saltwater fly line

[swany50]

Going to do some offshore fly fishing on my buddy's boat and I'm getting a little confused with floating line setups. Is it better to by a sinking tip line or buy a floating line and add your own? Being able to switch tips might be more versatile. Also anyone have an opinion on Airflo lines?

 

[slay12345]

I just picked up the airflow 40+ striper sinking line and love the distance and depth I get without having to tinker with add-ons. I have a dedicated spool for sinking line and one for floating. I only have two spools though, so if I need an intermediate I'm SOL.

You may find tips let you customize for each situation you face better at the cost of having to set up each rig.

 

[swany50]

Slay, that's what I was thinking and i was looking at the 40+. This is a first for me and I want to try and be prepared but not get into a whole lot of money. If you were targeting Mahi around pots or weeds would you suggest a sinking line opposed to a sinking tip?

 

[icyguides]

If you're just looking to get 1 line i would buy a full intermediate because of it's versatility. You may also want to ask your friend how deep they are usually targeting the fish. If it's beyond 10 feet you will want a more aggressive sink than intermediate.

I'm not aware of any tips or sinking leaders that would be good for offshore type fishing. Even for freshwater or trout setups they cast kind of wonky. You could buy a shooting head system, but that will be more costly than buying just 1 line.

IMO aside from flats style fishing, floating lines don't have too much of a place in saltwater fishing since they don't cut through wind or carry large flies as easily as a sinking line. Poppers works pretty well on an int too.

Look for lines on sale as a lot of the specialized type lines (Rio outbound, streamer express, etc) in large sizes are on sale at the end of the season. You can probably get a good line for $30-40.

 

[swany50]

icyguides, I think between you and slay you sold me on the sinking line. I should get some good use out of it.
Thanks

 

[sandfly]

what rod and line size, what species are you targeting

 

[swany50]

I bought a ECHO ION 990 with a size 9/10 reel and was thinking of loading it with a wf9 cold water line. Were usually trolling for marlin and tuna but gonna try for mahii if we get into a weed line or troll by any lobster pots.

 

[GenCon]

swany50 wrote:
I bought a ECHO ION 990 with a size 9/10 reel and was thinking of loading it with a wf9 cold water line. Were usually trolling for marlin and tuna but gonna try for mahii if we get into a weed line or troll by any lobster pots.

If that is what you are going to be doing. I would use a 9 or 10 wt. rod with an intermediate or a type 1 sinking shooting head with a braided running line. Easy to cast. Dolphin often like a fast retrieve. Use bright colored flys. Orange, orange and yellow all yellow. With some flash.
1/0 hooks are perfect. Simple leader 8' 40 lb tapered to 15 with a 40 or 60 lb fluorocarbon bite guard. I have done this a few times. Lots of fun.

GenCon

 

[swany50]

GenCon, I was going to get a WF-S-7 but it sounds like that may be overkill from what your saying, that the fly doesn't have to sink that fast. Also, if I use an intermediate I could prob use that for striper too. Can I ask where you buy your fly's and would you suggest a spare spool with a different setup?
Steve

 

[GenCon]

swany50 wrote:
GenCon, I was going to get a WF-S-7 but it sounds like that may be overkill from what your saying, that the fly doesn't have to sink that fast. Also, if I use an intermediate I could prob use that for striper too. Can I ask where you buy your fly's and would you suggest a spare spool with a different setup?
Steve

swany50, a 9 wt. will work. But if you have a 10 that would be better.
If you are fortunate enough to hook a big one you will be glad you had a 10.
No real need for a fast sinker. I would use an intermediate. If you find them in a weed-line or any type of buoy they will be up high. You can often see them around a buoy.
As far as flys. I tie my own. If you don't tie, have a local fly shop tie you some or enlist one of our forum members. Sandfly does custom flys and probably has experience tying the type of flys you will need.

Good luck.

GenCon

 

[swany50]

Thanks GenCon.