Swinging flies (How do you weigh it down)

[tcorfey]

So I have been doing some more swinging of flies (wets, nymphs, streamers) and nymphing without an indicator. I started with weighted flies, then added split shot, then replaced shot with moldable tungsten, and currently just bought some polyleaders from Airflo.

I thought it would make a interesting poll to see what others are using.
You can have multiple answers.

 

[itchmesir]

It really depends on what you're going for... Are trout feeding to a hatch? Then little to no weight. I have some soft hackles that I've added beads to but mainly now tie beadless and add weight to the line. I've yet to really play with poly leaders as I've just really gotten into swinging this year.

I'll let you know how the putty works out when I get back from Yellowstone as that's it's sole purpose for being bought.

 

[tcorfey]

What I liked about the putty was the ability to move it in different places on the leader, shaping it torpedo style (less hang ups) and the ability to adjust weight easily. What I did not like (same as split shot) is it causes a slight hinge in the cast which I counter by opening up my loop. I am thinking that the poly leaders will get rid of that hinge effect which should improve my accuracy.

 

[CutThroat Leaders]

The last few years I have been swinging more and more wet flies. If swinging lighter weight flies, I use our thread reinf. "Wet Fly Leaders". If swinging heavier weighted flies, I have a variety of sinking heads I have built using
RIO T8, T11, T14, etc.

I Typically use 36" reinf leaders on sinking lines and 50" leaders on floating lines. The ability of line mending / line control one can achieve with a thread furled leader is impressive.

wet fly leader link below.

First Three people to Private message me their address, I will send a wet fly leader to play with. Let me know 36" or 50".

https://www.cutthroatfurledleaders.com/shop-cutthroat-furled-leaders/nymphing-leaders/wetflyleader-detail.html

 

[tcorfey]

Mike that is interesting, I will look in to it further.

You just reminded me about a story I read about (I think) Joe Humphreys that used to tie in sections of leadcore line into his leaders for nymphing.

 

[cab]

Went fishing with Ard (Hardyreels) in AK, he uses an interesting rig. A bit of leader, a short sink tip, short leader, tippet. All looped one to the other, makes for quick changes if need be. He claims this method uses less weight to get down.

The only swinging I've done is with streamers, and just use weighted flies. What I find a surprise is how deep I don't need to go to catch fish.

HTH,
CAB

 

[CutThroat Leaders]

Pertaining to the promotion we were running...

First Three people to Private message me their address, I will send a wet fly leader to play with. Let me know 36" or 50".

We received a bunch of wet fly Leader request's. We will be shipping these leaders out in Fridays mail to the first three people whom sent their address in to us. I apologize to the participants that got their message in after the first three.

We will be running similar promotions in the future.

Thanks for the positive responses.

 

[bloomagoo]

I use all of the methods named depending upon the circumstances.

 

[stenacron]

So I have been doing some more swinging of flies (wets, nymphs, streamers) and nymphing without an indicator.

Wets, nymphs, streamers... three (3) completely different categories of flies and fishing styles in my book.

Since you mentioned swinging flies, I typically associate that with true wet flies as in; winged wets, soft hackles, and flymphs. I am partial to soft hackles and flymphs and fish them quite often. For these types of flies my answer would be none, no weight, ever (not even a bead). The only tinkering that I do with weight is that some are tied on light wire hooks and some on 2X heavy hooks... usually fish them in tandem with one on each type of hook.

 

[fredaevans]

The last few years I have been swinging more and more wet flies. If swinging lighter weight flies, I use our thread reinf. "Wet Fly Leaders". If swinging heavier weighted flies, I have a variety of sinking heads I have built using
RIO T8, T11, T14, etc.

I Typically use 36" reinf leaders on sinking lines and 50" leaders on floating lines. The ability of line mending / line control one can achieve with a thread furled leader is impressive.

wet fly leader link below.

First Three people to Private message me their address, I will send a wet fly leader to play with. Let me know 36" or 50".

https://www.cutthroatfurledleaders.com/shop-cutthroat-furled-leaders/nymphing-leaders/wetflyleader-detail.html

Big thumbs up to furled leaders, most of my rods have been 'retro-fitted' to these. One thing to keep in mind with these is 'One size does NOT fit all!' They appear (regardless of length) to be limited to two line sizes. If you go this way be sure to have a 'tippet ring' at the end. Your leader goes on the 'ring' and then to your hook. Need to change tippet just nip it off at the ring and put new stuff on.

