Sinking Lines

Most sinking lines are weight forward. Shooting heads can also be either floating or sinking. The primary difference between the weight forward and the shooting heads is that the shooting head has a separate running line behind it that tends to be a smaller diameter than most weight forward running line components. Thus, a shooting head will usually go to deeper depths than a similar sinking line due to less line resistance. There tends to be about six sink rate categories for sinking lines. Not all of them are equal between the manufacturers. The Uniform Sinking lines will sink as a straight line between the fly and the rod. This is mostly a stillwater-type of line. The Shooting heads can be used in either stillwaters or large streams. They were developed primarily for salmon and steelhead streams. The Sink Rate is based upon a stillwater situation. Therefore, any current within the streams or the speed of trolling in a float tube will affect the effective depth of the line. Theoretically, all of the lines will reach the same effective depth if left at a dead drift. The sinking rate differences will only reflect the speed at which the line sinks. Some guides prefer to use slower sinking lines such as Type I or II in stillwater depths up to 20'. They will countdown the time for the fly to reach a certain depth based upon the line rating before using a kick troll or a line retreive. The advantage of the slower sinking lines is that they remain within the fish zone for a longer period of time.

A guide to this sink rate classification and the effective stillwater depth is as follows:

Sinking Lines

Links to Sinking Line Manufacturers

The Sixth Sense Intermediate sinking line comes in three sinking speeds, 0.5" , 1.0" and 1.5". All within the Class I category. The reason behind the three speeds is that in Stillwater fishing finding the fishes feeding level is one of the critical factors in successfully outwitting your target. The ability to keep a fly at this level during each retrieve just increases your chances of success. The Sixth Sense Intermediate line has a marker system on the line that assists in getting a consistent result of depth on every cast.

The Sixth Sense Sinking line features Airflo's classic Delta Taper design. With its long front taper, it will present flies delicately at any distance without overly disturbing the quiet, still water. Its longer overall length allows for fishing effectively at both long and medium distances. The color-marked rear taper is 10' long to help carry long casts and keep them stable. The Sixth Sense Sinking lines all feature line markers at 10' and 20' as well as the marked "haul zone" to help you know exactly what depth you were fishing when you found the feeding fish.

Camo Clear, When you find yourself pushed up against weed beds, casting flies for the spookiest of trout on a glassy day at the lake, the Clear Camo is the only line you'd want to be using. This line’s blended, Clear Camo color blends in with its surroundings to ensure it wont alarm fish in the stealthiest of settings. This intermediate Camo line is the perfect all-around sneaky line for lake fishing.

RIO's Fathom lines are a series of sinking lines designed specifically for the lake angler. Each line has a short, quick-loading head for minimizing the number of false casts, and for quick, easy distance, and a color contrast between the head and the running line to easily show the line's loading point. In addition, each line is built with a Hang Marker that shows anglers when to stop stripping, and when to fish the hang, and features RIO's Density Compensation (except type 7) for complete fly control.