After a floater, the second line I'd buy would be a clear intermediate. You'll get far more use from it than you will from a type 4 or 6. Given how shallow Lone is, even an intermediate will most likely get you a disproportionate share of weeds unless you retrieve smartly.

K

 

Lone is much shallower than Pass on average - from what I've found on my depthfinder. I'd say that an intermediate or a full sink up to maybe a type 2 or 3 is sufficient for Lone, but I frequently have my best success on Pass using a type 5 sink.

 

Ends up being a matter of preference, especially since the density compensated lines came out. In short they can now sink in a straight line vs. curved (or having a belly). I do everything with 2 lines, a floater and a Type V FS. I've had the SA Mastery sinker maybe 3 years and it does everything. It's an easy line to control so fishing it shallow is no problem. At Pass or Lone I wouldn't use anything else (IMO a slow sinker at Pass is useless).

For what it's worth I've owned slower lines (i.e. Type II) and have done away with them altogether. I find it's much more painful trying to get those down vs. keeping a faster line up when the need arises.

Kent and stav are right on about Lone; again my liking for the faster line there is personal preference since the newer lines allow better control...the Type V is simply more versatile for me.

 

i agree with fenders for the most part, but one of my favorite all around lines in my arsenal is a type III

it allows painfully slow trolls/retrieves down in that 12-15' mark. essential in early spring. i frequently spanked my buddy who fished beside me with the same pattern just different line. he had a type IV and while he was hanging up, my leech was crawling just above the bottom and getting hammered (relative to water temp and speed anyways lol)

when im gonna slow troll around its my go to line for sure. my most frequently fished lines are intermediate, type III and floater in that order but a type V+ is sweet for chiro fishing in deep water (with the vertical dop technique) or stripping quickly and still maintaining depth (great once things warm up or anytime in fall). something an intermediate or type III or II just CANT do.

one at a time i recommend a III for now but make an intermediate your next line. probably one of the all around most versatile lines there is and the only line once the damsels/dragons start coming off.

But hey, thats just me.

remember though almost more than anything your lines catch you fish. tight lines!

 

For stillwater fishing there are several things to consider about sinking lines. If you are anchored up a type III will fish just as deep as a type VI if you simply cast them out and let them sit. Eventually they both hit the bottom, the type VI will just get there quicker. With the exception of the intermediate line, the sink rates of the other lines is how fast they sink, not how deep.

However, when we are fishing with them we introduce several variables with the two most important being these. How much line is in the water and any movement imparted to the line by trolling or stripping. These two variables also lead us back to one other variable in the lines other than sink rate, their diameter.

Leader length and weighted flies aside, two lines of identicle sink rates but differing diameters will fish at different depths when trolled at equal line length and trolling speed. The line with a smaller diameter will have less resistance in the water and fish deeper in the water column.

When choosing a line consider where you will be fishing most, and at what depth and distance from you that your fly will be presented. In Pass Lake my go to sinker is a type VI Rio, density compensated tungsten line. It gets to the depth I want with nothing more than the amount of line that I can cast comfortable. If I want to fish deeper at the same speed I can let out more line or slow down my troll/retrieve. To fish shallower I can reduce the amount of line or speed up the presentation. This works at Pass Lake because the water clarity is always limited and the fish are usually not boat shy. At other lakes this is not always so and I will put on a larger diameter type III and use longer leaders to make these same presentations farther from the boat in clearer and shallower water. But this same presentation in tougher conditions can also be achieved with a sink tip, usually for me, a type VI.

If I could only have two setups, (I usually rig up 4) I would go with the type six sinker I mentioned above and a versa tip line on the other rod for special situations such as dries or shallow presentations over structure and throwing towards shore.

 

The lakes are similar in depth (see attachments). I have used type 3 during my time at Lone this year (I have not been to Pass this past year). My first new line was a intermediate in the spring and just added a type 3 and type 6 at the beginning of fall. Both have gotten me down to where I need to be for the situation and conditions. Either way you will not be sorry. Good luck.

 

Another option for those times when you're trolling--used to be called mooching--a fly or drifting with the wind is to do a loop-to-loop connection and put a short section of leadcore between the line and leader.

I've never tried it on a light rod, but I imagine it's a bugger to cast. However, if you're trolling, it's not about casting. You get the line out, strip some more out as you move, and you can deal with the lead core segment that way.

It's not an elegant solution, but it does work, and it will get even an intermediate down where you want it.

I don't think it would be the best choice for a shallow lake, but for your trips east, it's an inexpensive answer.

 

Thank you all for the replies to my post and the explanations of each solution offered. I will give this some thought before I make my purchasing decision. In time I'd like at least 3 spools lined strategically.

This thought makes using my Medalist more attractive - now that I purchased a fancy trout reel w/ spendy spools. ha-ha - Joke is on me

 

If I only take 1 rod (fat chance) in the toon I have a floater and a Type 3 on the spools. If the lakes shallow I bring an intermediate, usually a Cortland Camo instead of the Type 3.
If I take 2 rods one is rigged with a floater with a Type 3 spare spool. The 2nd rod has an intermediate with a Rio deep 7 spare spool.
If I'm fishing from shore I always pack a 15' sink tip instead of a fast sinker to be able to get down yet not keep hanging up on bottom.
If I'm in a boat I usually have 3 rods with 6 lines. Usually the 3rd rod has a Type 2 and a Type 4 spare spool. If I'm going to Canada I bring 4 rods and its rigged with a intermediate and has a floater for the spare spool.
To split hairs on depth/speed I use mono leaders if I want to be a bit shallower, if I want to be a bit deeper I use fluoro leaders.

 

Wolverine -
I'm trying to decide if you'd be a good influence on me... or BAD! :rofl: I know what my wife would say!

 

Like Fenders I've gone away from the slower sinking lines. I do like a clear intermediate in certain situations...actually have had really good success with this as a carping line out at lake roosevelt. But, for the most part when I'm hitting the still-water I'll take a floating and a rio deep 7...by changing the retrieve you can cover most of the water column effectively.

:beer2:

 

My second line for Lone would be a Rio Aqualux clear intermediate. It sinks more like a type 2 than a true intermediate and fishes 6-12' deep very well. Let out a bunch of line to fish deeper, keep it relatively short to fish shallow. Also use a beadhead or weighted fly to get down.

When I lived on the wet side and fished Lone a lot, I'd always take a floater for bobber fishing and a second rod with the aqualux on it for casting/stripping or mooching/wind drifting.

My third line for lakes in general would be a type 6 or 7 full sink.

You will end up getting more lines that you fish for special situations. Lakes do that to people. The Cortland Camo is always in my boat and there are times when a dead-slow retrieve in the 2-5' depth range whacks fish like nothing else. I also have a 10' clear intermediate tip line that I use for fishing weedy flats from shore.

For eastern WA lakes, a floater, intermediate, and fast sinker will cover just about everything.