here today i was using a sink tip type 6 on the sky. this is the first time i have tried casting with sink tips. when the line would come to the end of the dangle. i had a hard time trying to pick up the sink tip with one cast to get it back out there. which cast would work best to bring the sinktip to the surface. with out makeing so many casts to get the line back out there.
which cast to use with sink tips
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Hi, I was speying on the Sky today too. The wind was really howling downstream for me, I hope you had better conditions.
For sinktips, I think it is generally easier to get proficient with the circle spey and the double spey first. If you get these two casts down, you will be able to handle most current/wind directions that you encounter.
As you rise from the dangle, rise slowly to give your tip a chance to rise before you start the rest of the cast. It's also help helpful if you can shoot a few feet with each cast, that way, you have a few feet to strip back in at the beginning of the cast which will also help to raise your sinktip. Lastly, you can also fire a rollcast downstream before starting the rest of your cast (but I don't like doing this because I think it could spook the fish I am so adept at *not* catching)
For sinktips, I think it is generally easier to get proficient with the circle spey and the double spey first. If you get these two casts down, you will be able to handle most current/wind directions that you encounter.
As you rise from the dangle, rise slowly to give your tip a chance to rise before you start the rest of the cast. It's also help helpful if you can shoot a few feet with each cast, that way, you have a few feet to strip back in at the beginning of the cast which will also help to raise your sinktip. Lastly, you can also fire a rollcast downstream before starting the rest of your cast (but I don't like doing this because I think it could spook the fish I am so adept at *not* catching)
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Scott,
It would help to know what rod and line you are using but here are a few random thoughts in general. The 15' Type VI Rio tips are usually fairly easy to pull out given the right approach. I use either this tip or the similar type VII Airflo for the majority of my winter/spring work. The main hint I would give you is to make sure you start with the rod on the water. A couple of strips of line before you start your stroke also helps.
These tips work well on all the typical casts but if you are used to the Snake-roll, you will have to modify your "egg" a bit for use with tips. In general, I have found tips to just need a slightly more open stroke.
One last factor to throw out is the fly pattern you are using. All things being equal, trying to pull up a tip and a #2 spey is easier than the same tip and a 5" long bunny leech.
Hope this helps.
It would help to know what rod and line you are using but here are a few random thoughts in general. The 15' Type VI Rio tips are usually fairly easy to pull out given the right approach. I use either this tip or the similar type VII Airflo for the majority of my winter/spring work. The main hint I would give you is to make sure you start with the rod on the water. A couple of strips of line before you start your stroke also helps.
These tips work well on all the typical casts but if you are used to the Snake-roll, you will have to modify your "egg" a bit for use with tips. In general, I have found tips to just need a slightly more open stroke.
One last factor to throw out is the fly pattern you are using. All things being equal, trying to pull up a tip and a #2 spey is easier than the same tip and a 5" long bunny leech.
Hope this helps.
casting sinktips
i was using my 14 ft 3 solstice with a type 6 sinktip. i have not did many double speys tried a few circle speys. i will try lifting the rod slowly so the sink tip rises to the surface next time. before i try to cast the sinktip. i see what you mean i was trying to drag the sink tip up before casting.
i was using my 14 ft 3 solstice with a type 6 sinktip. i have not did many double speys tried a few circle speys. i will try lifting the rod slowly so the sink tip rises to the surface next time. before i try to cast the sinktip. i see what you mean i was trying to drag the sink tip up before casting.
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As others have said, the key to sinking lines is slow things down but do not stop. And very critical to start with a tight line thus as Sinktip mentioned the rod tip down close to the water and a couple of strips. I really like the snap T for river left though the circle is also a great cast - if you lift slowly you start to really load the rod and lift the line (but if you pause after the lift you reintroduce slack into the line and the tip sinks) So slow lift right to the snap T or snap C. For river right both the snake roll and double spey work well to bring tips up - again really critical to start slow.
You say you are using a type 6 tip but on what line? Short belly or long belly? The short bellies are much more forgiving for lifting tips until you relly get the technique down
You say you are using a type 6 tip but on what line? Short belly or long belly? The short bellies are much more forgiving for lifting tips until you relly get the technique down
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Scott -
Happy New year! Moving slowly but with full tension is good advice. This applies to the anchor as well as the lift, in other words envision the sinktip sliding on the water as it as the cast lifts it off the surface and you will experience a smoother release with less power.
Also, the line is among the most important factors in play with tips. When fishing tips, the casting gets easier as the floating belly throwing it gets fatter and shorter. This is because of two reasons - 1) it gets stripped in closer and 2) a more compact head has more command over a high density head (mechanically). I've fished the 14'3" 7/8 Solstice with the Windcutter 7/8/9 line with tips quite a bit and it was a nice match.
Another option to facilitate easy sinktip casting is to pick up a couple of low-cost, high-density shooting heads like the SA wet cell type IV (equiv to the Rio type 6) in line weights around the target line weight - #7, #8 and #9 for instance, and use them as extra options to the ones in the wallet. I cut them and loop them with color coded loops. These front tapers lift and cast really nicely on spey lines especially if you go down in line rating. The thin diameter makes them slice the current very nicely. These sinktips might not swim as deep as t-14 but they will get a winter tie down in the zone as well as any type 6 and I've caught a bunch of fish on them.
