A plug for sinking lines

[Migs]

Check this link out:
[url=http://www.byrdultrafly.com/sublines.htm:c9ec0]http://www.byrdultrafly.com/sublines.htm[/url:c9ec0]

The chart on seconds to a given depth are priceless.

Migs

[dudley]

I guess I must live in the dark ages.
When the author refers to sinking lines, he is talking about what I call intergrated lines.
To me a sinking line would be what is sometimes called a "full sinking" lines.
I have read many times over that full sinking lines are hard to cast and must be striped in further before the pick up and back cast.
I own and use many sizes and sink rates of sinking lines and have never had these problems.
In fact in some cases, like when it is very breezy, I find a sinking line easier to cast.
Sometimes when I really want my fly to go down I even add a LC-13 lead head. Don't forget to duck!
Full sinking lines seem to be on the verge of being fazed out in favor of the much more expensive intergrated lines. I wonder why??
This is a shame because the knock on full sinking lines is unfounded.

[salmonguy]

Hi Migs,

In the spring and in the fall in Eastern Canada when water levels are high and fish are staying near the bottom of the rivers you have to use sink tip lines if you want to hook fish. Last fall in October when a friend and I fished the Margaree River in Nova Scotia, we had stepped into a pool where 2 people who were using floating lines for about 2 hours never even had a bump and on my first 2 trips though the pool hooked 2 salmon, one about 10 Lbs and one about 12 Lbs and my friend on his 3rd trip through hooked a 43" fish. You talk about 2 guys that were pretty purturbed and left. Some people say that fishing with sink tips that you will foul hook more fish, but I disagree. In all the years I have salmon fished I only foul hooked one fish and that was with a dry fly. When conditions call for it, I think that a sink tip line is the way to go. I have different setups where I have standard floating lines and standard sink tip lines and I also have setups with the multi tip lines with lines from slow decent to fast decent in different lengths.
As far as Dudley's comment on stripping more line in, my comment is depending on how heavy a sink tip you are using. If you are fishing a 30 foot heavy sink tip in deep water there is no way I could pull all that line up with out stripping more line then I would fishing a floating line.
Sometimes if you want to catch fish go with a sink tip.

My 2 cents worth,
Alan (salmonguy)

[Migs]

Im not sure what you mean by integrated line but sinking lines like the SA Stillwater are my bread and butter. They are a bit tougher on the beginning caster because you cant see them as well during the back cast, but once in the water they sink along their entire length and are impervious to wind. The clearness helps with the stealth too. Cortland also makes a good clear sinking still water line. -Migs

[dudley]

Both the Teeny and the Orvis depth charge from the article are intergrated lines
Long sinking head, intergrated with a floating or intermediate running line.

[ducksterman]

So would all sink tip lines be integrated?...I'm not familiar with the term so want to be sure I understand.

[Fly Goddess]

In sinking lines, I do use and love the depth charge which you buy by the grain (200 grain for 5wt. and 250 for 6wt. is what Jim Lepage recommends) Most sinking lines are made with tungsten which in it's raw form is dark gray powder so lines range from dark green to black (at least the front half of the line)
Then there is the density compensated which means that the line is designed to sink at the same rate throughout the taper so it does not form a belly as it sinks.
Then there is sly line for spooky fish. It sinks slowly. leaving no wake as you retrieve.
And Wet cell which does form a belly, great for weedy places.
FWIW
Fly Goddess

[tailingloop]

ducksterman,

The term 'integrated line', at least in all usages that I have seen and heard, refers to a shooting head factory joined (integrated) with either a floating or intermediate shooting line. Traditional shooting heads are looped, spliced, or otherwise joined with a shooting line by the anglers. I believe Jim Teeny produced the first integrated line.

An integrated line will typically have a 24-32 foot shooting head portion with the back taper ending about where the shooting head transitions to the shooting line.

Whereas as standard shooting system give the angler more flexibility, such has the ability to easily switch between heads of different sink rates on the same reel as conditions dictate, many anglers find integrated lines to be quicker and easier to dealy with since they don't need to build their own connections.

Sink tips are typically 20 feet or less but have a standard WF taper.

[This message has been edited by tailingloop (edited 03 March 2006).]