Sink Tip Lines

Hi folks, I'm thinking of finally getting a sink tip line to fish streamers/nymphs. I've been using weight to this point. Any opinions on Orvis Steamer Stripper (4' mini sink tip)? Is it hard to cast a sink tip line or is it easy to adjust to? Thanks, Tom

I make my own sink tips by putting a perfection loop at each end of a length of lead core trolling line. Lifetime supply for 10 bucks.

I use a sink tip or fast-sink shooting head in salt water, a sinking leader in rivers for streamer fishing, and a floating leader with split shot at the tippet junction for nymph fishing. Airflo makes a great leader system that is easy to change out. You can get hover, slow sink, fast sink, and super fast sink depending on stream conditions. I have an Airflo leader set (thanks to Jeff Miller) that has proved invaluable. Most stream fishing with nymphs can be better fished using a floating leader with shot, better line and depth control. You need a sinking leader when fishing streamer patterns in larger waters, especially across moving water.
to fish is human....to release Divine!!!

You might want to first try a sinking leader. If it works for you, you will have a lot of flexibility in that these are available in several lengths and a variety of sinking characteristics, from slow to quite fast. And you can put one of these on without changing (and dedicating) a spool, if you want to switch betw floating and sink tip.
A full line with a 4' sink tip seems anachronistic.

=A0=A0=A0=A0Hi folks, I'm thinking of finally getting a sink tip line to fish streamers/nymphs. I've been using weight to this point. Any opinions on Orvis Steamer Stripper (4' mini sink tip)? Is it hard to cast a sink tip line or is it easy to adjust to? Thanks, Tom =A0=A0<You might want to first try a sinking leader. If it works for you, you will have a lot of flexibility in that these are available in several lengths and a variety of sinking characteristics, from slow to quite fast. And you can put one of these on without changing (and dedicating) a spool, if you want to switch betw floating and sink tip. A full line with a 4' sink tip seems anachronistic.>

Hi Greg, are there any advantages in using a sink tip over a sinking leader? I get the impression that your opinion is that a 4' sink tip is not that useful. How good are the sinking leaders? I'm not worried about the $$ in investing in a new spool and line. Tom

I fish sink tips quite often for both warm water and some trout applications. I would suggest that a 4' sink tip is probably a pretty specialized line, though I don't know which waters/species you plan to fish.
With the streamer stripper (I have one in five wt.) your presentation will seldom be more than 2' below the surface unless you are fishing a nymph with an upstream cast (good line for that - see the FFF magazine last issue for an article about fishing nymphs on short sink tips) or counting down small flies on ponds.

A better choice for real flexibility is a 10' sink tip. This is my most used line on my 6wt. rig. It works well for high stick nymphin in deep pockets under high water, swings a streamer a full 6' or more under moving water conditions and allows me to hit depths to 12' or so under stillwater conditions.

A sink tip is not especially hard to cast. In fact, it will cast a little easier than a WF of the same weight IMHO (so long as you select a good line that doesn't hinge).

Remeber to use short leaders. Loop-loop connectors, I have found are not great for this app. Use a butt about 60% of the thickness of the line with a couple steps to a "typical" tippet size. Total leader butt section should be no more than 2' with not more than 2' of tippet (for most situations)

Opinions are like backpassages... everyone's got one

Bluto, welcome to the forum


as in respect to your above posting: he. he. he.


(in other words, you are right)