Sink tip fly lines

[afishinado]

I’ve used sink tip lines in the past. The big downside for me was the cost of buying a second fly line and a spare spool for my reel. Now occasionally I use the Orvis sink tips that you attach to the end of the fly line, but they don’t cast very well, and I don’t find them that useful. I want to try a sink tip for river smallmouths to get my clousers / buggers deeper, and for big river trout. Also I fish lakes once in a while, and sometimes a sinking / sink tip line is needed to get deeper.

I saw that Rio has a versa-tip line where the tips can be changed from floating to various sinking heads with a loop-to-loop attachment. I looked at them but the price is over $100!!

Does anyone use sinking / sink tip lines? What type/brand? Does anyone fish nymphs or wets with them? In what fishing situation are they most useful? Is it worth it?

 

I use sink tip lines for lakes quite often and love them for that.
Personally, I like my AirFlo "Multi-Tip" fly line and use it almost every outing I make anymore. It comes with a floating section, of course, but also 3 variable rate sinking sections, from "very slow to "Take her to torpedo depth!". All tips, are "loop and loop" connections and the tips come in a nice, heavy, woven nylon zipper pouch all their own.
One of the nicest things about these new multi tips over a conventional sink line, is changing them, from one to the other.
If you float tube, or even pontoon boat, there's no breaking the rod down and trying to re-thread a 9' foot rod while sitting in a float tube, or even a "tooner". You merely change the last 10' of your line, (and leader/tiipet), and that's all! No risk of dropping a spool in the water, or worse, a laid down tip section to your rod.....
I fish both, wets and nymphs, with mine, but I like them best for wet flies.
Sorry, to report, but "the casting" of ANY sink tip line, the multi tips included, is going to take some getting used to, if it feels awkward to you. (It, DID, and still DOES, feel that way to me even after a few years of using one of these lines!).
Mainly, because you've changed over from casting a very lightweight, fine tapered, regular fly line and fly...............to casting a fly line that now has a 10' section of lead core line, attached to it, PLUS the weight of a heavier wet, or, weighted fly.
(And, for me anyway, EACH of the sink rate tips takes a different casting approach,than the other ones do.)
As for the "cost of 100.00 smacks", yep, they do seem expensive and are, "for s single fly line". But I like to think, that I got "FOUR fly lines", for that amount. But, I also know, that since using mine..... I've saved a ton a lost fishing time not breaking down my rod to switch reels and/or, spools and re-rigging in changing conditions!?!
I've even started, recently, to pre-tie up my leaders and tippets on these heads, before leaving home.

 

[jayL]

I bought a cheapie from cabela's for my 9wt before heading up to the salmon river. WF floating line with a 10ft sinking tip. It was a PITA to cast at first, but I got used to it. For a cheap line, it shot very well.... but don't they all when they're new. Given that I'll use it maybe twice a year, it was a good purchase. I do wish I had a multi tip though, because I felt like fishing with an indicator for a few hours and was unable to do so. Sometimes, especially when tired, cold, uncomfortable, etc.... my cast will turn into more of a lazy semi-sidearm stroke. This didn't work AT ALL with the sink tip because it seemed to turn over slower and fall to the water a bit faster (I know, I know.. I'm an engineer in training. It didn't fall "faster", it just traveled at a lower height since I couldn't throw it as well, hence the illusion.). It never got a chance to straighten out before hitting the river and my accuracy was crappy. Had to make sure my form was just right before shooting every cast.