If I think I’m going to have to use a sinking fly line I don’t go fishing. Well almost. But in spite of owning an intermediate, a slow sinker a HiD and a Di7 they hardly ever get used from one season to the next. The longer I fish the more I’m determined to catch fish the way I like to fish – on or near the top - rather than using what is, on occasion, a more effective technique. Am I alone in this?

I nailed plenty of fish yesterday (wild browns from one water, stocked rainbows from another) on a single size 16 Black Gnat thrown at rising fish, and we’re not yet out of March. So simple, so visual, and very satisfying. Exactly my kind of fishing.

Postscript; I love a bit of streamer fishing on rivers and if faced with heavy water on a big river I’d very likely resort to a sinker, but not for anything else.

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Like most things in fishing, there is certainly a time and a place for them. They shouldn't be a default line choice without good reaosn but there are times when you need to turn to them.

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While i love fishing a floating line with drys and nymphs,i personally think its a bit of a blinkered approach not to rule out sinking lines.If needs must and all that

Neil

Full floating, midge tip, streamer tip, intemediate, Di3, Di 5.
Only use the full floating, I will use tungsten bead head buzzers to get down when very cold. Got the midge tip and streamer tip to help reduce drift due to strong winds but not used them, YET!

Although I do have a number of intermediates, they are not used very often. I would much rather lengthen my leader and use heavier flies to get deeper with a floating line.

However I would not be with the intermediates

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Eddie
"We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation."
Voltaire

Most of the fellows over here will use some sort of a sink tip system off a Skagit or Scandi type head. One option that I've found to work a treat is to take what's (for a lack of a better term) a full sinking head (RIO and Airflo -others?- make them) and just attach that to the shooting line.

These come in lengths as short as 15 feet to as long as 30. Takes a bit of 'practice' with your stroke timing, but the longer ones behave much as would any tip system line. The shorter ones are a more gentle 'touch and go' with the cast.

The end game is these shoot out like a rocket(!) and sink like a brick. Once these hit the water 'mending' is close to a dead issue so a 'air mend' when the line is moving out over the water is needed.

The other 'good thing' is, given the heads are so short, there's very little to do to roll one up to the surface for your next cast. The 'down side' of this system is .... you'd better like stripping in all that shooting line behind the head ...... there will be a lot of it.

fae

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Does this mean I go to hell, if I do? I use them without a second thought if needs must and the conditions dictate.

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If you intend to fish competitions,then you need to be able to use with complete confidence the full range of sinking lines.now whether a pleasure angler need this skill.I doubt it.but lets face it.any fool can blank with a floating line if they want to..

Jim.

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The places I tend to fish are from the bank only I hate being on the water so I gave all my sinking lines away to Tunstall reservoir and to Squeeks on an Okuma reel in Feb.

If you want to catch fish....in any conditions....then you will fish with sinking lines. If you are happy to catch less fish, but feel good about yourself , then you don't. Fact.

It's simply another case of 'each to their own' and i don't understand the reason for the thread?