advice for picking the right sink tip

[pwk5017]

Ok, i decided to go with a sink tip line after my thread about fishing streamers. I primarily fish streamers on my 7wt loomis nrx and I primarily use this rod on the yough. I am going to pick up an SA line, probably a streamer express one. What sink rate is preferable to fishing a river like the yough(i have a poly leader on the way, so I feel like I should get a faster sik tip, because I can always use the poly leader and a floating line in more shallow situations). Also, what grain rating would be best for a fast and stiff 7wt? Looks like I could do either a 200gr or 250gr line. Looking for some more great advice, thanks.

Patrick

 

[pete41]

Depends on current and bottom structure.
Never fished that water so all I can say is you want the fly[on a 4 foot leader} to be close to the bottom when it gets into the target area where it will begin the across and up swing imitating a fleeing bait fish.
Floating and wading require different approaches of course.If you are fishing bigger rivers,and wading,shooting heads with amnesia running lines are the way to go-with experience.

 

[pwk5017]

Sorry, didnt clarify that. I always wade. Sometimes I float to different stretches, but im never fishing from my canoe. Pete, I feel like I need to take baby steps on this one. I havent even fished my poly leader yet! Ok, the yough has runs in the 3-5' range and pools/pockets behind massive boulders can be 7'+ I feel like a sink tip will ease me into the realm of sinking lines, and generally be effective across the board. You guys are killing me, every question I ask, somebody suggests something a step above, and in turn, gets me thinking about THAT suggestion. No doubt shooting heads are in the future, but im only 24 and two years into the sport, so i am takin her slow as far as sinking lines go.

 

[pete41]

you will age fast-trust me on that.lol
As an avid streamer fisherman,I felt sink tips were useless.I was fishing in Montana for thirty years but rivers vary in size there to.
Sinking heads are Far more practical.Start with a sinking head[30',the rest is a floating line].
Sink tip isn't going to get your fly line down correctly into the feeding zone in 3 to 5 foot of reasonable current.You would need to weigh the fly so much it would be like a sinker.Remember you don't want to use more than 4 foot of leader on a sinking line.
I f you get into being a streamer stripper because it seems exciting,you will catch fish but seldom the trophies that are the essence of streamer fishing.Fleeing bait fish don't rush up stream.
good luck.

 

[pete41]

the reason shooting heads,mono running lines are so neat to use....[not sinking head flyline] is .....you can over weight your rod 2 or 3 sizes ,then cut back from butt end to balance your rod.That way you will only have about 25 feet of fly line.Using the double haul you can really lay some long casts out there with just the one back cast.
but that takes practice..lol

 

[pwk5017]

Pete, you have had me going from reading your recent posts on streamers. Hmm, I do like streamers because of the chance at a trophy, but i prefer the constant action. Staring at drifts all day can really bore a guy. Even more so, I have seen 10 times the action on the yough fishing streamers over nymphing. I agree with everything you are saying--sort of--I feel like I am going to have to buy a sink tip and a shooting head setup and just fish both. I have to say, bombing huge casts with the shooting head setup seems exciting-- covering twice the water is also nice. I will sleep on it. I wont be fishing big water for a few weeks anyways.

 

[Ramcatt]

I wouldn't go shooting head running line setup for the yough

I float the yough and really only fish streamers
Stick with an outbound (rio) or steamer express pro (SA)
That int polyleader will be nice with poppers

Not sure which sections you fish
With the lower water this year I've stuck with an int outbound

 

[pete41]

floating is different-one huge mess with a sinking head if you are going downstream with the current.lol
anyone try the new[to me] SA lines with the graduated sinking heads?
Claim they eliminate line sag but that's no problem for waders.
Try the sinking head first,see if you like it,then shooting head.
For a wader the mono is no problem as current keeps the loops of mono untangled when retrieving.Baskets not needed.But,try the line first,don't skip to the heads.You could always make a shooting head out of the line.

 

[pwk5017]

I have been fishing the lower yough mostly this summer, like carmel to falls.

Ok gents, heres the complex question: What grain weight should I get for the 10' 7wt nrx and should i do intermediate or fast sink?

 

[Ramcatt]

Are you fishing weighted or unweighted flies?
Larger flies?
I have been fishing the warmwater sections mostly the year...are you talking "falls" as in ohiopyle or connelsville?

First piece of advise... Buy a 9' rod

 

[pwk5017]

im talking the 30' waterfall in ohiopyle. I havent fished by the "waterfall" in s. connellsville. I had ambitions too, but i hit a shallow riffle that I just couldnt get the canoe and trolling motor up, so i never made it to my destination.

ha, maybe I will in the future, but for now, when you drop serious cash on a new rod, you want to use it for more than just steelhead. I dont mind the extra foot, and find it casts beautifully as it is.

I have heard of the effectiveness of fishing unweighted flies, so I wouldnt mind switching to unweighted, but as it is fishing a floating line etc., i have been fishing weighted flies. I havent been fishing enormous flies either, usually a tandem of a #2 with a #6 off the back. That #6 has been picking up the majority of fish.

 

[Ramcatt]

i'd say go for a sink-tip.. not the outbound or streamer express
those are more for punching large flies

go for a line with a shorter sink tip since you will be wading faster broken/bouldery water- think 15' and under

Rio
- 15' sink tip with a floating belly/running line
- the versitip lines (have float, int, type III sink, type VI sink)

SA
- mastery wet tip
- not sure if the have a mult-tip in your size range


If you have the $$... go with the versi-tip/Multi-tips lines... a bit more $$ but it will allow you to fish 4 differnet lines by swapping out the 15' tip... float, int, slow sink, fast sink
the loop to loop is an easy swap and those tips are density compensated and will cast just fine... unlike looping on level section of sink line (like t-11 and t-14)

 

[tennjed]

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