorescent Chartreuse, 200 ft. spool	.028 - 40 lb.	$5.40

Airflo Ridge Running/Shooting Line, Pre-looped
The perfect compliment to any shooting head, Ridge technology comes to the fore on our running lines. Reduced surface friction not only increases distance, but also helps reduce tangles - loose coils of line slide over each other easily to eliminate snarl ups. A low stretch Power core and an oversized ‘Flexi loop’ complete what we consider to be the ultimate running line for shooting heads. Color is bright orange.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
468422	Airflo Ridge Running Line	30-pound .036	$34.95

Airflo Polyfuse XT Tactical Pre-Looped Floating Shooting Line
Complete your tactical shooting head system with the perfect running line – each running line has been developed to maximise your performance for your desired application. Tactical running lines come with an oversized factory welded loop to allow pre-coiled heads to be connected without the drama associated with other connection methods. The Salmon/Saltwater running line has been developed with a remarkable low memory, low stretch braided core for incredible hook set at long range.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
053163458683	Polyfuse XT Tactical Pre-Looped Floating Shooting Line	30-pound .040	$34.95

Rio Shooting Lines
Rio SlickShooter	PowerFlex Core Shooting Line

Rio SlickShooter A super hard, slick finish oval-shaped nylon shooting line. Has no memory after being stretched before fishing each day. Has an extremely low coefficient of friction for long distance casts. Length: 115 feet
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
20490	Rio SlickShooter	35 pound-test	$9.95
20491	Rio SlickShooter	50 pound-test	$9.95