Sinking Line

[jpgrandchamp]

Looking for thoughts/recommendations on the grams for 10wt sink tip. Will be fishing mostly from shore/rocks etc. RARELY from boat.

[Hookemdude]

I use a sink tip Teeny line. I believe the tip may be in the 300 grain range. It gets down fast which is great when the water is moving or rough, but can get into the rocks quickly too. For "milder" conditions the clear intermediate has been nice.

As a bonus, that line shoots great in most conditions.

Hookem

[Hookemdude]

Actually just looked up the Teeny lines, and don't see mine there any more. These aren't rated in grains, just inches per second. I believe mine is around 8 ips.

Hookem

[E Vosko]

I'd stay away from any fast sinking tip, unless you have a spot to fish that has a serious drop off with fast water. You might want to check out a sinking intermediate line, I think Sci Angler makes a line like this.

[jpgrandchamp]

My usual line is an intermediate, but I there are some spots I fish where I think will be helpful to get down deep, fast.

[Ost]

A 10 weight rod can handle at 24' - 30' ft 350 grain sink tip.

There is a fair amount of debate on where and when to use such a tip,
but in fast moving and deep water it certainly helps.

On flats maybe not so much.

[E Vosko]

Sci Angler Streamer Express, maybe in the 250-300 grain is a good choice, @5.5 inches per second. or better get that fly movin fast!

[Hookemdude]

I agree, fast moving or deep areas are best for the sink tip. I have also found its great with a big swell coming right at you too. My floating line or clear intermediate will pile up at my feet with those conditions. So, I throw the sink tip on the back side of a wave, and start stripping. (You definitely don't want to wrap line around rocks, losing a fly is bad enough).

I have to admit that most of the time I use a floating line with a sinking fly around the rocks. It gives me access to many areas where I wouldn't throw a plug or lure.

Hookem

[KironaFly]

After years of experimentation with all brands and types of fly line I offer the following thoughts / recommendations.

From the rocks and jetties in the area, 90% of the time I would use a clear intermediate line with good handling characteristics. I highly recommend Airflo Cold Water tactical series in 11wt WFI for a typical fast action 10wt fly rod. It handles best in cold conditions and the presentation is as tactical as it gets (no colored lines to spook a fish). Around the rocks and jetties, Stripers feed looking up to what is silhouetted against the sky. So going deep when fishing surf wash isn't always necessary.

Having said that .... from a boat or targeting a deep hole I've found that the Airflo Depthfinder series is the best casting sink tip line made. Their density compensated tungsten tips sink fast and balance well with the rest of the fly line for decent turnover. Try using a 350 to 400 grain for your 10wt rod and (according to Chico Hernadez) a standard 8 to 10 foot leader for stealth presentation. The further away the fly is from a dark contrasting line tip ... the better in clear water conditions. The running line could be either floating (best around rocks or the in a rip like the Narrows River) or sinking. Use a sinking intermediate running line from a boat - deeper faster she said. Good Luck and Catch a Big One!!!

[nrrw]

I am new to salt water fly fishing and have been reading a lot about using all kinds of different lines, but when I learned to fish in Vermont growing up we used split shot to get down in the water column. Using this is a little difficult to cast but why couldn't the same principle work in the salt?