My two cents: if someone expects to do a lot of fishing with polyleaders I think it's worth considering the Wulff ambush line to compliment them. That line is so short and agressive that it can handle even very heavy polyleaders with no trouble at all in casting; I experience no hinging even when casting a super-fast sinking poly. If you plan to do a lot of overhead casting then buy a lighter ambush line so that the extra grains from the polyleader bring the combined weight to something suitable for your rod; if you plan to do more spey casting, you could get a heavier ambush line and just keep the polyleader in the water.
Excellent video - very helpful to someone new to two-handed Spey casting with a Scandi line. I am using 10ft Polyleaders, floating, intermediate, and 3ips with a 12ft 6in 6wt two hander. Is it ok to use 1.5ips ane 3ips Versileader and Polyleader interchangeably? Will they cast similarly. Thanks in advance.
Good job explaining those leaders! I tried both Rio iMOW sink tips and Airflo Polyleaders with various fly lines. After the experiment, I pretty much figured out the secret. Rio's iMOW tips (called Medium iMOW tips) have a variety of sink tips (10ft. - 2.5ft INT/7.5ft T11, etc.) but their Grain Weight is the same for all (115 Grains). On the other hand, Airflo's Polyleaders have different Grain Weight. For example, 10ft. "FAST SINKING" is 60 Grains, and 10ft. "SuperFast Sinking" is 90 Grains. My Skagit line is 510 grains, and it works well with RIO's iMOW Tips (115 Grains) and "SuperFast Sinking" (90 Grains) but not with lighter Polyleaders. If you always consider Grain of your fly line and the sink tips, it would be easier to figure out which sink tips to use. This is how I found out.
So could you use a Trout Versileader for stillwater indicator fishing? I appreciate you would be limited by either the 7’ or 12’ versileader length when fishing the depth you are after, but you could loop a tippet to the end of the versileader if more depth is needed. Would casting it be okay?
Quale versileader galleggiante posso utilizzare con una Rio Scandi Short Shooting Head 180 Grains Galleggiante per pescare trote con mosche secche molto leggere ( vorrei una posa molto delicata). Il Rio trout Verso leader 7ft galleggiante è la migliore scelta?
I have floating line #8 and I want to use the sinking leader to fish from a beach, I think to use 3 ips. My question is : should I use also any regular leader or tying fly to the sinking leader?🤔
Wow! I think my original question was answered, but now I have more! I use a single hand 7wt floating line. My streamers are weighted, generally conehead, to get down quick (since there is no other weight in the system). I’ve been toying with the idea of the sinking leaders...is that a decent option? Or should I just suck it up and get a separate spool of sinking line? If a second spool, which would be the go-to line...sink tip? ...at what rate? 🤷♀️
My opinion is go with a sinking leader I fish an 8 wt as my streamer rod and use a lot of different sink tips they are easy to put on ( loop to loop ) to change your sink rate . I use both RIO and Airflo . Sinking lines are expensive and not as versatile at controlling your sink rate in different situations. Sink tips are relatively inexpensive. The other good thing about the tips is I fish both single handed and Spey and you can use the tips on both in most cases . Good luck
Is there a way to identify the sink rate. I have a rio wallet with several versi leaders and now I have them mixed up a bit and don’t trust that I always put them back in the same package
Oh boy! That can be a little tough. They are starting to identify them with laser printing like fly lines. I would start by length. Are they all 10' ? Then by sink rate. The darker they are the faster the sink. Also the thinner they are the faster the sink rate.
Thanks for the great work. It is indeed getting very complicated. I use RIO iMOW tips and Airflo Polyleaders with my 510 grain Skagit line for 13ft. double-hand 7wt rod, and I use Polyleaders with my 250 grain Skagit line for my 10ft. single hand 6wt. rod. The loops may not be pretty sometimes but hey are working fine. (Casting energy have to be controlled according to the tip weight though.) I am not sure how Skagit line works with floating tip with dry flies. I am not sure how to mend line?
If you want to throw dries on that 510 Skagit that you have just put on a floating mow tip and attach like a 7.5' tapered leader to the floating tip. If you need to cut the tapered leader down a few feet don't be afraid to do so. www.ashlandflyshop.com/products/rio-13 Here is a video regarding how to mend your spey line. ua-cam.com/video/Bvd73CrIy8I/v-deo.html Thanks
@@ashlandflyshop770 I use 6 weight switch rod with Scandi line or weight forward line plus tapered leader. 510 grain skagit line is a kind of overkill for dries. Thank you for explaining about this issue. Fly fishing is getting very complicated for an old guy like me.
Always top notch videos & education. Would love to see a few 10' to 11'6" switch rod setup recommendations. I rotate with OPST heads and Scandi Body heads on my Hardy Jet switch rods, but get a little inundated (confused) on the tips & length selection, tippet and fly size for beach fishing puget sound and local medium size to small rivers.
