Fly fishing with a sinking line is sometimes the best way to catch fish when the trout sit deeper in a river, or a Stillwater like a lake or a pond, and a floating line won’t reach them.
I first used a sinking fly line when fishing for trout in the UK. Sinking lines allowed me to fish my flies across the entire water column, allowing me to target exactly what depth the trout were feeding at.
However, sinking fly lines can be a little confusing, as there are many types to choose from. Picking the right sinking line for the situation is key to catching fish.
Fly Fishing with Sinking Line
A sinking line sinks, as opposed to a floating line that floats. They come in various types and have different sink rates measured in inches per second (IPS), which allows you to control how deep your flies go.
Types of sinking lines
There are three main types of sinking fly lines: full sinking lines, intermediate fly lines, and sink tip lines. Each one is a little different from the next, and they all have different sink rates to match the depths you want to fish your flies in.
Full Sinking Lines
Full-sink fly lines are great when fly fishing in deeper lakes. The lines sink quickly, allowing your streamers or nymphs to reach as deep as possible.
On full sinking lines, the entire 90 feet of the fly line sinks thanks to its heavier density, allowing you to get down to the bottom if you want to. Complete sinking fly lines come in different sink rates; the higher the sink rate or IPS, the faster it goes down.
You wouldn’t use a full-sink line on a river often, as its full-sinking properties would require you to hook the bottom a lot; it is best used for lakes.
Sink Tip Line
A sink tip fly line has a front taper head made of a full sinking section of line around 10 feet to 30 feet in length with a main body of floating line behind it, hence the name.
A sinking tip on the end of a floating line gives you a limited amount of the water column to fish, as it will only sink as far down as the length of the sink tip and stop sinking due to the floating line.
This makes a sinking tip fly line incredibly useful in a lake when fish are feeding in the top 10-30 feet of water or when you want to fish a streamer through a deep pool in a river. When fly fishing for salmon or steelhead in big rivers, a sink tip fly line is a must to get you fly down into the feeding zone, especially if the current is strong.
Each sinking tip line has a different sink rate, and you can even buy sinking tips to add to your floating lines with a loop-to-loop connection.
Intermediates
An intermediate sinking fly line is a full sink line that sinks slowly, letting you keep the fly just below the surface or at a depth you choose. It’s like a floating line that is only a bit and slowly becoming a sinking fly line.
I love fishing with intermediates on lakes when the fish are eating around 2 feet to 10 feet under the surface. The slow sink rate means you can keep your streamers and nymphs in the target zone.
Picking The Right Sinking Fly Line
The first thing anglers must do is match the best-sinking fly line with the water they are fishing in. The deeper the water, the faster the sinking fly line they’ll need to get down deep.
Generally speaking, a full sinking or intermediate line is good for deep still waters when fishing on foot or from a boat, while sink tip lines are better for rivers. But sink tips are also useful for stillwater fly fishing when the fish are feeding a foot or so under the surface.
What about sink rates?
Sink rates can range from 0.5 – 8 IPS, and a faster-sinking fly line should be fished in deeper waters.
You can also use the IPS rating to determine how deep you’re fishing. With a 4 IPS line, if you count to 12 before you retrieve, your fly will be 4 feet (48 inches) under the surface of the water.
On the next cast, you can count to 24 seconds before you retrieve and fish your fly at 8 feet under the water’s surface. This allows you to fish different depths with your streamer on nymph to find where the fish are feeding.
Rigging Sinking Lines
You want your leader to be short and tough when adding leaders to a sinking fly line, whether they are sinking tips or full sinkers.
A short leader, around 4 ft, allows the leader to sink at the same speed as the fly line sinks, giving you a straight, direct retrieve. A longer leader will sink slower than the line sinks and create a bow between the sink tips and the fly. This leads to hooking the bottom and snagging.
Using longer leaders can give the impression that your fly is swimming down before coming up, which can be helpful in still waters. But generally, the leader should be short and tough.
Casting With Sinking Fly Lines
Whether you’re fishing with a full sink or sink tip line, it is harder to cast than a floating line. The casting difficulty comes at the beginning of your cast, as the front portion of the line and fly are under the water, making it hard to start your cast properly.
