sinking lines

[jemche]

how far down does a full sinking line go?

[jmercer]

Depends on what sink line you have and how long your willing to wait? How many grains in the the line? My experience with fast sink lines with 350 grain, i usually won't fish anything deeper than 40-45ft. Still have to wait a good bit for it to get there.

jmercer

[Dave Sikorski]

Jake-

Depth varies on a number of things.

Current, drift speed, fly type...buoyancy/weight....line thickness/drag coef......etc. There are too many variables to list

Any sinking line will eventually get to the bottom, but most have their limits.

Most lines are rated in grains, and also have a sink rate measured in ips...inches per second. A certain number of grains will be necessary to load a rod of a certain weight to allow a decent cast.

With a Rio Deep Lake 7, I can get a decent sized fly down and drag the bottom in at 30+ feet on most days and under most conditions. The line is 100ft and is full sinking, so in theory it could stand straight up and down in 100ft of water. When factoring conditions, I'd say 45ft or so should be the max depth you can really fish.

Also remember that b/c of the techniques used to get the line down that far, and the variables listed above, you will be limited in the time you can keep the fly down there in the "strike zone".

whatcha got in mind? When are we gonna tear up some seabass this summer?

-D

[CapeMayRay]

I agree with Dave. Current plays the biggest part. I like to use in around the deep fast moving water at the inlet jetties. 350 and 450 works great. Even with the sweep of the current your line will get down to a decent depth. If there is no current it will sink down to the bottom if you let it.

Also have a full sinking line that I use when fishing the rips. Throw it up current and it will get down in deep water. It is almost like vertical jigging as your fly line goes straght down to the bottom. 45 to 50 feet you can get down. Find you can strip it up a bit and then drop it back. A lot of work but very doable.

With deep sinking lines, you really have to be on your toes around inlet rocks. If you pause too long and do not pay attention your fly line will sink deep and your fly line will be hung in the rocks.

On the plus side they cast very well when it is windy.

[Dave Sikorski]

Jake, this fish was caught with the exact method Ray has described. Cast down drift/up current and let it get down. strip a few times, let line back out, strip a few times, let back out. When you line angle gets more shallow, start over again.

5" bucktail deciever.



-D

[jemche]

alright thanks. i will be mainly fishing in waters up to 35 feet sometimes with heavy curent. i have an 8 weight... any suggestions

[Dave Sikorski]

I'd go with a Rio lake. It's rated for 7-9wts.

-D