Shorter sinking lines
- This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated May 10, 2012 at 9:11 pm by
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I have SA Mastery Series Streamer Express I use on couple of rods when I streamer fish out of a boat during generation, where I live in middle Tennessee.
The 30′ heads are to much for the low water of my home tailwater, Elk River.
I’m looking for something to use on the lower river for Smallmouth, in the 10 to 15′ range with a type 3 sink rate.
Looking at the RIO 15FT TYPE 3 SINKING TIP
and
SA Mastery Series Wet Tip III
any pro’s or con’s with either ?
Today, I used a 6′ T-14 leader I made up with RIO braided loop connectors, worked good but I prefer an integrated head.
David –
Are they too long because of the casting distance or because they’re sinking out from under you on a long retrieve?
David
Length of a sinking head really doesn’t correlate directly to depth. It’s really all in the sink rate and what it’s attached to. The only thing length does is that it can keep your fly sinking longer, since it takes more time to strip in 30′ than it does 15′ (depending how you strip too).
It can get a bit complicated when you add a floating portion to the head, like on the two lines you mentioned. Obviously, the floating portion is going to want to float – which inhibits how your fly is going to sink. The floating line actually will hold up the short sinking portion to an extent. For instance, a Type III line alone can sink approximately at 3 inches/second. Now attach 15′ of Type III to a floating belly and you’ll have the tip of that 15′ of line sinking at 3 inches/second with the back of it barely sinking at all.
The Streamer Express lines are 30′ of Type VI attached to an intermediate running line. They go deep and stay deep. A short sink tip attached to a floating belly will not go deep and stay deep.
Both the lines you mentioned are good choices, however, I’d consider a bit faster sink rate. A Type III attached to a floating belly will only keep the fly right below the surface. If you want a bit deeper, I’d probably go with a faster sink Type.
I’ve been doing my reseaech and just noticed it was attached to a floater. The Express head is great for sink rate just to long a head fir the river width. I can cast from bank to bank in most places, put me in the middle of the river in my buds Towee and I need 10 to 15′ head
I have only rarely fished the Elk, but when I did, it seemed like an intermediate line with a weighted fly was about ideal. It’s a small tailwater, not much current, and not too deep in most places, so the sinking lines I use on the Caney were overkill.
I don’t like sinking heads attached to floating running lines.
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