Thread: Sinking fly line

Buffy,

Sinking lines are almost always used for sinking flies. I don't use them. I find that a floating line with a long leader works better for me.

Sinking lines have different sink rates and they cast differently than floaters. Here's a good primer for you:

http://www.byrdultrafly.com/sublines.htm

Thanks for the link! At least my other rod has the 'right' stuff on it. I'm just too cheap to waste brand new line. I could get another reel.....
Great article, it even let me print it.

I use a floating fly line (WF-5-F) as my main line and use about a 9 foot leader most of the time for my 5wt. I fish this for shallow water both surface and unweighted subsurface flies. I use weighted flies if I want to get the fly down faster. I have a spare spool for the reel and a slow sink (Type 1 I think) full sinking fly line with a 9 foot fluorocarbon leader (WF-5-S) I use to get the fly down in really deep water with both unweighted and weighted subsurface flies. Works well for me but I like to use weighted flies where there is a water current.

On the sinking line

Yep looks like another reel in my future. Great pics! You can imagine my surprise (to put it mildly) because I was not expecting it. I've been using about a 6ft leader, maybe I'll go longer.

Buffy,

Shorter leaders are fine with sinking lines. If you use a long leader with a sinking line, the fly tends to float above the fly line. With a shorter leader, the fly tends to sink at the same rate as the fly line. In one of Lefty Krey's books, he has a picture of a 6" (yes, inch, not feet) leader with a sinking line! I think that's an extreme example, but you get the picture.

Good luck. Like you said, you now have an excuse to buy more tackle!

Like Kevin said, you probably don't need a 9 foot leader for the sinking line but I would strongly suggest you use the fluorocarbon leader (actually for the tippet section) so the leader will sink. It takes longer for a standard monofiliment leader to sink than a fluorocarbon leader. As far as sink rates go, my "weighted flies" tend to drop at the same or greater sink rate of the sinking fly line regardless of leader length which is usually ideal for me. But my "unweighted flies" do not and the fly line sinks faster than the fly so maybe that is what Kevin is referring to. The slow constant sink rate of both fly and fly line is what I'm usually looking for because it gives fish (especially Specks) more time to take the fly on the drop. But water current can upset this so I go with weighted flies usually so the fly drops at the same or greater rate than the fly line. Many sight oriented fish like Specks I think tend to look and feed up rather than down. Best of luck.

Originally Posted by dixieangler

But my "unweighted flies" do not and the fly line sinks faster than the fly so maybe that is what Kevin is referring to.

Exactly! Thanks for clarifying, Robert.

A lot of times you can use the sinking line with unweighted flies. The flies has more action and is less hendered when it is unweighted and sometimes they just work better than weighted flies when fished on sinking or sinktip lines. A good example and a good fly is an unweighted woolly bugger on sinking line. Try it you might be surprised with the results. It has the result that disco talked about and it floats up. It works great in the right circumstance.