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Intermediate lines!

15K views 114 replies 26 participants last post by  Drifter 
#1 ·
I have fallen in love with intermediate lines. It started at cabelas today just looking around and spotted the new prestige plus clear type one sinking line, at $30 I couldn't turn it down. Went out and it casts like a dream. I fished a scud and caught some awesome fish, I love the depth control. A friend of mine always uses small nymphs and scuds on an intermediate and is constantly catching fish left and right.(part of what motivated me to buy it) But now I see why they are so popular I think anyone who doesn't want to spend the money for the SA or Rio line should pick up the the cabelas prestige intermediate. Great stuff!!!
 
#89 ·
Floating lines are not a good substitute here for a sinker, mainly because it tends to get tangled in the kayak paddles from the nature lovers who took a course in lake touring and like to get nice and close to us when they are trekking their one mile sightseeing tour.

You can find light grappling hooks that can be tossed 30 or 40 feet and with a speedy retrieve can connect well to a $2000 kevlar ocean kayak that will never see anything but an urban lake. Half J/K.
 
#90 ·
Issue with a floating line is depending on how heavy the flies are you will create a hinge effect on a strip, as the line moves on the strip and the streamer comes up in the water column while moving forward.
With the intermediate debate there are 0.5ips lines (Rio Hover) and some places market a 1.5-2.0ips as a fast intermediate or just an intermediate (Rio Aqualux/SA Stillwater).
Funny thing about the Rio Camolux I own is that you can turn it into a floating line by adding a line dressing.

As for fishing I was using a Type III uniform this fall in around 9 feet or so of water, once my whole line had sunk (great method...) I would start striping. Advantage over the Intermediate is I can get more casts in a set amount of time, however not all lakes are deep enough.
However I find myself using the Intermediate in competitions, but that was because it was for an 8# and I could cast further while the type III was in a 6#.
 
#91 ·
Funny thing about the Rio Camolux I own is that you can turn it into a floating line by adding a line dressing.

I imagine you could add Xink to few feet of floating. Or the Sink tips that are available. I have Cortland Camo and I do use it, but got to admit, I have met my match on occasion by fellow anglers using a Floating line with long leaders. If I didn't have Intermediate, I would be just fine with the floating. The rising fly on the strip is not a bad thing. Try Boobie flies on a sinking line/ Granted they dive when strip, but the rise on the pause is fantastic. I tried trolling by rowing. The fish hit as I lift the oars meaning the drop of the fly on waited nymphs and the rise of the Boobie. I think the movement makes a difference. Love to hear what you all think.
 
#94 ·
Funny thing about the Rio Camolux I own is that you can turn it into a floating line by adding a line dressing.

I imagine you could add Xink to few feet of floating. Or the Sink tips that are available. I have Cortland Camo and I do use it, but got to admit, I have met my match on occasion by fellow anglers using a Floating line with long leaders. If I didn't have Intermediate, I would be just fine with the floating. The rising fly on the strip is not a bad thing. Try Boobie flies on a sinking line/ Granted they dive when strip, but the rise on the pause is fantastic. I tried trolling by rowing. The fish hit as I lift the oars meaning the drop of the fly on waited nymphs and the rise of the Boobie. I think the movement makes a difference. Love to hear what you all think.
We lake anglers love our specialty lines, eh? My preference for fishing in the top 2-3' is a clear intermediate tip line with a 10-12' tapered leader. I have a 3' clear sinktip line that I fished at Henry's Lake in September near the state park. The water was down several feet from my last visit and I was ticking bottom on long casts with my Rio Hover. I caught fish using an unweighted stillwater nymph pulled on short strips. The overall water depth was around 4-5' with lots of weeds coming up to near the surface. Could I have done the same thing with a floater? Maybe.
 
#92 ·
I love the dry line and long leaders for fish 4 to 5 feet deep and higher. I'm usually never fishing a leader shorter than 14 feet anyway on my dry lines so it's easy to just put a light weighted softy or nymph on. I do it for the exact reason you mention Blue, the rise on the strip!

Lighter weighted flies for just subsurface when I'm doing this I usually put another piece of tippet on (lighter) for better sink rate of a lighter weighted fly making my leaders around 16 feet!
 
#95 ·
I primary use a floating line just add split shots to get it down after putting one or four or five shots not getting down fast enough I attach one of those tear drop lead weights to the leader man does that get down quick in some cases have been know to bonk a few trout on the head knock them out float to the top I scoop them up revive them another fish to my count sure add fun to a slow day
 
#97 ·
Does anyone know if the Rio OBS integrated shooting lines are density compensated--like the SA Uniform Sink? I use both a fast sinker and a floater on my 8 wt. for Stripers, and I LOVE those lines. They are available in a 6 wt. If I thought they would perform as well as the US lines I'd totally replace them. Getting out 80' is easy and the running line is gentle on the retrieve.
 
