When fly fishing, what determines whether you use floating or sinking line when fishing?

Question

When fly fishing, what determines whether you use floating or sinking line when fishing?

Answer 1

For dry flies, you would want a floating line.   Fishing deeper with wet flies, would be better with a sinking line.

Answer 2

I use sinking line much more than I use floating line.  If there is a hatch and a lot of insects are on the surface the fish will be feeding there.  That's when I use floating line.  Fish spend more time below the surface than up top.  I like fishing streamer flies because they consistently catch fish.  

Answer 3

You must determine whether the fish are feeding on the top of the water or the bottom, mots of the time you cant go wrong with a floating line, you can fish your dries on here if you see the fish feeding on them, also you can fish your nymphs on a floating line and your chironomids/buzzers, i rarely use my intermediate and sinking lines, the intermediate has its advantages when fishing in hot weather when the trout will generally go deeper due to the heat, its good for fishing streamers/lures such as the woolly bugger pattern, if the fish are down very deep then a sinking line is needed, i prefer a DT line when using sinking lines as its helps me to cast my line quicker and get better distances,the sinking line is very useful if your fishing in deep water reservoirs or naturally deep lakes/unused quarries, be careful if your using a sinking line with a high sink rate as it can catch the bottom and you can snag it up and lose your line and flies. This is fly fishing, dont let the name stop you.

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One last thing, intermediate lines do have their advantages in the wind, when you may normally be fishing with a floating line, wind can cause your line to lose its tension in the surface film meaning you lose contact with your flies, this isnt a good thing as its harder to detect takes, a midge tip line is also very useful when fishing nymphs, this line is a floater but just the tip section sinks, slightly, if your in doubt to start with on a new water use your floating line in a WF, AFTM. Good brands of line to try are Rio, Airflo, Sage and Cortland, Orvis also makes some good fly lines too.

Answer 4

Your tackle choices are determined by the fishing conditions.

Using weighted nymphs or streamers, or adding weight to the leader, is effective to a moderate depth when used in conjuction with a full floating line.  Such rigs typically suffice for most stream and river fishing, as the desired fishing depth is rarely more than four or five feet.

At a certain depth, dredging with a floating line becomes ineffective or inefficient.  Not only do you need to use a longer leader to get deeper, but more weight may also be necessary.  You must also consider the rate of current flow, with faster current necessitating even longer leaders and more weight.  At this point you're probably so frustrated with your tackle choice that you're no longer enjoying the experience.

When you need to fish deep, and you don't need to be visually connected to the end of your fly line, sinking lines get down fast, stay down throughout the presentation, are rarely influenced by varying surface currents, and enable a direct connection to the fly.  The last part is particularly advantageous when swinging streamers down and across, where the takes are typically fast & agressive.  Sinking lines are also frequently chosen when fishing stillwaters, since given an amount of patience, you can get your fly down very deep.  Sinking lines are also effective with relatively short leaders, in fact very short in water that is less than perfectly clear or for fish that are anything but spooky.

As with their floating counterparts, the design of sinking lines has evolved tremendously over the years.  Now a fly angler can find a line that specifically meets the needs for any fishing situation.  The problem is that sinkers are dedicated to one style (deep) fishing.  They aren't much fun to cast, and they lack the visual connection that adds to the enjoyment.

If you're fishing routinely calls for fishing deep, deeper than a floater can effectively allow, then add a sinker or two to your line selection.  Most guys feel they can cover the water column with floating lines and enjoy the convenience of switching from surface to subsurface fishing without changing out lines.