I use rio's 10FT Imow & Mow tips for a great deal of my Salmon fishing here in the UK. I also use opst commando heads and a Hardy Jet switch. I've found these tips amazing on this rod and line.
Thanks Salmon Ninja: I watch your video's & really enjoy & appreciate them...I use the Hardy Jets 10'6" 4/5 & 11' 6/7.... I'm a true Hardy rod fan myself....keep on making more great vids :-)
I remember seeing a comment Jerry French made about him just switching the commando head backwards so it tapers down like a scandi head and then he puts polyleader on them.
Hello, I have heard that since the versileaders and polyleaders are tapered, the butt ends of them actually sink faster than the fly end. Is this true? Also, what are your thoughts on the Rio 10' Spey 7 IPS versileader vs the Airflo 14' Extra Super Fast Sink polyleader? Thanks in advance!
I'm sure the diameter effects the sink rate, but in most circumstances I don' think you'll find that it affects your fishing in any noticeable way. I tend to like the 10' versileaders over the longer poly leaders but if you're a skilled caster or you're fishing a longer rod than 13', then the 14' polyleader could be useful.
Trying to add trout spey into my regular single hand trout fishing, but boy are these spey related stuff complicated. Jeez, either the lines, the rods and even these sink tip / leaders (are they even have the same function as trout leaders?) are so complicated! But you guys are doing a GREAT job. Looking forward to learn more
Thanks for the reply! They do have a similar function, they just sink (or most of them anyway). They are a very good "quick fix" for getting a streamer to sink fast.
I see that airflo have polyleaders for pike that sinks. Will they get down a huge rabbit zonker or a fluffy dearhair streamer tied with flash? When i fish with a floathing line?
Good question! Eh, the best for this would be a longer sink tip line in the 30' length. A short sink tip is always going to have a harder time getting something to sink fast in a shorter 10' section. That said, if it's all you got I would give it a try - just use the heaviest one available.
@@Paulpoission since I first posted the question, I bought the pike leader. It was just perfect, could use floathing while the big fluffy streamer went down. I have sinking lines, but its tricky to fish in shallow waters. Great leaders, works well both on 7 and 9wt setups👍
My two cents: if someone expects to do a lot of fishing with polyleaders I think it's worth considering the Wulff ambush line to compliment them. That line is so short and agressive that it can handle even very heavy polyleaders with no trouble at all in casting; I experience no hinging even when casting a super-fast sinking poly. If you plan to do a lot of overhead casting then buy a lighter ambush line so that the extra grains from the polyleader bring the combined weight to something suitable for your rod; if you plan to do more spey casting, you could get a heavier ambush line and just keep the polyleader in the water.
Excellent video - very helpful to someone new to two-handed Spey casting with a Scandi line. I am using 10ft Polyleaders, floating, intermediate, and 3ips with a 12ft 6in 6wt two hander. Is it ok to use 1.5ips ane 3ips Versileader and Polyleader interchangeably? Will they cast similarly. Thanks in advance.
Good job explaining those leaders!
I tried both Rio iMOW sink tips and Airflo Polyleaders with various fly lines.
After the experiment, I pretty much figured out the secret.
Rio's iMOW tips (called Medium iMOW tips) have a variety of sink tips (10ft. - 2.5ft INT/7.5ft T11, etc.) but their Grain Weight is the same for all (115 Grains). On the other hand, Airflo's Polyleaders have different Grain Weight. For example, 10ft. "FAST SINKING" is 60 Grains, and 10ft. "SuperFast Sinking" is 90 Grains. My Skagit line is 510 grains, and it works well with RIO's iMOW Tips (115 Grains) and "SuperFast Sinking" (90 Grains) but not with lighter Polyleaders. If you always consider Grain of your fly line and the sink tips, it would be easier to figure out which sink tips to use. This is how I found out.
Very good! That is a good way to think of it too!
So could you use a Trout Versileader for stillwater indicator fishing? I appreciate you would be limited by either the 7’ or 12’ versileader length when fishing the depth you are after, but you could loop a tippet to the end of the versileader if more depth is needed. Would casting it be okay?
Quale versileader galleggiante posso utilizzare con una Rio Scandi Short Shooting Head 180 Grains Galleggiante per pescare trote con mosche secche molto leggere ( vorrei una posa molto delicata). Il Rio trout Verso leader 7ft galleggiante è la migliore scelta?
I have floating line #8 and I want to use the sinking leader to fish from a beach, I think to use 3 ips. My question is : should I use also any regular leader or tying fly to the sinking leader?🤔
Great question! You will want a short piece of "leader" or "tippet" material from the sinking leader to the fly. Probably around 3-4 feet at most.
