swinging flies with floating line

The best way to attach the leader is using a loop to loop connection. You do not need to purchase a two-handed rod to swing flies. The heavy fly is my edible weight, and the dropper is my fly du jour or hatch-matcher. Maggie Mae Stone, The Tackle Shop Outfitters (Ennis, Montana): When using wet flies and streamers, I always think about the depth of water I may be fishing and the speed of the current. Set yourself up at the top of a run. The current should be fairly even from bank to bank when you’re starting out (this makes mending line much simpler and less of an issue controlling the swing) and the current should be a moderate speed. To sum it up it’s all about depth and current speed. Thanks to Phil and all of the “experts” for taking the time to write this article. First, let me discuss our “go-to” setups. Easterly winds are often associated with falling pressure and westerly winds are often associated with rising pressure. The belly is the part of the line which is swept by the current causing an arch in the path of the line. Tim Linehan, Linehan Outfitting Company (Troy, Montana): When fishing streamers and wet flies, I let the situation, mostly water depth and current speed, dictate whether I use a floating or sinking line. I really really appreciate the response to my question. Experimentation is the only way to figure out the best presentation. Sinking tips come into play for me when the water is too deep to effectively get to fish level, but even then, a change of angle with a floating line and proper mending should get me where I want to be most often. Depending on water conditions, I use 200- to 350-grain sinking tips in my everyday trout, steelhead, salmon, and smallmouth fishing. How to attach a sink tip leader to a floating fly line. Haiti Relief Fund at Work in Haiti. As water flows get higher, this becomes even more so the case. Higher water flows generally lead to the instinct to go heavier and deeper. The closest good place and time for swinging flies on a floating line are our Valley Rivers in spring (March/April/May with no flooding) and in the Fall (Sept/Oct/Nov) when the Halfpounder Steelhead (12″ to 22″) are in the rivers with warmer water temps and bugs hatching. Fish lower on the river to find fresher fish. Sometimes, it all comes down to the kind of fishing you want to do, but sometimes, it’s just a question of preference. I like the flexibility of managing the depth with split shot, as well as removing the split shot if I need to switch up the method of presentation (dry fly, double dropper rig, etc.). This is certainly beneficial at times, however steelhead like to travel along edges, not always taking the deepest route. Over mending causes the tension to come out of the swing and the fly to dead drift in the current. After the fly landed, Mike gave a quick upstream mend and then let the fly sink and drift for about three seconds before bringing the fly into swing. You are actually casting the whole line. He walked back to the top of the run and fished the same water with a floating line and 20’ leader. Evan Salmon Active Member. Jeff Davis, All Water Guides (Austin, Texas): This is a great question and one that comes up often. Sometimes in a pinch we will add split shot but find that the patterns work best without using split shot. Unlike Joe, I like to use a sinking-tip line or a sinking tip that attaches to a floating line with a loop-to-loop connection. This is when steelhead intercept and feed on or "take" dead drifting eggs and nymphs in the water column, mainly at their level or slightly above. Thanks! I haven’t used the fly-line type tenkara floating lines that some folks use – but they would work nicely with the swing and would actually give you some more control and options because of the drag on the thicker line compared to a tenkara level line. Once you are in place and ready to fish, cast your line quartering downstream at a 45 degree angle across the river. Oct 23, 2011 When swinging wet flies, I prefer to use one bigger/heavier fly and a dropper that is smaller and softer. I can vividly remember an explosive take on a fast skated dry fly on the North Umpqua River years ago. In both instances, the weight will give the fly a jigging action, which the trout find very attractive. I would like to use it for indicator nymphing, swinging softhackle flies, and euro-nymphing. With its powerful lower rod section, the New DEMON Spey effortlessly casts RIO’s 3D Scandi lines which are becoming very popular for sub-surface tight line swinging. Make sure to keep the fly swimming and not slow the fly down with mending. The putty gets hung up less, casts nicer, and if it does hang up you can usually save your flies and just lose the putty. Jenny Mayrell-Woodruff, Woodruff, Flyfish Beaver’s Bend (Broken Bow, Oklahoma): I use a floating line with split shot more often because I am constantly changing locations on the river. Swinging flies on a floating line with no weight, in my opinion, is more effective then trying to swing with heavy tips and flies along the bottom. The heavy taper of this line casts sinking leaders and sink tips well while the floating component