Fly Fishing Tackle – Line Choice – Sinking Line

Fly Fishing Tackle – Line Choice – Sinking Line

Using Sinking Line

Whilst fly fishing, why do fly fishermen and women need to use different lines? Well, the short answer is to get the fly you are using to where the fish are. Fly fishing is an unusual sport as most of the time whilst fly fishing you don’t know if the fish are there at all.  

So what makes a sinking line sink? The density of a fly line refers to whether the fly line float or sinks. And, if the fly line sinks, how the fly line is designed to sink.

A sinking and a fast sinking fly line  means that the line that will sink relatively quickly at a uniform rate. The actual sink rate of a sinking fly line will vary considerably and will be listed on the box. A sinking fly line can sink anywhere from 2 to 10 inches per second. Which sink rate is best really depends on how far down you need to take the fly and how fast you need to get it there. For fast moving water or real deep pools and lakes, a fast sink rate will be needed. Otherwise, you can use slow sinking lines to get the fly down to the right depth whilst still covering shallow water.

My personal preference is to use quiet a fast sinking line, something which sinks about 8 inches per second, that gets my flies/lures right to where i think the fish are and quickly. The only issue with this line for a new fly fishing enthusiast is that it is quiet difficult to cast unless you bring the whole of the line back, but to be honest, I wouldn’t want that to put a new angler off as it only takes a little practice to get the hang of it.

For the beginner angler who will be fly fishing rivers, lakes and resoviors, a floating fly line is a mandatory first fly line. Once the angler becomes proficient in casting, the sink-tip fly line is an excellent second fly line to have. A sinking-tip fly line allows an angler fishing in rivers to get their nymphs and wet flies down quite quickly into holes and in fast water, while still providing control over the fly line. On the other hand, if the angler will be primarily fly fishing lakes, an intermediate sinking line is a good choice, since the line will take the fly down slowly and because the fly line is still easy to cast. Full sinking fly lines are really only needed in specialized fly fishing circumstances or when fishing down deep in lakes and in saltwater.

For tip on fishing a sinking line and to watch me catch using it go to my fishery review.

Thanks for reading

Carl