Thanks so much 😃
so say im casting the 570gr AIRFLO FIST head on a 13' 6" 8wt what situation would i use say a versi leader
Wow! I think my original question was answered, but now I have more! I use a single hand 7wt floating line. My streamers are weighted, generally conehead, to get down quick (since there is no other weight in the system). I’ve been toying with the idea of the sinking leaders...is that a decent option? Or should I just suck it up and get a separate spool of sinking line? If a second spool, which would be the go-to line...sink tip? ...at what rate? 🤷♀️
My opinion is go with a sinking leader I fish an 8 wt as my streamer rod and use a lot of different sink tips they are easy to put on ( loop to loop ) to change your sink rate . I use both RIO and Airflo . Sinking lines are expensive and not as versatile at controlling your sink rate in different situations. Sink tips are relatively inexpensive. The other good thing about the tips is I fish both single handed and Spey and you can use the tips on both in most cases . Good luck
Is there a way to identify the sink rate. I have a rio wallet with several versi leaders and now I have them mixed up a bit and don’t trust that I always put them back in the same package
Oh boy! That can be a little tough. They are starting to identify them with laser printing like fly lines. I would start by length. Are they all 10' ? Then by sink rate. The darker they are the faster the sink. Also the thinner they are the faster the sink rate.
Thanks for the great work. It is indeed getting very complicated. I use RIO iMOW tips and Airflo Polyleaders with my 510 grain Skagit line for 13ft. double-hand 7wt rod, and I use Polyleaders with my 250 grain Skagit line for my 10ft. single hand 6wt. rod.
The loops may not be pretty sometimes but hey are working fine. (Casting energy have to be controlled according to the tip weight though.)
I am not sure how Skagit line works with floating tip with dry flies. I am not sure how to mend line?
If you want to throw dries on that 510 Skagit that you have just put on a floating mow tip and attach like a 7.5' tapered leader to the floating tip. If you need to cut the tapered leader down a few feet don't be afraid to do so.
www.ashlandflyshop.com/products/rio-13
Here is a video regarding how to mend your spey line.
ua-cam.com/video/Bvd73CrIy8I/v-deo.html
Thanks
@@ashlandflyshop770 I use 6 weight switch rod with Scandi line or weight forward line plus tapered leader. 510 grain skagit line is a kind of overkill for dries. Thank you for explaining about this issue. Fly fishing is getting very complicated for an old guy like me.
Always top notch videos & education. Would love to see a few 10' to 11'6" switch rod setup recommendations. I rotate with OPST heads and Scandi Body heads on my Hardy Jet switch rods, but get a little inundated (confused) on the tips & length selection, tippet and fly size for beach fishing puget sound and local medium size to small rivers.
I use rio's 10FT Imow & Mow tips for a great deal of my Salmon fishing here in the UK. I also use opst commando heads and a Hardy Jet switch. I've found these tips amazing on this rod and line.
Thanks Salmon Ninja: I watch your video's & really enjoy & appreciate them...I use the Hardy Jets 10'6" 4/5 & 11' 6/7.... I'm a true Hardy rod fan myself....keep on making more great vids :-)
I remember seeing a comment Jerry French made about him just switching the commando head backwards so it tapers down like a scandi head and then he puts polyleader on them.
Hello, I have heard that since the versileaders and polyleaders are tapered, the butt ends of them actually sink faster than the fly end. Is this true? Also, what are your thoughts on the Rio 10' Spey 7 IPS versileader vs the Airflo 14' Extra Super Fast Sink polyleader? Thanks in advance!
I'm sure the diameter effects the sink rate, but in most circumstances I don' think you'll find that it affects your fishing in any noticeable way. I tend to like the 10' versileaders over the longer poly leaders but if you're a skilled caster or you're fishing a longer rod than 13', then the 14' polyleader could be useful.
Trying to add trout spey into my regular single hand trout fishing, but boy are these spey related stuff complicated. Jeez, either the lines, the rods and even these sink tip / leaders (are they even have the same function as trout leaders?) are so complicated! But you guys are doing a GREAT job. Looking forward to learn more
Thanks for the reply! They do have a similar function, they just sink (or most of them anyway). They are a very good "quick fix" for getting a streamer to sink fast.
I see that airflo have polyleaders for pike that sinks. Will they get down a huge rabbit zonker or a fluffy dearhair streamer tied with flash? When i fish with a floathing line?
Good question! Eh, the best for this would be a longer sink tip line in the 30' length. A short sink tip is always going to have a harder time getting something to sink fast in a shorter 10' section. That said, if it's all you got I would give it a try - just use the heaviest one available.
Would a full sinking line be better than a sinking leader?
@@Paulpoission since I first posted the question, I bought the pike leader. It was just perfect, could use floathing while the big fluffy streamer went down. I have sinking lines, but its tricky to fish in shallow waters. Great leaders, works well both on 7 and 9wt setups👍
Great info! Thanks
👍