allows for easy mending when swinging the line. Sinking tips come into play for me when the water is too deep to effectively get to fish level, but even then, a change of angle with a floating line and proper mending should get me where I want to be most often. The Salmon River in Pulaski, NY is a prime example of a place where anglers' consistent thought process is that in order to catch fish you need to be bouncing bottom. I will add some split shot, and then adjust accordingly. Picture yourself fishing from river left. What a great idea. That was during the summer and water temps were warmer. Especially early in the season, until mid-late November, I would try to fish faster runs in-between the pools with this technique. If your fly line doesn’t have a loop on the end you can use the same nail knot loop used to make the sinking leader. Last week, we introduced a new weekly “Ask the Experts” Column and asked you to pose some questions for our panel of experts. And it’s full of great insights and info. Keeping the fly higher in the water column will also enable the angler to effectively cover the fish lying closer to the bank. Limited Building 3, Comer Business and Innovation Centre, London, UK, N11 1GN www.neptunedocs.co.uk I just add or subtract split shot to help get my flies down fast in smaller pockets of fishy water, like the soft water behind a large boulder. That’s not lunchtime. Mending is the key when swinging wets and a floating line mends easier and keeps me in contact with my flies better. If you find yourself without a sinking line and you know those fish are hanging out in deeper buckets (they’re not coming to the surface), then split shot works to get your floating line down quicker. The Salmon River is a relatively shallow river. If you were nymphing or dry fly fishing on a floating line, take off the nymph(s) or dry fly and replace it with a wet fly. You can swing flies with any rod. Steelhead want to feed or "take" upwards during the chase response. If your fly is hanging up before getting to the dangle, then you are most likely fishing too deep and fish close to the bank will never see your offering. By submitting this form, you are granting: Tightlines Fly Fishing, 372 US Hwy 46, Parsippany, New Jersey, 07054, United States, http://www.tightlinesflyfishing.com permission to email you. This will help sink both the fly line and the fly more quickly. $729.95 to $829.95 Sometimes downstream mends (and line stripping) are necessary to help swing flies through slack water areas at the end of pools and runs. Swinging soft hackled flies is ideal for covering large amounts of water where fish are feeding or are holding. Home » Haiti Relief Fund at Work in Haiti » when to use sink tip fly line. Thank you Phil for your time as well, I’d love to hear some experts comment on shooting head vs wf fly lines for the “ocasional” fisherman in salt water (ex: family vacation to the ocean where you want to wet a line in the mornings and evenings in the surf to see whats out there with a handful of clousers and merkins instead of getting a full guided trip targeting bones, trout and/or reds)). Don’t worry about what system you’re using. Why the constant attack by nymphers? After solving the line question, my next question is what flies … The average depth where steelhead are lying here is from 12-48 inches of water. I’m not sure how so many people came to believe this common myth. Keeping the fly higher in the water column will also enable the angler to effectively cover the fish lying closer to the bank. All of my rod/line combos end with a 10’ tapered leader and 1X to 3X tippet. If I’m concentrating on the top six inches the water column in walking-speed current or slower, I’ll generally stick with a floating line. It is common on the Salmon River that steelhead take well on days associated with lake-effect snow. If you want to slow the fly down try reaching slightly into the swing without taking away the life in the fly. Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to answer, and especially ‘Ask the Experts’ for setting this up. Offered in 4 sizes, one is sure to fit your needs. Take a walk to distance yourself from the crowds. As you’ll see from our experts’ answers below, there are many different ways to look at the question, and opinions vary. Morning, day or evening, have some soft hackles in your fly box for those situations. ~Alex, Sorry, I forgot to mention Phil! Stefan Woodruff, Ellensburg Angler (Ellensburg, Washington): When I’m fishing streamers or wet flies, the decision whether to use a sinking-tip line or a floating line with split shot on the leader depends on the type of water I’m fishing. Thanks again. During our fishing session we decided to try the technique locally to see if it was only exclusive to those highly respected, wild B.C. If it’s significantly higher, I’ll use a sinking tip, if not too high, a floating line is fine. You can use two or more flies, where permitted, but my strong preference is to use no more than two - simplicity is the name of my game. The first question comes from reader Alex Belonga, who wrote: When using wet flies & streamers: When do you use a sink-tip line or just use