These lines also have some extra weight, and you have to manage the extra weight on your cast just like you would on a shooting headline.
When starting your cast, strip in more lines so that it’s easier to lift the front portion out of the water and begin casting; once airborne, you need to open up your casting stroke to get a wider loop. The wider loop helps manage the weight of the line, and you can control the line better to avoid it tangling.
FAQ’s
When should I use a sinking fly line?
A sinking fly line is best used when fishing in a deep body of water or in a fast current. Sinking lines allow the angler to quickly get the fly down to the desired depth, which can be necessary when fishing for species such as steelhead, salmon, and trout.
Why use a sink-tip fly line?
A sink-tip fly line is used when fishing in deep waters or fast currents. The sink tip line provides the angler with a convenient way to get the fly down to the desired depth without constantly adjusting the leader. This can be particularly helpful when fishing in a deep body of water, where a floating line would never reach the desired depth. The sink tip line also allows the angler to cast further and cover more water, making it an ideal choice when searching for fish.
How deep can you fish with a sinking fly line?
The depth at which you can fish with a sinking fly line depends on the type of line you are using. Generally, most sinking fly lines will sink at a rate of 1-2 inches per second, so depending on the water you are fishing in, the fly can reach depths up to 10-20 feet.
How do you attach a tippet to a sinking line?
To attach a tippet to a sinking line, start by tying a small loop at the end of the leader. Then, thread the tippet material through the loop and pull it tight. Finally, tie a clinch knot to secure the tippet to the leader.
What leader should you use with the sink-tip fly line?
The type of leader you should use with a sink-tip fly line depends on the kind of fish you are targeting and the depth of the water. Generally, it would be best to choose a leader that is strong enough to handle the weight of the fly and the sinking line but still flexible enough to cast efficiently. A leader length of 7-9 feet is usually a good starting point.
How do you fly fish with a sinking line?
We have touched on this already, but we’ll go into some more detail and show you fish with a sinking line, depending on the water you’re fishing in.
If fly fishing on a stillwater, you should cast out your flies and count down in seconds, calculating in the IPS of the line, until they reach the desired depth, then strip them back in. Continue doing this while trying different depths to find the feeding zone.
When using a sink tip line with streamers, cast your streamer across the river to the other bank. Then, let the sink tip line sink for a few seconds and strip your streamer back across the river.
This can be done while wade fishing or from a boat, and you can control how deep your streamers are by adding more or fewer seconds before you strip them back.
What color flyline is best?
Whether you’re fishing a floating or sink tip line, the color does matter, even more so when the line sinks. Darker colors such as green, brown, and black are good for sink and sink tips as they are more complicated for the fish to see under the water.
What size rod is best for lake fishing?
When fishing on a lake you should be using at a minimum a 5wt fly rod, even with a dry fly. You can go up to a 7/8wt depending on the size of the species you’re targeting. The reason for the heavier rod is so that you can cast the long distances sometimes needed on big stillwaters.
When would you use a sinking leader?
Sinking leaders are great for swinging wet flies and streamer flies in rivers. But don’t use a sinking leader with tungsten or bead head nymphs as they will drag your indicator down.
A sinking leader can be used with all flies bar dries on still waters, and it is ideal for fishing in 1-4 feet of water.
When would you use a tip line?
Sink tip lines are ideal for rivers when fishing streamers for trout, steelhead, and salmon. They allow the fly to enter the midsection and in front of the fish.
They are also great in Stillwater, as the sink tip lets you fish in the top 10 feet of the water, where trout often feed in lakes. You can also use a sink tip for bass to make a popper or a frog fly swim with more action.
Conclusion
Fly fishing with a sinking line is essential when targeting trout that sit deeper in lakes or rivers. While sinking lines can seem complex due to their variety and sink rates, understanding the different types—full sinking, sink tip, and intermediate lines—helps anglers choose the right setup for the water they’re fishing.
Mastering the use of these lines, combined with short leaders and careful casting, ensures that anglers can reach the right depth and improve their chances of catching fish in various conditions.
