Casting a sinking tip line

FAOL Community Fly Anglers Online
1

The last time I had a question I received a lot of good advice so I am back again with another question.

I recently purchased my first sinking tip line and am finding it much more difficult to cast than a floating line. Both are WF5 and made by the same manufacturer. Both are using the same leader, tippet, and antron yarn practice fly. I have finally become relatively proficient at casting the floater (decent loops, good turnover, reasonable accuracy) but when casting the sinker the loops look more like circles, the turnover is poor, and the line doesn’t shoot very well. Is this normal? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Regards,
JW Healy

2

How much line are you lifting off/from the water with each line?

3

So far this is just backyard practice. I do know (I have read) that you are supposed to roll cast a sinker and false cast it once in the air.

JW

4

There is a trick we use to cast a sink tip line. Once you learn & Master the technique you will be surprised at how easy it is to cast.

  1. retrieve the line until you have only the sinking tip and a few feet of running line beyond the rod tip.
  2. execute a roll cast, this will bring the line to the surface
  3. immediately after the roll cast perform a single back cast before the line gets a chance to start sinking again
  4. Haul & shoot, (you should be able to cast the whole line or very close to it)
5

Stop your rod. :slight_smile:

6

If you strip fast enough you can skip the roll cast, Saltwater guys are the master at this.

7

Good Post JC. In fact stop your rod sooner then normal. Gravity likes sinking line. Imagine your target is 10 or so feet above the surface. Stop your rod a little higher & earlier in the stroke.

8

What has been helping me with these things is a roll cast to get it up then a sidearm backcast followed by and overhand foward cast…keep a bend in the rod the entire time don’t wait for the rod to unload on the backcast. It’s called the Belgian Cast and it’s helped me with these 300 grain bricks I’m trying to cast on an 8wt. Here is a link:
http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/techniques/lord_belgian.aspx

Might help,
Janus