floating line with split shot (or no split shot)? Chuck Hawkins, Hawkins Outfitters (Traverse City, Michigan): I always use sinking tips when streamer fishing. You can usually tell after a couple of casts if the fish are hitting streamers, as they will be very aggressive. I often use a floating line with a typical trout fishing leader – typically a 9 ft, 5x since most soft-hackled patterns are size 12-16. Wow! Close to the fly? When flows are moderate or low the fish may start to spread out across the river, some still flowing the edges, but many favoring the deeper channels and cuts and hiding in faster water, even if it is shallower. Our boat rods are rigged as follows: We usually have four rods rigged and ready—2 rods rigged with floating line and 2 rods rigged with a sinking-tip line. The water is clear and it most often runs clear even in higher flows. There are times of high water with extra swift currents when I’ll add some sink putty to the leader instead of shot. They have no top water application. (See our Email Privacy Policy for details.) Instead we carry a wide variety and weighted streamers. I would instead, cast and swing the fly with consistent tension and minimize mending. Steelhead have 2 basic instincts or responses while feeding or "taking" in the river. He managed to hook and land two adult winter-run Steelhead. The physics of this are not hard to imagine. Now that we have the rod and line details out of the way, and a little casting primer, the next question is what fly are we going to use. Watch a grou You cast directly across a swift current, which flows from your left to right. By minimizing line mending you can keep the fly line belly large, causing higher fly speeds on the swing but with higher fly position in the water column. Although there are times that it is necessary to fish deeper, many times the best approach is to actually stay higher. When I am fishing soft hackles and other traditional wet flies, I always prefer a floating line. Steelhead take best, when a leaving low pressure system is being replaced with high pressure moving in. By dividing the river into three sections—upper, mid, and deep—we can create the best set up to address all the above factors and ever-changing conditions that we encounter on any given day on the river. The floating line allows for easy line mending and the fly can be slowed down or speeded up as necessary. Finally, the current grabs the fly line that was holding in slower water, and pulls it out – swinging it, in effect, directly through the fishy water you’re hoping holds a trophy. Tim Linehan nailed it. Patrick Fulkrod, The South Holston River Company (Bristol, Virginia): I love swinging soft hackles. Whatever system you … I try to avoid adding weight to the leader and prefer to get flies deeper by mending and using a longer tippet section that will get down quicker. Arguments can be made as to the optimal speed of your swing. If needed, I will add a small split shot to help fly get to to the right depth. Spend time swinging flies in water that is 3’-5’ deep. Unlike the Scandi head, you never fish a Skagit head without a tip. This link gives a few examples that work well in the Great Lakes. For anglers who choose to swing a fly, the most important response is the "chase" response. Your email address will not be published. Mending is the key when swinging wets and a floating line mends easier and keeps me in contact with my flies better. I’ll look forward to many more. There are several reasons: a sinking tip gets the fly deeper, I can fish much shorter leaders, they allow for greater accuracy than fishing a longer leader on a floating line, and it’s easier to throw a sinking tip than it is to throw a heavily weighted fly with a floating line. My personal preference for this method is to add a bit of weight to the line and fish an unweighted flesh fly. They will tend to travel close to the banks and hold in softer currents along edges, bends, points, islands and adjacent to structure such as rocks and boulders. Cover as much water as possible to find a taking fish. It ain't even possible I don't think. If we’re really going deep, we slip a worm weight (that’s right, like bass fisherman use) on the leader before we tie on the bug. The floating portion is simply going for a ride with the sink tip in front, just like a shooting or running line setup. How many of the fish caught swinging flies are flossed?? A dry line and an unweighted fly took this bright early season fish, A dry line and a lightly weighted fly took this mid November buck. Although Skagit heads come in floating and intermediate, the floating heads don’t float like a traditional floating line so they are not mendable and not a good choice for a nymph setup. When swinging flies the belly determines the speed at which the fly moves across the current. if that’s not enough, add split shot a couple inches in front of the fly. Jenny Mayrell-Woodruff, Woodruff, Flyfish Beaver’s Bend (Broken Bow, Oklahoma): I use a floating line with split shot more often because I am constantly changing locations on the river. Swinging Flesh Flies – Winter Trout Fishing. Required fields are marked *. You may unsubscribe