[sinktip]

I have always tended to be in the camp of either it is on top with a floater or down on the rocks with a heavy tip. For this reason, my Type III tips rarely have received much of a workout. The last couple weeks though on a local steelhead river that was running low and clear, I spent significant time getting familiar with my Type IIIs again. And with some favorable results too.

All of which leads me to intermediate sink tips. I have never fished one in the rivers and until recently, never thought I would. I know that some buddies fish them for fall fish though up north and now I am wondering if I am missing out on some great opportunities.

Curious what experiences others have had.

 

[flytyer]

I have used type 2 or type 1 tips at times in summer/fall when the fish were getting fish over pretty hard and I knew there were fish in the run. I did this to get the fly down between 4"-12" depending on the speed of current. I've also found Russ Miller uses the same slow tips in the same conditions, but he is the only other person I've run into doing so.

 

[Topher Browne]

Intermediate Sink Tips

Intermediate sink tips--i.e. clear tips with a slow sink rate--can be deadly on surface-oriented salmon who are unwilling to close the deal on a full floater. Getting the fly down that extra 2-5 inches can make all the difference.

Bright sun, unusually cool water for "summer fish," and heavily-fished runs are strong indicators for an intermediate sink tip. A suitable polyleader will fish at the same depth, and can make for a more subtle presentation when needed.

 

[Big K1]

I use them when the rivers are high and dirty. They work great for those fish sitting up in the slack water near the bank.

 

[t_richerzhagen]

Another place

they are useful is when the current is strong enough that it pushes the fly to the surface, especially with plastic tubes, and you want it in the film or slightly below. The intermediate polyleader also does a good job of turning over flies.

 

[Nooksack Mac]

Slime line sinktip

Several years ago, I made a couple of 15' sinktips out of an inexpensive 333 WF9S clear mono line. Most of these have a sink rate of 1.5 - 2". I find it useful in slow water down to three or four feet deep, or faster water (within steelhead fishing norms) of about half that depth.

 

[pescaphile]

Water conditions will vary substantially from site to site and with the weather in my local waters. I need to use all three of the rio sink tips (or others) throughout the season to fish effectively. The clear tip definitely has its place during colder low water but also in some "non traditional" waters that are quite slow (needing a downstream mend to acheive a tight swing) but relatively deep. A Type III is just too much in these waters and will hang up too often. The intermediate will swing through these spots slowly and smoothly while diving deeper than I could get using a floating line.

I'm sure they'd work well on summer fish too, but see no need to use them then instead of a floater.

 

[KerryS]

Here's one for you 'tip.

After watching the parade of fly flickers on the old Lyman bar all morning knowing everyone of them had been dredging the bottom since everyone of them was catching sticks and rocks and such but no steelhead. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to put on an intermediate tip and at least stay away from the rock and stick fish and preventing the need to tie on another fly every so often. Well, you might have guessed by now that sure enough I found a pissed off steelhead because he had to look so far up to see my fly or he didn’t know he was supposed to be hugging the bottom. What ever the reason I did hook up and land a nice native buck on an intermediate tip in February.

 

[sinktip]

Kerry,

Good on you for your luck and good on the Skagit for turning out a fish. There may be hope yet.

tip

 

[cwk]

I agree with bigk1.

Also first thing in the morning to cover the inside shallow water. Then do it again with a heaver tip.

 

[KerryS]

Tip,

My fish was caught a number of years ago before the bar at Lyman was washed away in the Oct. 2003 flood. There are no fish in the Skagit this year. :saevilw:

 

[flytyer]

Kerry,

You bet, the only river with fish this year appears to be the Hoh. The Skagit and Sauk are devoid of steel, only a few dollies and 'tip's favorite fish the golden bones are about.

 

[J. Lee]

the sinking tips

How hard was it for you to become a swinger from a chuck and ducker? Do you really know why chuck and ducking/ bottom bouncing is bad? It is even harder to make a chuck and ducker to a swinger. It is the hardest to make a sinking tiper to a floater. I will tell you about the general principle about fly-fishing-the winter is long and I have time today. The sea or lake run salmonoid- atlantic, coho, king, steelhead, brook trout and browns can be hooked with the exact same presentation-subsurface swing or even dry fly. In general, depending on the reason why they are taking flies, degree of fishing pressure and partially water temperature, in summer and fall you can catch them if your flies swims in the upper 1/3 of water column, in winter and spring if your flies are sustained in the lower 1/2 column. The deeper you fish, the less the take will be. You might lose the most exciting part of fly fishing. I do know you can fish deeper and better with 14 to 16' leader and lightly weighted fly than intermediate, and type1 to 3.
. There is no magic with sinking tips, but make your fishig unpleasant unless you have harder time casting floating line. This is tip for you. explore your floating line. I know that You can fish more effectively without sinking tips. It is very, very, very hard to break a bad habbit.