With rare exception all my fishing is done on a river for Steelhead or Pacific Salmon so the flies are always weighted to one degree or another. One box is your basic feather covered anvils. These are for heavy flows (doubt they will see the light of day for months) and I work down to bead heads (low or shallow water). The rod/line you're using will dictate how heavy/size of the fly. The exception to this is the occasional poly leader, they have their place but the above is actually more effective.

As for lines, those I've got lots of but will little exception I'll stick to a floating line and match the fly to the water conditions.

fae

 

[flytie09]

Right or wrong I use them all. For steelhead and Salmon fishing up in NY, I'll high stick a run and then swing the end of my drift with a small wetfly up to a large heavy stonefly nymph sometimes with a couple small bb split shot and mono-leader. I'll also swing an intruder or streamer with T (whatever) sink tips with a Skagit head. I like the sinking polyleaders too for lower flows and a Scandi head swinging a traditional style Salmon pattern like an Undertaker.

I'll change my rig up until I hit the magical set-up. Some days I hit the perfect combo on the perfect water and others I flail away without a hit. I try to cast a wide net and not get stuck on any single method. Swinging Intruders are fun, but you need biters and I don't like to get skunked.

flytie09

 

[bocast]

Swinging wets I use no weight, but often use the Rio Single Handed Spey 3D line (floating, hover and intermediate section line to tip). It gets the wets into the right zone and gives me a wonderful catch rate on three and two fly casts. For shallow waters, I use the regular Rio SHS which is a great all around line. I cast slightly more upstream if I want a slightly deeper presentation and select my sparsest flies tied on heavy wire Kamasan hooks.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[tcorfey]

A brief update for me on this subject as this is a rather old post, since that time I have used mostly an intermediate line for swinging flies, but in deeper water I have used an Ard style sink tip or a poly leader. But late this spring I was fishing a spring creek that was wide and maybe 3' deep. There were a few risers and I was delivering a dry fly to them with limited results. So I decided to switch to a wet fly presentation and used what I had, which was a floating line to a 11' leader. To this I added a beadhead Prince as a point fly and a winged wet fly PMD about 18" up the line on a 6" dropper. I swung this cross stream and down and was picking up rainbows on the prince and browns on the wet fly on a regular basis. When the conditions call for it I will definitely go back to that rig again.

Regards,

Tim C.

 

[Rip Tide]

When I first started fly fishing, I fished with my grandfather and he was old school, even for the early '60s
He fished a 3 winged-wet fly 'cast' of flies and there was no need to weight them.
They were plenty heavy as is, as long as you mended your line enough to let them sink.
The point fly was "the anchor" and that combined with the middle dropper held the rig under water.
The top fly (the 'bob') danced on the surface when you were doing it right.
It's a deadly way to fish.
The leader was quite stout and the same flies stayed on all the time.


I use a bit of lead on most of my soft hackles now and only rarely fish the 3 fly cast.
It takes some time to put it together

 

[dillon]

I swing light wire hairwings and skate deer hair dries on a floating line for summer and fall run steelhead. I prefer Air Flo and Cortland mid and long belly lines. I like the traditional feel and the way they mend and cast over scandi and Skagit lines. I fish only low light hours from my streamside cabin in Maupin Or. when the water temps drop under 45 degrees I pretty much quit fishing. However, on a nice winter day, on a high but dropping flow, I might venture to a cascade or coastal stream from my home in Portland and swing a large lightly weighted tube fly on a light tip. I fish in close to the bank when fish are moving in shallow water after a freshet. If everything is aligned perfectly I might catch a mint bright wild winter steelhead. I don't catch a lot of fish anymore, but when I do It's got to be, just the way I like it...

 

[redietz]

He fished a 3 winged-wet fly 'cast' of flies and there was no need to weight them.
They were plenty heavy as is, as long as you mended your line enough to let them sink.
The point fly was "the anchor" and that combined with the middle dropper held the rig under water.
The top fly (the 'bob') danced on the surface when you were doing it right.
It's a deadly way to fish.

It still is. Unfortunately, my state limits me to two flies, but I can live with that.

I never weight swung wet flies. It defeats my purpose in swinging them in the first place. If I want flies to sink, I fish them upstream.

The poll needs another category.

(I do using a sinking leader when fishing streamers, however.)

 

[seattlesetters]

If I am wading and swinging, I am almost certainly using a trout Spey rod with some sort of sinking tip on a Skagit head. Often, the flies (especially if they are streamers) are weighted, as well.

I swing soft hackles using the same trout Spey rod with a Scandi head and long, fine leader. I run either two or three flies, depending on where I am. The point fly will often be slightly weighted if I'm fishing in strong current or deeper water with droppers flies unweighted. I usually run flies of different sizes and colors on the same rig.

I fish streamers from a boat with single-hand rods and sink tip lines.