Intermediate Saltwater Lines

[wessel]

G'day

Quick question that I hope somebody might have some experience with.

The problem I am having is that the water around here is very salty, more so than the average ocean elsewhere. You cast out, let the line sink, do the counting thing and the moment you start the strip the line will "pop" back up to just underneath the surface leaving the fly outside of the strike zone.

Using a sinking line works much better when you are fishing over a reef that is 3 to 5 meters deep. Only problem is that you must start the strip within seconds of it hitting the water or you stand a chance of fouling on the reef.

I use a Cortland 555 Tropical and a Jack Wolf Bermuda Triangle Taper Intermediate lines. Both very good lines, but not doing exactly what they are supposed to do due to the very high salt content around here.

Can you recommend an intermediate saltwater line that works well in highly saline water?
Do you know of any "cheats" you can use to make the line sit lower in the water column during a retrieve?

Any commenst appreciated

Wessel

[oscar64]

Wessels


I only use SA Striper lines- intermediates, from 7 - 10 wts, and they never rise up as you mention.

The lines you have are good quality lines, so they shouldnt be doing it either.

Do you or have you cleaned them with anything?
Most cleaners are designed to relay the floating coating on lines.

Try running a basin of warm water with some car wash or similar soap in it pull the line off and allow it to sit in the water for a while and then run it thru a clean piece of towel.

Apart from that mate, send the manufacturers an emaill and see what they have to say.
This should get rid of any stuff hanging on the line.
IF this doesnt work then perhaps run them thruu a piece of old t shirt wirh soem glycerine on it.

[catchy_fishy]

Can't add too much on actual intermediate lines or fishing in very heavy saline conditions but I would try a "cheat".

Get yourself a 9/10 wt saltwater braided leader (slow / medium / fast sink tip) - made by airflo - and maybe cortland, there might be others.

Try using the leader on your current set up, and I would imagine that when the line "pops" up, the leader will keep the fly in the strike zone.

Yeehaa - Screeming reels

Mike

[catchy_fishy]

or what about a big piece of lead ????????????????

[wessel]

The lines are cleaned after every use with luke warm water and Orvis Zip juice. Since I have run out of the zip juice I use a very little bit of detergent to clean them.Glycirine, now there is a new one, thanx.

Mike, the thought have crossed my mind to use some very light lead beads, but casting that setup will become very interesting I think, never mind possibly dangerous?

I use a very heavy sinking leader made by Airflo, designed for Marlin and Tuna. A demon to cast and it gets down the water column very quickly. The problem remains that the moment you start to strip the line tends to "pop" to the surface and does not "sit" in the water column. (I have swapped leaders where I use normal mono etc, same thing, so it is not water resistance on the leader causing it.)

I had a friend of mine cast and strip with me on snorkel gear over the reef watching what the fly and the line does and how the fish respond to it. (Yes, there are jelly fish around here.......)

The first three or four strips the fly is in the strike zone, the fish will go for it, but once that fly goes more than two or thee meters above the reef they will not strike. With a 300 grain sinking line it goes much better but the risk you take is fouling on the reef if you should have any delay in the strip. (Ever made a cast and stood on the line, had a loop knot in the line and then trying to get off the line and the knot out before you start the strip?) Those precious few seconds is all it normally takes for the line to get stuck onto something down there....... > Murphy is a bastard in my opinion.
Neither can you do a slow strip because the line tends to dive down the whole time, compounding the problem.

The only thing I could think of was the fact that the water around here is very salty, and because of that the intermediate lines do not perform quite as advertised?

Maybe thinking about putting a float on a sinking line instead

Any ideas are welcome as always

Wessel

[Nick_Currey]

Hi Wessel,

Try using a 200 or 250 grain Teeny FF shooting head sink line - they are great for getting down into the 15-20' strike zone, and are thin, so less line bouyancy.

If you are losing lines on the reef, the cheapest option we used up in Darwin, was making lead core trolling shooting heads and attach to a std cortland shooting line. Need to cut to 30lb lead core line to length to suit your rod outfit (too short - will not load rod, too long will overload your rod) - bit of trial and error. Once you work out the length, can be knocked out for about $10 each and less painfull if the Trout and GT's decide to take them home for decorations.

Good Luck

NC

[wessel]

NC

Thanks for the advice, appreciated.

I was always under the impression that the GT's bust your line so they can use it as a speed trap down deep


Wess

[oscar64]

Wessel

Orvis Zip JUice.

I take it this is aline cleaner that has polymers or silicone in it??

I know its salty up ther and I think th epost youplaced with your mate on teh reef is awesome.

But i still reckon you should STOP using the line cleaner, for our sinking lines.
I reckon if you do this you will find the problem may go away.
Not sure ho wyou get rid of teh caoting that has already beenbuilt up , perhaps try getting hold of some Gerhkes Xink. Its a sinkint used on flies and leaders for f/water but if you put some on a cloth and ran the lin ethru it may do the trick.

MMM losing lines on the reef is not good! Be OK if they were teh cost of a slab or something , we maty be able to handle that, but not with teh cost of em now.

I'd certainly be trying to get that Zip OFF the line.

As I said I fish down here in the salt/ flats every weekend, with 7wt Int and all I do EVERY time I get home is strip the line into a bucket of warm saopy water and then run it thru a clean cloth .
Have never had any problems.


Pete

[wessel]

Hey Pete,

"our sinking lines" ????? I will not say another word.......

I struck it lucky at the end of last year, walked into a flyshop which had a sale on.
Firstly, those guys dont do saltwater fly - so they had to get rid of the stock that just sit on the shelf and gather dust.
Secondly, it was a 50% discount............ Need I say more?

Thanks for the advice, appreciated as always

Wess

[catchy_fishy]

Wess
The lines you mention - are they plastic coated (just to be sure) ?

Have you tried using a braided line, that would be less buoyant generally

I've spent an hour Googling for answers but can't seem to get my search narrow enough to get a decent answer.


Mike

[atlantic_salmon]

hey wessel mate, sounds like your fighting against physics, i think we have all seen the pictures of the overly large chick bobbing up an down in the red sea like a cork, the higher the saline levels the denser the water, i can think of a few things but its probably stating the obvious.

fluorocarbon has a farster sink rate than mono.
a longer smaller diamater leader will give the fly more autonamy
the use of sinkant on the fly and type of fly

and the use of sparsley tyed flies, something i do in a spate (flood) is tie on a very sparse fly bump out the leader length and im dragging the bottom in no time, something else you could try i getting your hands on a line with a short head and a thin running line,
hows that for stating the obvious, tell us if you end up cracking this nut...

[wessel]

To all who have pooled their advice, a big thank you.

In the end, it is physics at work and something I will just have to live with.
The fluorocarbon idea I have played with over the past few weekends, with not much more success.

In the end, fish at the bottom of the tied as it turns for high. (Less water column to deal with and the fish start to come out of their hidy holes)
Try to drift over the reef, when stripping the line at anchor you basically end up fighting the current. All that happens is that the line just pops higher in the water when the line is stripped against the current.

The addition of leaded leaders, extra crimp-on lead on the line etc is not a good idea. Either that or I am crap at casting. It really hurts when you mess up a cast and that line smacks you across the back. Another reason for fishing with barbless hooks

For those in the cold at the moment, enjoy it. Day time temp over here is hitting 50 degrees C and the water is now at 33 deg C.

Thank you again

Wess