sinking leaders?

[SBW]

After reading the follow up post by flygoddess about dragging the bottom at Strawberry with success, I was wondering about sinking leaders.

I know nothing about them, so I was curious if anyone uses them, success with them, what pros and cons are, etc????
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[MI_Steelheader]

I have experimented with sinking leaders in the past. They have some minor applications in fishing moving water as they can break through the surface tension more quickly. However, I do not think they would make much of a difference when you are fishing deep in still water. If you want to fish deep at Strawberry, get a 300-grain line (typically 30 foot very fast sink tip with the rest of the line being an intermediate sinking line). The leader with this type of a line will not make much difference and will probably only be 3 to 6 feet in length. I like fluorocarbon, but it probably does not matter that much. I'll let FG chime in on what brands/types of lines would be best. I think Orvis sells what they call their depth charge lines, but there are probably lots of other options.
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[Lazy-Z]

I agree that fluorocarbon works best. Rio makes a new one called the RioMax which i use for all stillwater as well as river streamer fishing. It is the highest line strength for it's diameter. The smaller diameter can never hurt when dealing with highly pressured fish. I usually tie the leader directly from my sinking like about three feet or I will tie 18in of 20lb fluoro and then another 18in of 10-12 lb fluoro off that. Streamers can draw some vicious strikes and having the beefed up leader is always a plus if your not into making fly donations.
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[flygoddess]

First off, let me say, SINK TIPS CAN WORK, but only as well as the line it is connected to. They are great in that you can switch without having to restring your whole rod.
BUT, I would think the SINK TIP LINES or MULTI TIP but you are looking at well over $100. They are in 15' of sink tips. Sure you get four different choices AND you only need one reel, so that is a plus.

Full sink is just the easiest and the best way for me, but once we were on a Lake, I had a TYPE II on but everyone was nailing the fish using TYPE IV or V, so, I stuck one of those 5' sink tips on and attach the leader....BAM, there they are. So they can be used various ways.

I am sure there are more companies out there that make them but I too only have experience with ORVIS Depth Charge. 250 or 300 grain is for a 6 weight rod though. You do have to realize they are designed for the rod weight also.
I also bought the AIRFLO TYPE VII.....yup! sinks like a brick and I think Rio has one also. The thing I like about the Depth Charge, is as mentioned it is 30' of weighted by grain line followed by a seamless intermediate. When stripping in, most density compensated lines will make the fly jump up, and with wet cell the fly will dive. But with the DEPTH CHARGE, I think it pulls straight.....more like a leech, a crawling crayfish or even bait fish. It just works so darn good.

I also don't worry about TAPERED LEADERS on sinking lines. No need to. there is no presentation to worry about.
I use fluoro also. I just think it works better and confidence is a big part of success. I buy 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 lb. in P-Line or Seaguar (don't care for Vanish) Usually on lakes with BIG fish I use 6 or 8 lb and on Uinta's 4 or 2. I take 6 to 8 feet of it, fold it in half but with one side one foot longer than the other. put a loop in it and attach straight to the line.
I adjust length of the leaders depending on how fast I retrieve or how deep the fish are.

BUT, Lazy-Z brings up a good point with the heavier fluoro at the butt section. I do make a heavy but section about 4" to 6" long and attach it to my line, as smaller fluoro can cut the loop.

FG
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[Soft_Plastics]

I use Streamer Express line for moving water and still water when fishing streamers. Sometimes I use a floating line with a Rio Tungsten leader. They have sink rates from like 2''-7'' per second. I like to use them because I like to have a straight line to my fly. In moving water you can mend your floating line and bring your streamer straight across current with direct contact so you feel the strikes much easier. Many people like to swing there streamers. If you like to swing then the moving water application would not intrest you much, but for still water you can fish to about 15 feet deep with a Tungsten leader.
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