Fly lines

[dick tabbert]

In getting ready for next year I was wondering if anybody can give me some advice on different fly lines. When I say different I mean floating, Intermediate, and sinking. I'm still an old newbie to this stuff. I have my fly rods bought don't know when found it in the barn a 4wt and my new rod I bought this spring my 2wt and the one I just purchased a 6wt. I'm hoping I have all my bases covered. I have floating line for each so I guess my question is on the intermediate and sinking fly lines. Taking into consideration I'm still a newbie do we have any suggestions on the other lines at all. Do you think they will work for me or will it be to much of a hassle.

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

Well Im waiting for the comments to come in on this question Dick. I personally have always used floating lines since I've been fly fishing. This year coming however I'm also thinking of a sinking line for crappie streamers etc. and am anxious to see the responses to your question. I hope Jen and Greg hopper will do some comments cause I think they are way advanced beyond you  and I Dick.  I would suspect however that the really fast sinks could get one into trouble in a hurry if weeds or logs are present, just a thought..........

[dick tabbert]

Tooty I'm really thinking of the intermediate line but would appreciate any input on any of the lines.

[Allen Morgan]

It's also going to depend on whether you're fishing still water, or in the current.  I do both.  My still water fly fishing is usually ponds, with a couple lakes.  Normally, I use a foam bug for that.  Sometimes I'll switch up to a Wooly Bugger.  My furled leader readily sinks, and is 7' long, plus the tippet.  Most of my still water fishing areas are easily shallower than that.  So, I stay with the floating line.

Now, my river fishing, in current, is a different story.  Depending on where exactly I am, I might be a weighted Clouser down a foot or two, but usually it's going to be moving along right below the surface, as the current drags the line.  In this situation, a sink-tip line is probably best.

This is probably going to be something you will have to try and see if it works for you or not.

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

Man what a great response Allen!!!!!!!! I don't fish current much and a sinking tip only might be the way for me to go cause I probably wouldn't be fishing more than 5-6' anyway.

[Greg McWilliams]

I use an INTERMEDIATE SINK LINE

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cortland-444-Camo-Intermediate-Fly-L...

     The last line I got was Scientific Anglers Stillwater intermediate as a close out and as near as I can figure the stopped production of the line. I have not been able to find it since!!!!!! I have not tried the sink-tip, but probably won'T because with the full sink I am not limited on depth to the length of the sink tip!!!!!!!

   

[dick tabbert]

Thanks for the comeback Allen. I do plan on fishing the Maumee River this spring which is why I purchased the 6wt fly rod.

[dick tabbert]

Thanks Greg I was thinking along the line of the intermediate because sometimes I can see fish down 10 or 15 feet and also I think the slow decent make the fly look more life like but the sink tip line sound promising also.

[Allen Morgan]

Remember, it all depends on how deep you are wanting the fly to sink, and how strong the current is.  The stronger the current, as well as the deeper you want the fly to sink, the more weight you to add.  Also, you may have to cast much further upstream than you think so that the fly has time to sink to the required depth.

Also, casting a full sinking line is much different than casting a floating line.  If you let it sink down a good ways, you basically have to do almost a full retrieve, roll cast once to get some line out, then immediately pick the line back up and false-cast to get enough line out to do the next cast.  With floating line, you just pick the line up off the water "wherever", maybe or maybe not do a false cast, and zing it back out there.

[dick tabbert]

Thanks Allen the water I'm wanting to fish is probably 2 to 6 feet at most all depends on the amount of rain we get and I don't know what a false cast is wow I have so much to learn.

[Allen Morgan]

"False Casting" is when you're casting, but not letting the fly line land to present the fly.  Just throw it out, bring it back, throw it out again, etc., adding distance when each throw.  If you have learned how to double-haul, you don't need to false cast much.  In really clear water, the fly line moving in the air could conceivably spook fish as well, so you don't want to do it to much.

2 - 6' deep puts you in the same range I'm fishing on my home waters.  The key is amount of current.  This just takes lots and lots of observation to learn what current speed will let you effectively present the bug. 

One of my favorite spots to fish has an eddy up against a dam, with a band of rather fast current, probably 4 - 6' / second, in front of the eddy, moving parallel to the dam face.  Most fish are holding in the slack water.  When I get a Clouser into the slack water, the fast-moving water between me and the slow water grabs my line, and pulls it pretty darn fast out of the strike zone.  The fly rarely gets more than an inch or two deep; I can see it plain as day moving along.  On a hot bite, I'll catch White Bass like crazy here, even though I can't get down deep.

At a different hole a few miles downstream, there is a spot that is only about 4' deep, without an eddy, buthe current is moving much slower here, maybe 6" / second.  This allows my bead-chain Clouser to drift down to the bottom, near where all the baitfish are anyway.  I've caught all sort of fish here, by doing what the Trout and Salmon folks call "up and across", casting across the current, quartering upstream, as well as "down and across", a.k.a. "fishing the swing", as the current pulls the bug through and "swings" the whole line until it's directly downstream of me.  I've caught White Bass, a Sauger, a small Channel Cat, and even had a brief hookup with a big ol' Long-nosed Gar for a few seconds.

[dick tabbert]

Sounds like my kind of fishing. Thanks for the info and I guess I do a lot of false casting.

[dick tabbert]

Thanks Mike for the comeback its all so interesting to me. When I first started out last spring I didn't realize all the options that were there. I'm still trying to learn all I can.