How many of you you use sinking lines and for what application?

[okflyfisher]

I have a few sinking lines: intermediate, type 3 full sink, and 30 ' type 3 sink tip but i confess i rarely use them. there are times when i think one of them would work great but i rarely take time to re rig

[ScottP]

I have a Teeny T-250 that I use for shad on the Potomac; deep river/strong currents. Intermediates I use on stillwaters.

Regards,
Scott

[okflyfisher]

Scott do you use weighted or unweighted flies on the t-250

[ScottP]

Usually weighted, including 1/16oz crappie jigs (with Mr. Twister tails); not a lot of fun to cast with a 6wt.

Regards,
Scott

[sagefisher]

When lake fishing I will use ether an intermediate line or a sink tip wen I am not dry flying. It all depends on how deep I want to go. The heavy sink tip gets me down to the bottom and the intermediate gets me in the 3 to 5 foot range for depth, the way I fish them.

On bigger and deeper rivers, I usually use a very heavy sink tip along with heavy streamers when I am chucking and ducking while fishing for Smallmouth Bass, or working streamers for large trout in deeper waters on the rivers.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[Marco]

I stubbornly have never used sinking lines. I've probably missed catching a bunch of fish but I'll never know...........for sure. A beadhead bait is the extent of my subsurface fishing experience. Even then, in the waters I fish, the deeper my nymph the more likely the take will be that of a Whitefish. There WERE times however, when I was fishing into the arc of an oxbow, that , at least a WF and a split shot line, would have been great to have rigged.
As I said. it's a "stubborn" thing.

Mark

[Byron haugh]

Marco,
I'm the same way.
I usually fish streams that don't require sinking lines.
In addition, I try to fish dry flies most of the time. I will, if absolutely nothing is working on the surface, occasionally switch to a nymph, but usually head for lunch or a beer or a nap until I can get activity back on the surface.

I am convinced that the vast majority of the trout's diet is sub-surface, but I so enjoy seeing them rise to my offering.

[cycler68]

I occasionally use intermediate and fast sinking line. I use it when it's windy and want to avoid slack in the line or when I just need to get the fly down near the bottom for walleyes or catfish. Sometimes it's handy to get the fly down a little deeper for other fish too especially in the fall or after a bad cold front.

[jcampbell]

I use 250-300 grain sinking tip on the lower AuSable when stripping large streamer. Got to have it to get to fly down in the current. Strip very fast and stand by for the take.

[dudley]

I fish full sinking lines both in lakes and in the salt.
In still water you may want to count down to a depth and then keep your line at that same depth for as long as possible during your retrieve.
You can't do that as well with a sink-tip. Sink-tips pull your line toward the surface the moment you begin your retrieve.

In the salt, besides the reasoning above, when casting in high wind, the skinny, heavy full sink line cuts through the wind far far easier than a thicker floating will.
And many folks like an intermediate line in the surf as it rides below the chop making it easier to stay in touch with your fly