.02
Happy New year! Moving slowly but with full tension is good advice. This applies to the anchor as well as the lift, in other words envision the sinktip sliding on the water as it as the cast lifts it off the surface and you will experience a smoother release with less power.
Also, the line is among the most important factors in play with tips. When fishing tips, the casting gets easier as the floating belly throwing it gets fatter and shorter. This is because of two reasons - 1) it gets stripped in closer and 2) a more compact head has more command over a high density head (mechanically). I've fished the 14'3" 7/8 Solstice with the Windcutter 7/8/9 line with tips quite a bit and it was a nice match.
Another option to facilitate easy sinktip casting is to pick up a couple of low-cost, high-density shooting heads like the SA wet cell type IV (equiv to the Rio type 6) in line weights around the target line weight - #7, #8 and #9 for instance, and use them as extra options to the ones in the wallet. I cut them and loop them with color coded loops. These front tapers lift and cast really nicely on spey lines especially if you go down in line rating. The thin diameter makes them slice the current very nicely. These sinktips might not swim as deep as t-14 but they will get a winter tie down in the zone as well as any type 6 and I've caught a bunch of fish on them.
.02
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What length of rod are you using? A 16ft rod will lift the line to the top, especially if you raise the rod whilst stripping back to your casting mark.
If the tip is not easy to lift a simple roll cast will bring your tip to the surface.
Rolling a line to the surface is a lot easier than everyonre thinks
If the tip is not easy to lift a simple roll cast will bring your tip to the surface.
Rolling a line to the surface is a lot easier than everyonre thinks
Rick,
I used to use the SA shooting heads in type 3 and 4 prior to RIO putting the 15' already looped tips on the market and I cut the 30' head into 2 sinktips, one of 17' (it had the front taper on it) and one of 13' (it was the rear of the shooting head) for my fishing. After about 3 years, I quit carrying them in anything other than 15' because there really wasn't that much difference between the 13' and the 17' and it reduced the number of sink tips I carried.
Since RIO has the 15' in types 3, 6 (like Juro said, it is nearly identical in sink rate to SA type 4), and 8 (far easier to cast the 12'-15' of SA 550 gr Deep Water Express and it sinks about the same rate) I no longer make tips from SA sinking shooting heads. I do, however, carry a 12.5' piece of SA 700 gr DWE when using my 16' 11 wt in winter for when the water is in the willows, but dropping and clearing, and I also carry 13' sections of SA type 2 when summer fishing and want to get down just a tad in low water.
I use the bottom line designation of the spey line to figure the proper weight of the SA shooting head (i.e. I use an 8 wt on an 8/9 spey line). I had been using SA sinking shooting heads for years to make interchangeable sink tips for my single hand rods and just used the same technique for the 2-hander. The only difference is with the single hand line, I found the sink tip works best for casting if I drop a line size from the line's designation.
This approach has been used for years. I first used it back in the early 1970's when living in Pennsylvania because I couldn't afford extra spools for my reel since I was a poor college student. I thought I had hit on something new and was all set to send an article on it to FLY FISHERMAN, but then I saw an older angler using the same thing on the West Branch of the Delaware River. He told me he picked it up on a steelhead trip he make to WA state in 1968. There went my thoughts of making a bit of cash to buy another reel for what was obviously not something new.
I used to use the SA shooting heads in type 3 and 4 prior to RIO putting the 15' already looped tips on the market and I cut the 30' head into 2 sinktips, one of 17' (it had the front taper on it) and one of 13' (it was the rear of the shooting head) for my fishing. After about 3 years, I quit carrying them in anything other than 15' because there really wasn't that much difference between the 13' and the 17' and it reduced the number of sink tips I carried.
Since RIO has the 15' in types 3, 6 (like Juro said, it is nearly identical in sink rate to SA type 4), and 8 (far easier to cast the 12'-15' of SA 550 gr Deep Water Express and it sinks about the same rate) I no longer make tips from SA sinking shooting heads. I do, however, carry a 12.5' piece of SA 700 gr DWE when using my 16' 11 wt in winter for when the water is in the willows, but dropping and clearing, and I also carry 13' sections of SA type 2 when summer fishing and want to get down just a tad in low water.
I use the bottom line designation of the spey line to figure the proper weight of the SA shooting head (i.e. I use an 8 wt on an 8/9 spey line). I had been using SA sinking shooting heads for years to make interchangeable sink tips for my single hand rods and just used the same technique for the 2-hander. The only difference is with the single hand line, I found the sink tip works best for casting if I drop a line size from the line's designation.
This approach has been used for years. I first used it back in the early 1970's when living in Pennsylvania because I couldn't afford extra spools for my reel since I was a poor college student. I thought I had hit on something new and was all set to send an article on it to FLY FISHERMAN, but then I saw an older angler using the same thing on the West Branch of the Delaware River. He told me he picked it up on a steelhead trip he make to WA state in 1968. There went my thoughts of making a bit of cash to buy another reel for what was obviously not something new.
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