shooting head vs flyline

[BigRedChevy11]

Hey guys its been a while. Very busy at home these days and busy on the water too!

Im still waiting on the BIG ONE but I can now go fishing and actually catch fish without makin a fool of myself????

So i have a friend whos camp is near the salmon river in NY and were plannin on givin it a shot for this years run. After doing some research I may have trouble throwing the streamers I need with minimum backcast room. In open water I dont have much trouble anymore but I dont know really what to expect up there.

Looking online I came accross a method of fishing called skagit?

Its basically a separate line from your mainline that creates a shorter, heavier shooting line for roll casting big stuff.

Has anyone had luck or experience with this line? Is it possible to achieve any kind of skagit style cast with just a 9 foot rod (8wt)

Any thoughts appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[sandfly]

better off with a shooting head and running line with a leadcore head. for an 8 wt. I would make a 10 -15 foot head. will roll cast and shoot a mile with minimum backcast too.

 

[krayfish2]

BRC,

If you are going for kings, buy a cheap 9 wt like an ugly stick as your main rod. You end up tail hooking one of those zombies and you'll snap your rod. My buddy has broken 5 rods up there over the last 2 years when fishing kings. He does rip on them but still.....it's a 25-40 pound freight train. Just a thought.

 

[ryguyfi]

Most of the kings are in the 20lb range. an 8-10wt rod is ideal but I would prefer a 9 or 10. If you're planning on swinging down low on the DSR with that crowd then get an actual switch or spey rod, but if not then you're doing very little casting. Just chuck and duck with the large amounts of lead you'll put on. It's a whole new ball game up there but is still a blast fishing for the salmon.

Once the cold hits and you're going after the steel then you can be more exact on casting and a switch rod would be good. Don't break the bank because like it was said before if you don't know exactly what you're doing (even if you do) those fish can mess up your gear pretty quick. I haven't busted a rod yet, or anyone in my group the last few years, but it's bound to happen.

 

[BigRedChevy11]

Were going up last week of october. Hoping for some steelhead action. From what I hear most the salmon fishing is snaggin up there for one and id prefer some elbow room for just everybodys safety if I can help it lol.

 

[ryguyfi]

First week of October you may get a slight overlap with the steel. But it will still be prime salmon season and you WILL fight the crowds. That said many people snag the salmon but it is without a doubt possible to catch them fairly. I have done so and many others I fish with have as well. Early October, pending the weather, you could see all species together at the same time. If you miss anything it will be the coho, because they run the whole stream in a matter of days and it's just tough to gauge when the come. But you could also hit the browns as well at that time. You will snag some here and there because there can just be a ton of fish there, but you will hook your fair share of fish legally there. Be prepared for a tough fight and if you land 25% of the kings you hook you're doing something right.

I'm probably not going this year and it's killing me.

 

[BigRedChevy11]

Yea im excited. Iv never hooked into a fish over 18 inches other than carp. Were staying fri - tuesday so hopefully monday tuesday is less people. Wel see. You guys have me worried about only bringing an 8wt. If I bust my new croix ill cry lol. I have a heavy duty spinning rod but funds are too short to dump another 400 bucks on a heavy fly outfit right now.

 

[moon1284]

8 wt is fine. It will be (very) crowded, especially in the better areas.

Fish down low (as close to the DSR as you can). You'll hit Kings, Cohos, fresh Steelhead, and Probably Browns. I'd start at the black hole and work upstream (if the water is low enough), or at the staircase and work downstream (or somewhere in between). When you find a prime spot, wake up as early as you can the following day, get there while it is still dark, then drink beer at your spot for the next hour and a half or so until 15 mins before sunrise when you can start fishing. You should be able to hook 2 or 3 fish before the eastern Europeans invade...

The SR isn't a great place to swing streamers because of the insane crowds but you can do it. Swinging streamers for these fish is fun, but you'll probably hook 1/5 to 1/10 as many as you would hook if you used egg patterns.

Oct is my favorite month on the SR (or anywhere) for steelhead, they are still silver and go nuts. The later in the season, the darker and tamer they get.

 

[krayfish2]

Late Oct should be a mix of Brown's and steel in lower section. Go to pineville bridge and take in the sights. Salmon should be up there along with 4000 anglers. Most important...watch flows and have some fun. It's a sight to see. Fish and fishermen.

 

[RisenFly]

Spend the money and put a day in on the DSR. You won't be sorry.

 

[BigRedChevy11]

sandfly wrote:
better off with a shooting head and running line with a leadcore head. for an 8 wt. I would make a 10 -15 foot head. will roll cast and shoot a mile with minimum backcast too.

What brand of shooting head should I look at? I dont think they are classified by rod weight. With having a 9ft 8wt how heavy of a head do I need to make those long roll casts?

 

[sandfly]

Cortland LC-13 works for me, comes in 100 ft. rolls.

 

[mcwillja]

krayfish2 wrote:
Late Oct should be a mix of Brown's and steel in lower section. Go to pineville bridge and take in the sights. Salmon should be up there along with 4000 anglers. Most important...watch flows and have some fun. It's a sight to see. Fish and fishermen.

Pineville? I thought you would recommend the lower fly zone for elbow room and solitude....

 

[Artifishal]

For a single-hand skagit style of casting I would recommend the Royal Wulff Ambush line. I've used it on a 5wt and it works well for throwing/swinging big streamers. I've also used the Rio Outbound Short but found the Ambush line is a better line for single-hand Skagit.

With this style of line you won't be able to false cast in the traditional sense due to the short heavy head. The running line just can't support it. However, you can throw one backcast, slip line, then bomb a forward cast.