I currently have an 8-weight with the Rio Aqualux intermediate sink line. I also have a 10-weight rod but no lines for that one. So far, I’ve been fishing river mouths that are wind protected with no surf to cut through, so the 8weight hasn’t been a handicap.
I’m planning to put a sinking line on the 10-weight and try to get along with the 8weight intermediate sink and a 10weight sink line. We are talking NY, NJ, and CT fishing for now.
I’ve been looking at the various Rio Striped Bass sinking lines. Of course, they have various sink rates. What would you think is the most useful such line to have?
Maybe I would want to put an intermediate sink line on the 10weight as well?
I will be doing some bay fishing in the very near future. And since the Hook is so close, it calls strongly.
[This message has been edited by BigFlatBrook (edited 02 May 2006).]
For maximum flexibility, I use a system of interchangeable shooting heads that include floating, intermediate, slow and fast sinking and lead core heads.
The basic rule of thumb for selecting shooting heads to match a rod heads of about 27 to 30 feet in length, is to select one two weights greater than a rod’s rating. Since most heavier rods are rated based on carrying 40-50 feet of a full length line, you are not overloading the rod. Rio not rates their shooting heads assuming upsizing by two. So Rio’s 10wt heads for example, weigh about the same as S.A.'s 12wt heads. Rio lists the weight in grains on the box. For all around use, an intermediate shooting line is a good compromise in a shooting line for most conditions.
This type of system is a lot less expensive than purchasing a bunch of full length lines and spools to hold them.
If I were going to use JUST ONE sinking line for the salt I would get the fastest sinker I could and use less of a count down on shallower marks, or for not fishing so deep.
A RIO T14 might be a little too fast and is a head, so if you are not comfortable with heads then go for something like a Teeny T400 or RIO Outbound Type 8 for the ten weight, both lines I use and like a lot. Airflo make decent sinkers and they are cheap as chips.
A good trick you see the surf fly fishermen use in MA, NJ and CT is to use a fast sink and a buoyant fly, so the fly sits off the bottom, adjust the leader length to change the depth it sits off. It can be hard on the line though, as you are dragging it across the bottom. I use a cheap line like a type 8 Airflo or a T14 for this type of fishing.
If you want a very fast sinking integrated line, check out Scientific Angler’s Custom Tip Express. It has a very fast sinking high density 32 foot head (of a material similar to Rio’s T14) married to an intermediate shooting line. The head may be cut to a size that matches your rod weight wise and at $40 is less than most integrated lines.
I’m a real dinosaur when it comes to lines.
The full sinking lines that I use are getting harder and harder to find.
Besides a type I (intermediate), I use type III and type VI.
If my fly is still not getting down enough I’ll add a leadhead of LC13.
I’m a cheap SOB so this method is not for everyone, but it works for me.