Fly line

[Joe28]

I fish the ca delta for bass and stripers what would be the best line for my streamers


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[NorcalBob]

I use shooting heads pretty much exclusively for stripers in the delta. Fastest sink rate you can find, T-8, 11, or 14 matched to the specific rod your using.

[Joe28]

Ok thanks I found t-11 for 35


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[BrownBear]

Not for general use, but if you really want to get down fast, The Fly Shop in Redding sells heads cut to length from Airflo Tungsten T-18. It reputedly sinks 11.5" per second, but I suspect that's a freshwater measurement. It's still the fastest sinking line we've found short of lead core in saltwater.

You buy it by the foot (80 cents a foot) and for a small fee they'll put welded loops in one or both ends. Just tell them to loop it in the special instruction dialog box that opens when go into the ordering process. At 18 grains per foot, a 300 grain head for an 8WT only needs to be 17' long, or $13.60 plus the loop fee. Talk about a casting bomb that sinks like an anchor!

We use T-18 all the time in saltwater.

[briansII]

Posting from a dock on the Delta. Shooting heads are great for the Delta, but if want to simplify things a little bit, Rio Outbound Short lines are good too. They come in floating and different sink rates. Same for Airflo's Sniper series of lines. I use all of the above, but shooting heads are my go to setup for deep presentations. Outbound Short or sage's Largemouth Bass line for floating.

briansII

[Joe28]

Thanks do you think that's right for the delta


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[BrownBear]

Can't say about the Delta, but we have that line on 4 rods (two 8WTs and two 10WTs) on the boat for general casting use, even some trolling. It casts really well when you need longer reaches, and the running line is just stiff enough when new to limit tangles, but a little too soft after a couple seasons of hard use.

Sink rate is fine for still water applications, but with a current we have to resort to heavy Clausers or Fish Heads to speed the sink. In our experience, those sink rates are almost certainly calculated in freshwater. They're cut almost in half in pure saltwater, something in between in estuaries.

In the full-floating version, it's our standard line for beach casting and chasing fast-moving schools of cohos on the tide flats.

[NorcalBob]

A couple of comments. I think that's a long head Outbound series of flylines, and it has a head of around 38 feet. Most beginners have difficulty casting a head that long. The Outbound Short series head is only 30 feet long and is much easier to cast. That line is also a Type 6 sink (about 6 inches a second), and while it will work in shallower situations, you may have trouble getting deep in heavy tidal swings due to current. Most of the stuff I fling for stripers in the Delta sinks from 8 inches to 12 inches a second due to tidal flows. That's one of the reasons I prefer shooting heads for my Delta work, as I can switch out heads quickly to get the right sink rate I need in any specific fishing situation. That way I don't have to hope my flyline can do what I want, I know it will do what I want.

[BrownBear]

Excellent points!

I'm a real fan of the Outbound "full body," or as we call it "Outbound Long" with it's long head. But my wife (a good and experienced caster) abhors it, vastly preferring the short. I'm a bit of an anomaly in preferring the long, because most folks I know prefer the short. I have over 50 years casting experience, but need a real aggressive casting stroke with aggressive rod tapers (Temple Fork TiCRX is tops for that!) to use the long. On more "relaxed" rod taper and casting styles, I prefer the short too.

If you want the most get-down possible for challenging situations, it's hard to beat a lead core shooting head. It's easy to make your own, and the line is relatively cheap at $20 for 100 yards of 27#. There are techniques to easily loop the ends, or you can knot it directly to running line like Amnesia using back-to-back nail or uni knots. The disadvantage of direct-knotting is that you'll sentence yourself to carrying extra spools. We carry extra spools for the rods on our boat because swaps are easiest that way, but to cut weight and bulk we use looped heads on our walk-around rods.

[briansII]

That's one of the reasons I prefer shooting heads for my Delta work, as I can switch out heads quickly to get the right sink rate I need in any specific fishing situation. That way I don't have to hope my flyline can do what I want, I know it will do what I want.

When's the last time you switched heads out. With all the gear you have, I'm betting your boat is filled with rigged rods of all sink rates.

But yeah. If you are limited to a couple rods, shooting heads are by far the best way to go. Not only do they give you flexibility, but with a little bit of experience, they flat out perform better. Forgot to add. An intermediate, or mono running line will help your shooting head get deeper. Not a lot, but when the tidal current is at it's peak, any little bit helps. This is good info on what type, and length of shooting, for certain weight rods. I stress this info as a "guide", because it varies to a person's preference.

http://www.danblanton.com/viewarchive.p ... 201104.php

The above is centered around striper fishing, but it can crossover into largemouth fishing. Every year I catch largemouth while targeting stripers, but I rarely fish streamers/subsurface looking for bass. I'm mostly fishing topwater flies for bass at the Delta. Trying to fish "clean" for bass with streamers and sinking lines is almost impossible at the Delta. Some guys do it, but I don't find it enjoyable.

briansII

[NorcalBob]

Yep, good old Brian know's me far too good!!!!
And he's correct, I don't spend much time re-rigging in my boat wasting valuable fishing time, because I keep 8 rods rigged and ready to go to cover all my expected fishing situations I might encounter during the day!
And the rest of his advice is also spot on! Get some shooting heads!!!

[Joe28]

is there a difference in the Spey vs one handed



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[NorcalBob]

You can use the item you show. That's just a section of T-14 that you could use for either spey or single handed purposes. Although only a fantastic spey caster could huck 30' of T-14!!!! I sure can't!!!

[briansII]

That will work without any trimming if you are planning to use it on a 9wt or heavier rod. I would still use it on a strong 8wt too, but it starts to get "heavy" for some 8wt rods. BTW, that's a good price for the new version(no stretch core) of Rio's T-14. I could use a backup, so I bought one. Thanks for the heads up.

briansII