Sinking Lines for Lakes: An Introduction

depths depths
THE DEPTHS SHOWN ABOVE ASSUME 45 FEET OF FLY LINE TROLLED BY A FLOAT-TUBER WITH A FAST KICK. A SLOWER KICK WILL GET THE LINE DEEPER.

Years ago, when I worked at Powell’s Fly Shop in Chico, I was fortunate to fish Eagle Lake every year and help Jay Fair with his guiding. I learned many lessons from Jay, including how and when to fish different sinking lines. Thirtysomething years later, Jay’s lessons on sinking lines still produce fish.

As a guide and instructor, I get to teach while I guide people. I think teaching my guests the why, how, and when of fishing makes them better fly fishers and in turn makes my life easier as a guide.

I recently was up at Lake Almanor, as I have been every year for the last twenty years or so, and I was talking to a gentleman at my cabin about sinking lines. This gentleman is an educated, professional person who had a long career in a state wildlife agency and now, since his retirement, has time to fish. We were talking about an intermediate line. Looking for advice from me, he told me that he would drop his hemostats down to the bottom of the lake on a string to gauge how deep the water is, then cast out farther than that and use the countdown method to reach the bottom. For example, when he found that he was in 20 feet of water, he would cast his intermediate line out 30 to 40 feet and start counting each second. He laughed and said, “I always lost count after 30 and I wouldn’t know where my line was in the water column.” I looked at him, puzzled, and then I explained his problem to him.

He was using the wrong line. What he needed to fish at that depth was not a slow-sinking intermediate line, but a full sinking line with a faster sink rate. If you have an intermediate line that sinks at 1.75 to 2.00 inches per second, and you count down to 30 seconds, the line will have sunk a maximum of 60 inches — or only 5 feet. If you are casting in water that is 20 feet deep and trying to reach the bottom, a Type 5 full sinking line would be better. It sinks between 5 and 6 inches per second, so the Type 5 will get to the bottom more quickly, and you will be fishing more efficiently. The intermediate line would take 120 seconds (two minutes) to reach the bottom. A Type 5 line would take 40 to 48 seconds.

Unlike sink-tip lines, which integrate a sinking line and a floating line, full sinking lines are just that — the whole line sinks at the same rate. Both sink-tip lines and full sinking lines are available in the same range of sink rates, from 1 to 7 inches per second. However, sink-tip lines can’t present a fly parallel to the bottom, the way the latest full sinking lines can — the sink tip descends at an angle from the floating portion. That is why I recommended that all my guests who are fishing still waters use a full sinking line, and preferably one of the newer designs that sink consistently along its entire length through the water column, parallel to the bottom of the lake. That holds for whatever the sink rate of the line may be, from the slowest intermediate to the fastest-sinking depth charge.

Fishing sinking lines in still waters can be extremely effective, but to take full advantage of them, another piece of equipment is almost a necessity: a depth finder. Using a depth finder on your boat or personal watercraft shows you the contour of the lake bottom and its depth beneath the craft. It will also show you where the fish are situated beneath you, whether suspended in the water column or hugging the bottom. You can then pick the correct line to use for the situation. (Editor’s note: this issue’s Gearhead column covers depth finders for fly fishing.)

By the way, casting sinking lines can sometimes be difficult, so here’s a tip. If the line is a Type 4 or heavier, roll-cast it first before making the back cast. This will help ensure the line’s entire length is pretty much at the surface, where it will be easiest to pick up.

Fishing Sinking Lines

As I told the gentleman I met at Lake Almanor, using the correct full sinking line allows you to work the countdown method effectively. But choosing the correct line is crucial, and so is fishing it correctly. For example, suppose you are fishing a lake that has a shoal with a gentle slope, from a foot of water at the bank to a 20-foot depth at 60 feet out, and you observe fish working in 5 feet of water approximately a foot from the bottom. For this situation, you need an intermediate line. Using the countdown method after you make the cast, your fly will reach 4 feet at about the 24-second mark. But that isn’t when you need to start stripping the fly, because the fly line will continue to sink throughout the retrieve. In addition, if you are using a slow strip, the fly line will continue to sink more quickly than if you use a fast strip, and you need to adjust the timing accordingly. Using a slow strip, you need to reduce the countdown to 15 seconds so that when you strip it past the fish, the fly will swim more or less at their level in the water column. If you are using a fast strip, then you need to count only to 20 seconds and then start your strip while the line continues to sink.

hover
HOVER AND INTERMEDIATE LINES SINK VERY SLOWLY, MAKING THEM IDEAL FOR SUBSURFACE PRESENTATIONS IN SHALLOW WATER.

Trolling Sinking Lines

Trolling, or what I call “dragging” a sinking line in still waters, is a completely different story than casting a sinking line. Dragging a sinking line is more complex than people think. You are not just casting and using the countdown method. If you were a mathematical wizard, you could make a calculation using sink rate and the speed you are traveling to determine how much line you need to have out to reach the desired depth.

I am no mathematical wizard, so over the decades, I’ve arrived at relationships between speed and depth that have worked consistently for trolling with 45 feet of line out. If you are using a Type 3 sinking line with a sink rate of around 3 inches per second and are fishing in 20 feet of water, to fish the fly along the bottom, you must travel in your float tube or watercraft at two to four miles per hour. To fish along the bottom using an intermediate line, you must travel at one to two miles per hour. Using a Type 5, you will need to travel at five to seven miles per hour.

Basically, though, what you need to know is that the faster the line sink rate, the faster you need to travel to keep the fly off the bottom. If you touch the bottom, bring in a little bit of line or kick faster. If you are not touching the bottom, you need to slow your kick down or let more line out.

If you are using a depth finder and see fish suspended at 15 feet in 20 feet of water, you need to shorten your line and keep your current kick speed or kick faster to raise the fly line in the water.

Straight-Lining with a Sinking Line

The straight-lining tactic was shown to me by Milt Jensen. Milt is a world-class fly fisher and master tyer. He also guided at Lake Almanor for decades. This tactic can used from any type of anchored watercraft. Using a Type 5 full sinking line, you measure the depth of the water — for example, 25 feet — and then cast the same distance from the boat. You let the line sink until it is vertical in the water column. Then you lift your rod up and down, producing a jigging action. This tactic is deadly while fishing midges and searching patterns. If you see suspended fish on your depth finder, you can shorten your line to that depth and continue jigging.

eric
ERIC STEELE’S BROWN TROUT FELL FOR A NYMPH FISHED ON AN INTERMEDIATE LINE DURING LAKE ALMANOR’S HEXAGENIA HATCH.

Leaders

When fishing sinking lines in still waters, I prefer a short, untapered leader made from fluorocarbon tippet material 5 to 6 feet long, size 2X to 3X. I use this type of leader in Lake Almanor, but in fisheries such as Manzanita Lake, where the fish are more wary, I use a tapered fluorocarbon leader 10 feet long. In any case, I don’t want a really long leader, because I want to keep the fly level with my fly line as much as possible so I can use the countdown method efficiently. When straight-lining, my leaders are short when I am using searching patterns and longer when using midge patterns — again, though, usually just straight tippet material 5 to 7 feet in length.

Flies

I always use multiple flies when fishing full sinking lines on still waters — what I call a “buffet.” When casting, I fish both a searching pattern and a specific imitation, such as a Callibaetis nymph. When trolling, I fish two searching patterns. When straight-lining, I fish up to three midges, or if I am just using searching patterns, two different flies. Sinking lines are very productive when used properly in still waters. The correct line used with the proper tactics lines will get the flies down to the where the fish are. You’ll catch fish!