I fish single and two hand fly rods for salmon in estuaries, and I often use shooting heads manufactured by Rio and Scientific Anglers.
With over a decade experience fishing various products, I can whole heartedly report that the three specific shooting lines (often referred to as running lines) I show here are dependable.
I think it is relevant to note that I am very tough on my tackle, rods reels, lines and such forth. I fish long hours, and I fish around rocks, ledges, sticks, and logs. Dawn to dark days on the water are followed by food, sleep, and my return to the river at dawn the next day.
This means that I subject my tackle – all of it – to a very high stress test.
The three shooting lines featured here are
My three favorite shooting lines, Rio Slickshooter, Airflo Impact, and Airflo High Performance Intermediate.
Rio SlickShooter 50 # this is a flat/oval mono
Airflo impact 44# this is a flat/oval mono
Airflo intermediate 30# a coated intermediate fly line that is very small diameter
All of these shooting/running lines have performed at the highest level and have never disappointed.
Certainly, other shooting lines are out there on the shelves at fly shops, but I can only report the absolute reliability of these lines owing to the many years I fished them with such success.
Jay Nicholas – november 2019
Jay, how do you attach your flyline and backing to the flat oval mono running lines (like Slickshooter)?
I tie a large double Surgeon’s loop in the oval mono. Then I use loop to loop to attach backing (double Surgeon’s loop in 30lb. backing also). Naturally I tie double Surgeon’s loop in the other end of the oval mono for loop to loop marriage with the fly line. I hope this helps.