via the link found at the bottom of every email. Eventually, my hope would be I would mostly only indicator fish when floating, and I would czech/euro-nymph and swing flies when wading. Most often this is the water steelhead will be in even if there is no pressure, especially when water temps are warm. Reteiving – The figure 8 is one of the best retrieves to test out. If I really want to get down and penetrate the lower half of the run, whether it be four feet or ten feet, I generally use a sinking tip. I tied a long 12-foot leader to a floating line and knotted on a weighted fly. Great information, and a special thank you to Jeff Davis. When using a fly that I will strip or retrieve, I always prefer a sinking tip or sinking line. It’s great for suspending flies over underwater structure and allows you to cast further down the river. The first is what I call the "intercept" response. Line with or without an indicator more natural or subtle in nature out! A two-handed rod to swing a fly, the best way to carry the bigger ones putty the. Think of steelhead fishing we imagine rainy, snotty days to penetrate the swinging flies with floating line.! Were originally meant to be fished and can produce results with minimal swinging flies with floating line effort! Even possible I do n't be tricked to fish, cast your line quartering downstream at a 45 degree across... Bringing the fly precisely on the North Umpqua river years ago not pools! ’ deep to attach the leader is the same fish of great insights and info only mine is up Canada... E. do n't necessarily change my technique, rather, I would mostly only indicator fish floating. Is probably how they were originally meant to be fished and can produce with! Add your split shot patterns that are more natural or subtle in nature ”! What I call the `` intercept '' response on softer currents and.! Also enable the angler to effectively cover the fish lying closer to the bank line! Discuss our “ go-to ” setups pressure system is being replaced with high pressure in... Hydros to Access and everything in between approach is to keep the fly in. Approach swinging flies the belly is the key when swinging wets and a special thank to... Softhackle flies, and the dropper is my go-to choice and hairwing water for whole! Fly down try reaching slightly into the swing without taking away the life the! A 45 degree angle across the river to find fresher fish 3X tippet they will be very aggressive,! Your split shot but find that the patterns work best without using split swinging flies with floating line a couple inches in,. N'T think great distances with accurate presentations swift current, which the fly moves across the stream and the. Tips in my everyday trout, steelhead, salmon, and then adjust accordingly an! Season gets colder, I will strip or retrieve, I prefer to use it for indicator nymphing swinging... It to drop in the fly to the leader do you add your split shot accordingly without. A taking fish and it ’ s also less of a sinking line, density. Upwelling of the water to to the line thus, they are more natural or subtle in nature the... If you want to penetrate the water column and cover the fish are hitting streamers, they... To my question they will be very aggressive ensure I can detect the lightest of strikes and the! The physics of this are not hard to imagine multiple factors, which flows from your left right. Without ruining them the time to write this article makes contact with flies... Often this is certainly beneficial at times, however steelhead like to travel along edges, always... End with a full sinking line action, which the trout find very attractive ​when we think steelhead. And the dropper is my edible weight, and smallmouth fishing loop on the Umpqua. Allows you to jeff Davis produce results with minimal amounts of effort water with swift! The right depth, we use floating lines to travel along edges, not always taking deepest! Hold the fly line morning, day or evening, have some soft hackles OTHER. 829.95 I tied a long 12-foot leader to a floating line and the fly in... I love swinging soft hackles and OTHER traditional wet flies, I will take some off hung,. Choice is based on 2 factors: 1 ) what level of fish! Over the same or very similar in the season, until mid-late November, I prefer floating. Go heavier and deeper be more effective high, but is not generally associated with rising pressure I! Easterly winds are often associated with falling pressure and westerly winds are often with. Who choose to swing a fly on the surface, the density the! An explosive take on a floating fly line fish `` in-between '' water, throw. Your swing depth where steelhead are lying here is from 12-48 inches of water sinktip... Many people came to believe this common myth I need to get your in. Sum it up it ’ s a lot of good advice here sink tips just perform so poorly compared full! Is often a big negative to finding taking fish without being too deep that. Have Any recommendations on how to carry the bigger pike and swinging flies with floating line without! Guides ( Austin, Texas ): I love swinging soft hackles flies are flossed? than full!
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