[robl]

Has anyone used Rio's T-14 line as a full sink line for streamers in rivers? I have been using a Deep 7 this year for streamers and it fishes well. It is just so dang skinny and seems like it should just be used for fishing chironomids deep in lakes. It gets into terrible knots and is a little hard on the hands.

I have seen some custom sink tips made of T-14 on Spey set-ups and it seems to be a little thicker with the same sink rate. They sell the stuff in stock 30' lengths or you can buy it by the foot.

Has anyone used this stuff for fishing streamers on rivers? I'm thinking about buying like a 40' length and giving it a try throwing double bunnies on a 6 or 7 weight. Will the t-14 over-load the rod?

When I fish streamers I don't really swing them. I throw straight to the other bank and retrieve straight back pretty fast. That is what has worked best for me. This is Gallup's method and it has brought me some nice fish to hand with several different flies in different water. The faster sinking line really keeps the flies at the fish level significantly better than a sink tip or floating line with split shot.

I fish rivers that usually run between 500-1500 cfs.

Many thanks.

Tight lines.

 

[Rob Ast]

I'm no expert, but 30-40 ft of T-14 would way overload a 6 or 7 wt single-hander. You'll have to check the grain rating to know for sure though.

Actually, I just looked it up: standard grain wt for first 30ft of a 6wt line is 160gr (range 152-168) and a 7wt is 185gr(177-193). Grain wt for 30ft of T-14 is 420gr - the equivalent of a 14wt line.

 

[abobrien]

I would try 19 or 20 feet of t14 because it is 14 grains per foot and 19 feet of t14 is 266 grains which should load a 7wt single hander nicely and shoot out some running line I have never try this but hay it just might work let us know if you try and share the results.

 

[DiejehHehdudhhe8373737]

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[Porter]

You need to be careful with having to short of a head...it will dump on you a lot, knots, etc. For my fast 6 weight I have used a 30 foot airflo 200 grain head and it worked well...going much heavier and it would most likely crumble the rod, however in the end I found it better to fish with a sink tip III line. Another thing to remember is when fishing with sink tips is to use short leaders 3-4 feet on the average. I have seen a number of people use the standard 9-12 feet leader on the end of a sink tip line and it is not productive.

http://www.napavalleyflyfishers.org/articles/shooting-tapers-by-mel-kreiger-and-lefty-kreh.html

 

[troutpocket]

How about a RIO outbound type 8? I've started fishing an Outbound on my 5wt and it turns over #4 bunny leeches just fine. I think a couple line sizes up would be great for Galloup-style fishing.

 

[robl]

How long is the sink tip on the WF6S8 Outbound line? Sounds like that might be a great streamer line.

 

[7919]

what about t 8 or 11, it is less grains but still sinks fast. put a shooting line behind it and try it out. buy a 30 ft sections, nail knot it to the shooter, then start casting.

if it feels to heavy cut it off in 1 foot sections starting at tip. stop when it feels "right" for your casting stroke.

dont know how well it will turn over big flies though, I use mine for fishing dragonfly nymphs deep in the lake

 

[Dan Soltau]

The outbound is 37.5 feet long, and is a good line from rio to fish streamers in rivers. The deep 7 is alright, but it is too skinny as mentioned early. The old galloup line from Teeny is my favorite 7 wt line, but the 250 SA Galloup Long tip is also decent. I cant say I was real impressed with the 350 Galloup Long on my bllmx 890. It fished like crap, my favorite line for that rod is a airflo 26-28 foot tip, although the running line remains marginal.

T 14 will result in costly inaccuracy and just too much for a 7 weight to control.

 

[troutpocket]

The outbound is 37.5 feet long, and is a good line from rio to fish streamers in rivers. The deep 7 is alright, but it is too skinny as mentioned early. The old galloup line from Teeny is my favorite 7 wt line,

I have that old Teeny Galloup type 6 streamer line that I fish on my 6wt. It's great for relatively short casts (<50') with heavy streamers. Also for fishing vertical in deep water with chironomids. The Outbound handles better for longer casts and has been my go-to since I spooled it up. The slower sink rates are great for stillwater. The hover 5wt is a bugger/damsel fishing machine.

 

[Anil]

You should look a the Outbound T8 custom line. 35' of T8 integrated to an intermediate running line.
At 35' it weighs 280 grains (which some 6 weights can handle) As the name indicates, you can 'customize' the line by cutting it back to fine tune the weight and length of the head.
This line is also available in a T11 and T14 versions which load heavier rods better.
Anil

 

[Guest]

There is a new line...believe it's called the ambush...short spey type shooting head line that works on both but was designed for singlehanders originally...should be able to put on something heavy and pop it over no problem...

another option to look at anyways...

 

[FlyFishNeahBay]

i played with throwing shorter t-14 tips with a running line for fishing streamers when i lived in CO.

they cast okay and i was able to cover the water i wanted but.....

i found that the sink rate was too much for 95% of the water i fished. there was no room for error (slack, untangling running line, etc) or you would be hung up on the bottom, plus you have one strip speed... fast.

making short t-14 heads wasn't expensive so it was a fun experiment... but if i had to do it over again i would just buy standard sinking shooting heads (riomax) upsized by 2 line weights with a slower sink rate.

 

[robl]

Are the type 6 rio sinking lines thicker than the deep 7?

 

[DiejehHehdudhhe8373737]

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[Dan Soltau]

Are the type 6 rio sinking lines thicker than the deep 7?

The deep 7 is an exceptionally thin line designed initially for loch fishing across the pond. IE deep very quickly as many times it is used in timed competition. Think Bassmaster, Brits, Whiskey, Boobies, 3 flies per rod, and the clock. This thinness correlates to some of the all time tangles I have ever seen in a fly line, in fact once I dropped the spool and just sent it back to Rio. Its sink rate is unparalleled in its class, especially in moving water it cuts like 5x. Which can lead to bad things. My favorite line for years though, casts like a champ and even though it is thin, it is one tough mother compared to other sinking lines of the sort.

 

[robl]

I'm looking for a type 6 or 7 sinking line that is thicker than the deep 7. I recognize that the thicker the line the slower it sinks. I'll have to get a gander at at rio deep 6 and see if it is any thicker. The thin lines are just rough on the hands over a day of walking the bank and stripping big flies fast.

 

[Dan Soltau]

I would look at the Galloup SA Streamer Express Long or Short in the 250 grain. Aesthetically speaking it is the best line out there. It has a good and thick feel to it, and doesnt tangle as much. Personally, the line he had from Teeny is a much better line for a 6 or 7 weight. It may tangle a bit more, but it turns flies over the best, is a good thickness, and roll casts like nothing else out there. I would think you could still find one out there if you looked, and it wouldn't surprise me if Teeny still had some.