[glcaddis]

First can one combine a polyleader and section of T-tip? Let's say I've got a five foot poly that weighs 40 grains and I want a ten foot tip that weights 80 grains. Can I combine a five foot section of T-8 to make up the tip? And, should the T material come off the head or off the poly leader?

 

[buff]

Question #2...

I think that if you were going to cast that combination, the T-tip should come off the head, then the polyleader. I don't see a fast sink rate poly being able to transmit much energy to a T-tip. I am still thinking about your question#1...Haven't done that myself. What I have done is put a 4 foot piece of T-tip into a long spey leader for salmon fishing. This was an idea given to me by Ard Stetts, and it worked really well.

 

[bender]

Both have 8 gr/ft average weight but if poly is tapered its rear is heavier so there will be slight distortion on line loop energy transfer but I believe not too much and might be impossible to even notice without slow motion camera.

Also when Spey casting the T8 needs more speed to lift poly out of water but again should be fine. If not T11 between poly and line belly becomes more powerful fly line.

Esa

 

[fredaevans]

Yes to what he said.

I think that if you were going to cast that combination, the T-tip should come off the head, then the polyleader. I don't see a fast sink rate poly being able to transmit much energy to a T-tip. I am still thinking about your question#1...Haven't done that myself. What I have done is put a 4 foot piece of T-tip into a long spey leader for salmon fishing. This was an idea given to me by Ard Stetts, and it worked really well.

Sink tips are grossly over rated as 99% of the time they're attached to a floating line/head of some sort. Floatie wants to do just that and will keep the ST from doing what you want same to do (well, you can use a fly that's is a feather brick).

Odd off as it may sound at first blush the following actually works very well with a heavy sink tip. End of the head and loop on 12 to 18 inches of 30# test mono 'main line,' Leader just doesn't work all that well. Loop on end of that, then the sink tip. The short leader connection allows the ST to sink away from the floatie bit and gets down deep/quick.

Longer than 18" and you will get a 'hinge action' between line/Tip. That 'don't hunt' well. :roll:

 

[sinktip]

Sink tips are grossly over rated

Fred,

I'm not sure I would go that far but I am going to try your 18" of 30# trick to see what I think.

Sinktip :hihi:

 

[Hardyreels]

for Those Who May Wonder About What Fred Said;

Hi Guys,

I have been using a peculiar system to get my flies down since 1994. It is similar to what Fred describes but I use anywhere from 5 to 6 and a half feet of 30 pound mono connected to my floating line with a braided loop adapter.

On the end of the #30 mono I place whatever length & weight of T material my line will carry. On the end of the T section I loop a 2 - 3 foot tippet depending on conditions.

The cast in the picture below is being made with 6.5 foot of #30 mono - 6.5 foot of T-8 and a 3 foot 12 pound tippet. The fly was a weighted Wilkinson Sunray tube. That white thing you see at the end of the fly line is my braided loop connector, the 14 foot leader and fly have not came up into the cast at the time the photo was snapped.



I have learned how to cast this type leader and the reasoning behind its use is simple. The floating line is not pulled down by the T material. The 6.5 foot of mono allows for the sink section and the fly to get down while the fly line remains afloat.

When it is time for me to re-cast this is an easy rig to sweep up because my fly line is not under water. The line being cast in that picture is a 45' Scandi line with integrated runner behind the head. I fish this type sinking leader all the way up to sections of T-17 but those are cast using an 800 grain line with a 64' belly. Still the system works and when there are fish in the area I seem to catch some

It ain't for everyone but it's been working for me.

 

[sinktip]

I'm not sure I would go that far but I am going to try your 18" of 30# trick to see what I think.

Tried this out this morning. Fished a run that I had fished on Friday, flow was almost the same, same rod, line, tip with only difference was 18" of 30# Ultragreen looped between line and tip.

First half dozen casts I was impressed as I was hanging up on the bottom of the swing every cast. This was not the case on Friday. Then I checked my fly and discovered that instead of putting on a size 3 Blue Heron hooked pattern like I fished Friday, I had a size 2 on. Big difference in weight there. Once I replaced the fly with the one I used on Friday, I stopped hanging up.

All in all, I can't verify that I was getting down any deeper than without the mono. I can't say anything bad about the set-up though. It cast fine with no significant hinging or turnover problems.

Not sure if I will play with it anymore but for anyone who likes to tinker, it might be worth some further experimentation.

'tip