FLY LINES

[fishcat]

[cool]I HAVE QUESTION FOR FLY FISHERMEN(OR WOMEN) WHO FISH
FROM FLOAT TUBES....DO YOU PREFER A STEADY SINK LINE, AND
HOW FAST SINK IS A GOOD RATE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR,OR DO YOU
PREFER A SINK TIP LINE, AND AGAIN, HOW FAST OF A SINK RATE??
I HAVE TRIED BOTH THIS YEAR AND HAVE HAD FAIR SUCCESS WITH
BOTH........I YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO ANGLERS INN YET, BETTER
GET THERE SOON NOT MUCH IS LEFT............THANKS
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[icthys]

I've always fished a type II sinking line. I feel it is a pretty good all around sinking line. I can always fish it shallow, but at the same time I can wait as long as I like to get the depth I want. A nicely weighted fly will help get it down also. In the future I would like to get a faster sinking line so that I won't have to wait so long for it to get down.
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Hey, Itchy, as I am sure you realize, there is no "one-size-fits-all" line. Heck, on any given day on any given water a semi-serious fly flinger might change lines a half dozen times. But, with the price of good lines being what they are, you can make some compromises and get by with a couple or three.

Time of year is only part of the equation in choosing a line. Of course, if cooling water has fish feeding either higher or lower in the water column, then that is what you need to consider. Typically, when the fish are shallow, a full floating or sink tip will get the job done. When they are suspended, they can be actively cruising and feeding on fast moving presentations. Or, they can be in a neutral or inactive mode...in which case you need a slow sink and a slow twitch retrieve.

It also would be helpful to know what waters you will be targeting...and for what species...and what their main forage is. For example, if you are thinking Strawberry, you will do well with fishing right up against the shoreline in the early morning for awhile. As the sun climbs higher, move out to 10 to 15 feet of water...preferable in or over weed growth. Start with minnow imitations or damsel nymphs. Graduate to leeches, San Juan worms or wooly buggers. You can fish the whole day with a sink tip or slow sinking, but floating would be better early, changing to a medium sink later.

In the pre-iceup conditions, when you get ice in your guides (and in your lower unit within your waders), I have done best with a full sinking...medium to high density...dredging the bottom or deeper weed beds. This is still usually less than 20 to 25 feet of water, and on overcast days you can find big fish in water less than ten feet.

There are probably a lot of colors you could use, but most of the regulars stick with basic black, brown and olive for big nymphs and wooly buggers. When the fish are chasing minnows, use either gold or silver "fry flies"...or even white wooly buggers. One of my alltime favorites for deep draggin' is a big wooly bugger made with olive body, brown marabou tail and palmer tied tackle in ginger or reddish brown. I have also done very well with several different black patterns...including a black wooly bugger with a few strands of red flashabou in the black marabou tail.

The type of line you use is definitely important. More important is to be able to find the fish first and to figure out what kind of presentation it is going to take to get them to come out and play. Sonar is not usually considered a fly flinger's tool, but on lakes like Strawberry it can help you eliminate fishless water and help you focus on finding the fish and fishing the right depth. If you are not fishing where the fish are, you are just rinsing out your flies.

That's about eeeenuff outta me.
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[icthys]

TubeDude, I can't agree more, and you definately know more than me. I can't afford multiple lines, so, I find the type II sinking an adaquate "all purpose" line. As time goes on I will acquire different types of lines, but until then, I'm doing just great. As a side note I'd love to fish with you sometime, I could learn a thing or two.
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[TubeDude]

[cool]When I get back up there...May or June '04...I will likely have a full dance card. But, I have a lot of new friends in Utah I have not met yet. I plan to spend quality time on the water with everyone I can. That should keep me busy and off the streets for awhile.

Your choice of an all purpose line could be worse. In my "budget conscious" days (still with me), I opted for a sink tip as my all around line. But, when I was able to acquire a good fast sink, my success rate on da Berry went up a lot. You can score something on almost anything. But, the more refined you get, the higher your odds and the greater the numbers.

Good luck to all, and I wish I could help put the fishies to bed before iceup this fall. Of course, I would also like to "drop in" for a visit a few times during "hard water" too.

Soon...but not soon enough.
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[icthys]

Well, Christmas is coming up! What rate of fast sink line would you recommend? I've been wanting a fast sink for sometime, maybe now's the time!
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Again, not knowing the lake or the depth you plan to probe, I would say that a good all around fast sink would be a 6. You don't need a lead core cannonball sinker, unless you are throwing big flies for big fish in fast water.

I used to make my own spliced lines for fishing salmon and steelhead in the northwest. Throwing those monstrosities really took a lot of energy and dedication to timing. If you got it wrong, you could get knocked out by the heavy line whacking you on the head. At the very least you might have to do some streamside surgery to remove a big size 2 hook from some part of your anatomy.

A good thing about float tubing and fly rodding is that you do not have to make the power casts for distance. If you can get a reasonalble amount of line out, and you want to slow troll, just strip out more line as you kick backwards. That's known as the float tubers' distance cast.

I hope Santy Claus gets the order right. Now, you better hope he gets a good report card on you for the rest of the year.

One word of advice. If you do get your new line for Christmas, be patient. Do NOT take it out on the ice and practice casting to the holes. That freaks out the non fly guys. However, it is okay to troll from the back of a snowmobile. Lets you cover more water. And a floating line works fine.
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