Sinking fly line can be just the thing to get the fly down for pompano, here, and other great species.
September 16, 2024
By Mike Conner
Going back to the 1980s, early sinking lines had a few shortcomings. Abrupt tapering from the head back to the running line caused a hinging effect on the cast. Plus, the lines did not sink in a level manner. This put a belly in the line, and made setting the hook more difficult.
Modern-day full sinking lines sink uniformly, but this is not the case with a sink-tip line, which is not as good a choice when you want to retrieve your fly as deep as possible for as long as possible.
Full sinking lines are dense and thinner than floating lines of the same rod-weight. The front 30 feet of both floating and sinking lines actually weigh the same, as mandated by the America Fly Fishing Trade Association guidelines. Thus, it’s the density and smaller diameter that makes them cast well in the wind and cut through current better than the “fatter” floaters. The lines’ sink rate is normally expressed in IPS, or inches per second. Generally, the coating color coincides with the sink rate of a given line—light blue might mean slow sinking, medium blue means medium sink rate, and dark blue a faster sink rate. Some companies use grey, brown, dark brown and black.
Scientific Anglers offers its Wet Cel, an affordable sinking line, priced at around $40. It’s weight-forward and comes in sink rates 2, 4, 6, and intermediate, with the numbers coinciding with inches the line sinks per second, or IPS. The intermediate-sink version sinks at about an inch per second. Sinking lines are also offered by Orvis , Rio , Cortland and others, and come in a dizzying array of specialty tapers and coatings for various climates. But generally, keep it simple and you’ll catch plenty of fish.
Advertisement
Intermediate lines are ideal in many Florida saltwater fisheries where the water is less than 5 feet deep, or when you only need to get the line and fly under the surface enough to avoid floating grass or getting tossed around in a heavy chop. Surf fishing for snook, tarpon, and Spanish comes to mind—and the clear intermediates are probably most popular. This line is also perfect for pompano, seatrout and other species over inshore flats.
The general rule is to choose a sinking line heavy enough that you don’t have to wait forever to start fishing your fly. If the fish are holding near bottom in 6 feet, don’t fish an intermediate line that sinks an inch per second. Choose a 6 IPS line and within 10 seconds you can fish the fly.
Clockwise from bottom left: Medium sink, slow sink, medium, fast. In the Bucket Wading the surf or a grassflat, as you strip the fly back to you, your line will sink and tangle. The solution is to wear a stripping basket. Same goes if you are casting from the bank—tangling in brush or rocks will occur. If casting from a boat, all flylines will snag on obstructions, so a stripping bucket is advised.
Advertisement
Short Leaders Keep a direct connection between your rodtip and the fly for strike detection and good hook sets. A leader on the short side will help. You are not so concerned about distancing the impact of your fly line tip from the fly, as you should be when fishing shallow flats with a floating line. So, go with a slightly shorter leader, something in the 6- to 8-foot length. For example a 2-part leader comprised of just a butt section and tippet. Actually, you can go with a level leader in the pound-test you determine sufficient for the species you target. I’ve taken plenty of pompano and spotted seatrout with a simple level 4-foot strand of 20-pound-test. And Spanish mackerel with the same length of 40-pound to prevent cutoffs. In the surf, I fish the clear intermediate line mostly, and my leader is typically 5 feet of 15-pound-test with an 18-inch piece of fluorocarbon testing anywhere from 25 to 40 pounds, depending on the size of the snook I’m encountering.
Adjust Your Casting Stroke You will quickly notice that sinking lines behave differently in the air. They travel quickly on the cast, and come over harder on the delivery. Don’t worry about tight loops and stopping your rod crisply to make those loops. It’s a recipe for disaster. Better to open up your loops by casting in a circular manner, so that the fly does not crash the line on the delivery.
This article was featured in the September-October 2024 issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe .
