What is the best way to get a fly down deep? Say 20 feet or so. I usually fish small streams and creeks so I don’t really need to spend the $ for a sinking line(besides I’m broke:() I know Orvis makes a sinking tip that you can add to a floating line with a loop to loop connection. How well do these work? What other options do I have? What about a long tapered leader tied out of mono? Weighted maybe?
thanks in advance,
hNt
Depths of 20 feet are very difficult to reach with a short sink tip, even if made from a leadcore or tungsten line. The tips are not long or dense enough to pull a floating line down to twenty feet without a long wait in calm water and not at all in a current.
A integrated line with a 24 to 30ft head, or a shooting head system with a head made from a leadcore or shooting head material works much better. But even if funds are limited there is still a way to get down there.
If you have a standard wt forward line, reverse it on the reel and put a loop in the end that used to go to the backing.
Assuming your rod is an 8wt or smaller, Get a 30 foot coil of Rio T8 (8 grains per foot of line -sinks at 7 inches/sec) tungsten shooting head material. Costs about $20 for a 30ft coil or a local shop may sell it by the foot from bulk spools. For a 5wt rod, cut this to about 24-25 feet, a 6wt 26-28ft, a 7 or 8wt leave it at 30ft. Put a loop in one end to loop to your fly line. You just created a short shooting head system using the running line of your WF line as the shooting line and the T-8 as the shooting head. Using the back 40ft of the WF line and the T8 with a leader you will be able to make casts of 65-85ft or so and this will sink faster than any sink tip line. It won’t be as ideal as an integrated or interchangeable shooting head system but it will work.
If your rod is an 8wt or heavier, you can use Rio T11, T14, or T17 as appropriate or substitute Scientific Anglers bulk Express 10+, 12+, 14+, or 18+ line, which can also be purchased by the foot.
Next least costly approach is to get a Teeny Basic sink line to match your rod. These lines are about $35 and have a 20ft fast sinking tip with a floating running line. It wont sink as fast as the setup I described above but is better than a short sink tip line.
http://www.allenflyfishing.com/flyline.html
Try one of these WF Sinking lines…don’t know a thing about them other than they should go deeper then the sink tip…cost is about the same or a couple bucks more.
I have a 9’ lead core sink tip and it won’t get you 20 feet with a floating line.
Sorry, I have used this floating line with no problems, I imagine the sinkers are OK as well…good company to deal with.