I angler, I’m going to play the devils advocate here …..
AMNESIA …… RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN FROM THIS STUFF!

Did ‘ya ever play with a”slinky” when you were a kid – think you can cast with this kind of stuff????

OK, there are two camps about Amnesia and there is no middle ground.
Some love it – others hate it!
If you like to soak your running line overnight, spend valuable fishing time stretching the stuff instead of fishing , soaking it in a stripping basket with water - then you’ll love it because it will cast well and sink fast.

I do agree with Budd on 35lb mono for a shooting line, but go one step further and run 50lb super braid inside and it will be the best shooting line ever – but be careful, unless you wear gloves, this stuff will cut your fingers with a hot fish.
No stretch – no memory.

My recommendation is to go with Blanton’s M/M systems.
Buy a cheap discontinued floater or intermediate fly line and cut the head off.
Install braided mono loops on both the shooting line and head for future use.
Buy some Cortland LC13 (lead core 13gr/ft) and build a 28-30 ft shooting head for about $6.00 bucks. It works as well as T heads but will kink if not careful, but not a problem.

As time goes on you can graduate to Mastery shooting lines at diameters to suit your needs, and add Rio shooting heads in various weights. They have welded loops installed.
Carry them in a wallet and eliminate need for spare reels and spools.

That will get you started for about $20.00 bucks.
This isn’t my idea – it’s from a FFF hall of Famer that is the best Striped Bass fisherman in the country – bar none.
He also hates Amnesia ...

Guys be willing to try different things, thats what's great about this sport. What might work for you, might not work for someone else.

Windknot you just summarized the entire fishing situation!

Man, the input has been great. Not sure if I know how I will put the system together yet, but I understand it a whole lot better. One thing I do know, I'll not be using mono for a running line (which probably includes amnesia from what I'm reading). I do remember many years ago trying to use the front end of a WFF line tied to mono to try to cast to the channel in a pond we couldn't wade or boat in. Gave me a lot of headaches. I realize things might be better since 30 years have passed since then, but I'm line shy now.

Heads carried in wallets is the way I'll go. Now, if it'll be a T-14 (which I'm understanding is a level line), or one of the many commercial heads (which sound to me to have a belly and a forward taper), or the LC 13 (again, sounds like a level line just filled with lead instead of tungston)I don't know. I do know, eventually I hope to have a variety of mix and match head sections like described in Mr. Blanton's website.

Thanks again for all the input, and feel free to add new stuff that comes to mind. I'm learning A LOT with this thread.

I think the last time I bought some LC13 I found a coil on a rack in Barlow's in Richardson. I don't see it in their catalog, but sometimes it works out that way.

Big Dale

I hate to drag this back up, but would this system fit what I'm looking for? http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/item/LL-210300-0000/26200/RIO-Products-VersiTip®-Fly-Line.html
It seems like the mix and match system I was wanting to build, but without the building requirement. $135 is a little steep for me right now, but seems like it would actually be cheaper to buy this system than to build all the parts from disected lines.

And thanks for the input on the stripping baskets. I was thinking of just using an old cardboard box and some twine. Something a little more durable sounds a lot better.