#99 ·
Does anyone know if the Rio OBS integrated shooting lines are density compensated--like the SA Uniform Sink? I use both a fast sinker and a floater on my 8 wt. for Stripers, and I LOVE those lines. They are available in a 6 wt. If I thought they would perform as well as the US lines I'd totally replace them. Getting out 80' is easy and the running line is gentle on the retrieve.
I can't answer your question about density compensation. But I've been fishing the Outbound Hover line for several years and it's great for stillwater. Mine is a 5wt.
 
#98 ·
I have the floater
I have the type II full sink( which is close enough to an intermediate sink rate)

I am going with a type VI full sinking line.

Thanks to those that responded to my question, and to those that rambled on about something else..... i thank you for the entertainment value of your post.
 
#106 ·
I know, I know... the system works. Some of my fishing buddies have much more patience than I do and are very successful with the technique. I can use it to catch fish if I have to... I guess... if I have to.... :)

(truthfully, I'm also pretty good using the indicator system but it isn't my favorite technique.... guess I prefer to feel the fish hit the pattern more than the visual method of watching an indicator for any slight movement)
 
#107 ·
There are some who seem to do well with a sinking line with a midge with slow retrieve. This has never worked for me nearly as well as bobber fishing, but if it did I'd prefer it strongly. As to "retrieve" with an indicator, I've never done that--always used anchors to keep it still. I am sure I have a lot to learn if I was to actually focus on this method.
 
#108 ·
I have occasionally done well fishing an unweighted midge off an intermediate line. I use a "do nothing" retrieve with this presentation. This has been when hanging my bug under an indicator wasn't working. I can only assume that the fish were spread out and moving up and down in the water column. Fun when it happens. Cast out, take out the slack and wait for the line to take off!
 
#110 ·
I've done quite well with a clear, intermediate sinking line and midge emerger patterns while slowly trolling or casting and retrieving the patterns. You're not really restricted to using a dry line and the bobber system when using midge emerger patterns.
 
#111 ·
One of my problems is being set in my ways and taking odds on the historically productive technique. I know indicator fishing can be very productive, but I don't have the patience most times.

Unless a lake has a particular unique pattern and technique, I've found that for planted trout a fast stripped (with pauses) attractor works the best. I usually use a Type IV for that. For wild fish or holdovers I'll add a point fly and troll or slow strip with a clear I line or Type II. Most fish come on the point fly except cutties that almost always take the streamer.

We have one lake that's about 80% triploid planters and 20% browns (California no longer has a brown trout program). There's an inflow that, when running, can provide great dry fly fishing. When it's on, I'll dry fly fish the "stream" and have another rod out with an indicator. Fun to get caught with two fish sometimes.
 
#112 ·
I'm late, again...
I fished for many years before I tried chironomids at all, and a few more maybe before seriously giving it a shot. But then I had a day, the same one most of you proponents have had. I and 5 buddies fishing a lake in Sno.Co., nailing them often enough and laughing our asses off. What a hoot. I don't mind watching a bobber for awhile. I'm maybe more patient than some, so I'll give it 10 or 20 minutes before a change. But I start by obtaining an accurate depth and going 3' shy, and then adjust only if needed.
 
#114 ·
"One if by tube, two if by boat." (P.R?)
Two anchors are always more desirable but not as necessary (or feasible) in a float tube or Fat Cat. Boats catch more wind, have less draft, and therefore swing more. Pontoons? I'm interested in other answers too but unless I take the hard boat out, I use one in the SFC.
 
#115 ·
When anchoring my drifter I always use two unless there is no wind at all and I'm searching water, moving fast.

When I do anchor using two I put the front down first and let out all the rope (50 feet) than let the back one out and pull back so i'm in-between anchors with a 45 degree angle on both ropes. While fishing stillwater steelhead this was the only way you could get your rods around the anchor ropes when fish went crazy. Having enough angle to stick a 9 to 10 foot rod under a rope and lift and keep fighting the fish (untangled) is a must for me. Then when they are close and dig deep for bottom you can just let them dig, I lost a fish last summer because the guide just dropped #35 anchors straight down and tied them to the sled. When I got a good cranebow to the boat it dug for under the boat and I am just used to letting them dig, well second hook in the rope right under the boat!

When stillwater steelheading the fish go crazy (early chrome summer runs) and sometimes your putting your rod under the rope 2 or 3 times to play the fish - they just go everywhere! I also only ever use one fly while stillhead fishing because of this - two flies and it would be a short battle most of the time with the second fly getting caught in the anchor ropes! I take the same approach to trout fishing.
 
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