All of us should own a sinking line for fishing in the seasons when the fish go down. In this post we gathered the best sinking fly lines currently available and where to purchase them.
When it’s summer or winter and the fish go deep to stay warm or cool and feed, you’re going to need the best sinking fly line to get your fly and leader into the strike zone.
| Image | Product | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Best For LakesRio In-Touch Deep Type 6 Sinking Fly Line |
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![]() | Best For River FishingScientific Anglers Type LLL Frequency Sink Tip Fly Line |
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![]() | Best OverallCortland Line 444 Full Sinking Fly Line |
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![]() | Best Back-Up Sinking LineScientific Anglers Freshwater/Saltwater Intermediate Sinking Fly Line |
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Our Best Sinking Fly Lines
Rio In-Touch Deep Type 6 Sinking Fly Line
Key Features
- Fast sinking to get your fly down quickly and to the bottom
- Powerful shooting head that loads the rod quickly for casting
- Rio hanger marker so you know when the line is ending
- Tight Rio core for a direct connection to subtle bites
- Made specifically for fishing on lakes
Tech. Specs
- Type: Full Sink
- Sink rate: 6-7 inches per second
- Taper: Weight forward
- Weight: 4-9wt
- Length: 80 feet
- Color: Dark olive
The Rio In-Touch Deep Type 6 Sinking Fly Line has been designed especially for trout fishing on a lake when the fish go deep and there is only one way to get your fly to them, with a fast full fly fishing sinking line.
These Rio full sinking lines are fast sinking and sink at a rate of 6-7 inches per second (IPS) in order to get your fly into the deep feeding zones near the bottom quickly.
Fishing a sinking line means you can’t see your line on the surface of the water and are relying on feel to set the hook properly. This Rio sinking fly line is made with a tight, low-stretch core that gives you a more direct connection so you can feel even the subtlest sipping bites from a trout.
The Rio In-Touch Deep 6 Sinking Fly Lines are weight-forward sinking lines that come with a thick head that loads your rod quickly and helps you cast large distances with ease. Rio has also put a hanger marker on the sinking line so you can see when you’ve reached the end of the line on your retrieve and it’s time to make a cast again.
Scientific Anglers Type LLL Frequency Sink Tip Fly Line
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Key Features
- The sink tip ensures your flies get to the mid-water column
- Ideal for all freshwater species including salmon, bass, trout and steelhead.
- Good sink rate that sinks your fly quickly but not too fast
- Mid-length head for more casting control
- Nice shooting head for a long cast
- Turns over every type of fly
Tech. Specs
- Type: Sink tip line
- Sink rate: 2 – 4 inches per second
- Taper: Weight forward
- Weight: 4-9wt
- Length: 85 feet
- Color: Optic Yellow/Green Tip
The Scientific Anglers Type LLL Frequency Sink Tip Lines aren’t a full sinking line and instead come with a 10-foot sinking tip integrated into the first 30 feet of the fly line.
Sink tips are perfect for use on a river when swinging a streamer or when trout are sitting mid-water column on a lake.
This Scientific Anglers sink tip fly line sinks between 2 inches per second and 4 inches per second depending on the water quality. The fly line will get your fly down to the feeding zone quickly but not too quickly, and it’ll never go too deep either thanks to it only having a sink tip.
Another benefit of this sink tip fly fishing line is that you always know when your leader is coming in on the retrieve as the section before the tip is a floating line, so you always know where you’re at on the retrieve.
This Scientific Anglers fly fishing line is a weight forward line that’ll turn over and sized streamer or fly with ease. The thick front end makes it great for long casting distances and the mid-length of the head ensures you have more control over your cast too.



