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I recently bought a Cortland sink tip kit which contains 12' of sinking line and 4 loop to loop connectors. The instructions say that I should cut the line to the length I want and then put a connector on each end. Etc.
My question is, "What length(s) do I want?" Assume I will make 2 sink tips out of the material. I was thinking that a 5' length and a 7' length would give me three tip lengths-5', 7', and 12' (5+7). But a 4' and an 8' sounds like a possiblity also.
What does anyone else do?
In the past I've made myself a number of lead heads from Cortland LC-13. If your's is the same material it is 13 grans per foot, which I believe is heavier than the normal sinking portion of a sink-tip.
In my saltwater kit I have lead heads of 6 and 4 feet, which can be combined if needed. Normally I use one or the other on a floating or intermediate line. And for extra depth, I'll put one on a full sinking line :shock:
That one gives new meaning to "chuck and duck"!
In my trout gear I carry a 6", a 2' and a 4' The 6" goes between the leader and tippet as a substitute for split shoot.
Mine all have whipped loops
Thanks Dudley,
That gives me a starting point. I thought 4'was too short but that is not your experience.
Here's what I got:
Cortland Mini-Head Kit
Available in three different sink rates, each kit contains a 12 ft. length of sinking line and four braided loop connectors. These transform any fly line into a sink-tip line, and are a must-have item for traveling anglers. With this kit it is easy to build custom sink tips in different lengths and different sink rates. Loop connections make it a cinch to change tips and dial in that perfect drift, no matter what the conditions.
Sink Rates:
Speed 3: 3" inches/second
Speed 6: 6" inches/second
Speed 9: 9" inches/second
I got the 6"/sec. Now I am leaning toward making a 4' and an 8' to start. The 8' could become a 6'and a 2' if I buy more connectors. I would still like to hear more.
I have not used a kit like that, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt. I recently took a clinic on streamer fishing given by a guide who recommended getting an integrated sink tip line with a 24 foot sinking tip. Your kit has a 12 foot sinking tip. What I would do is not cut the line, put a loop on each end of it and go fishing. If you decide that 12 feet is too long or it sinks too far, then you can cut it into 8 foot and 4 foot lengths (or whatever) and use your remaining two loops, but if it were mine I certainly wouldn't cut it before I'd fished with the full length.
Mike,
Now you have the 'kit' that tells you 'how' to put these together.
You still don't have any idea how they will cast on your rod.
Try this: Put a loop on each end of the full length (that will happen whatever you do).
Try casting it.
This will tell you a lot.
THEN, you can shorten it, divide it, etc., as you see fit.
Also, as Dudley pointed out, you can buy lead core line in different weights and make your own heads from it. One spool is plenty for the lifetime of the average fisherman. You can easily whip a loop in this stuff, or you can buy more of the loop connectors.
I've made several from the LC line, and find that the shorter ones are esier to handle. A two or three foot length on any rod up to about a 6 weight casts okay. Get up around ten feet and it feels really odd and you need major adjustments in your castng mechanics.
Good Luck!
Buddy
Somewhat depends on the type of line in your kit ( and the weight of your rod as well as water depth/speed to be fished.) With lead core ( line and kits) I make 2, 4 and 6' lengths. In most cases only 2-4 are needed and or tolerated by a mid eight rod. With the kits made from sinking line, longer lengths are desired and easier to cast. . 5 and 8 sounds like a good place to start if your kit is not lead core.
I've got that same Cortland Sink Tip kit and if I were to cast all 12' on my 5wt, it would probably snap in half. Keep in mind I'm talking about my trout and bluegill weight rods here, smallies or LMB rods certainly could handle some more. But 8feet was barely manageable and in retrospect, really wasn't manageable at all although I "got away with it". I think starting at 4' is very reasonable and will give you an oppurtunity to think about how 2x that weight will perform for you.
To make life easier and get a little more depth out of a sinking tip without the extra weight get some braided mono and use that inbetween the flyline and your sinking tip. I learned this trick from an old timer and it seems to take some of the bear out of casting a heavier tip. Loop to loop everything up and changing everything is a breeze. The braided mono seems to be pretty good at dealing with energy transfer.
I usually use 2-3 feet of the braided mono as my butt leader anyway so I just loop the tip on and then loop my leader on to that tip. The sinking tip pulls the braid down with it so it is like adding 1-2 feet of extra depth with out the extra weight.