I went out to try my luck flyfishing for steelhead, I was using a 9' 9 weight sinking tip flyline with a 7 foot leader attached and attached to it was numerous colors of wooly buggers. All of which were weighted when tied. I had a very difficult time casting the sinking line but practice makes perfect and I am no where near it. Anyway when I got that bugger out there it would get caught in the current and wash down stream before it got to the deep bottom where I was hoping to reach. I would appreciate any helpful advise that anyone could give me on the best way to get my fly patterns down that deep before the current takes my fly down stream past the steelheads hang out spots. Thank you in advance, ryde1

How long and what density is your sinktip? In heavy flows and deep water, a 13 ft. Type V might not do the job, that's why so many steelheaders build their own lines. I generally try to let the line get things down, weighted flies are nasty things to cast, could that be part of your casting problem? A shorter leader will help to keep your fly closer to the bottom and last but not least; mend, mend, mend.

MENDING is the name of the game. You will also notice that the less you try and false cast a sink tip the better off you are. Load up the rod and let er rip and you get more distance. Weighted flys are not the way to go. Let the line take the fly down. As for lines, the Teeny lines cast pretty well and get down fast. No more than 4ft of leader is needed on a sink tip. Straight maxima works well.

I agree with B-Run on the mending. Stay away from weighted flies and get yourself a good 13-15' Type IV (SA) or Type VI (Rio) tip. If you need more than that then the Teeny line is a good option but not fun to cast. Cast at a 90 degree angle to the current and immediatly set a strong back mend. The bigger the mend the more depth you will get but at the cost of distance. One other trick I have learned is to cast and mend first and then to step downstream. This will give your line another couple of seconds to sink before it comes under tension. If you are still not hitting bottom, you can feed some slack line into the drift. Remember though that winter fish like to hold in softer seams 3-6' deep so stay away from casting out into the fast stuff. If you haven't read Trey Comb's book Steelhead Flyfishing, I highly recomend it. The chapter on presentations is invaluable.

B-Run is dead on with the 4' leader. I only use Maxima for my butt sections but alot of guys use it and love it. Too stiff for my taste. I tie up my own leaders using 25# Maxima (2') and 12-13# Techtan or flourocarbon (2') depending on the clarity of the river. Good luck.

[This message has been edited by Sinktip (edited 02-22-2000).]

Good advice everyone. I would offer that you visit Dennis Dickson's site at www.flyfishsteelhead.com for additional information. His "Stories and Artical's" section will keep you occupied for several hours.

Apparently you have already made an investment in gear and time towards flyfishing for steelhead. I would suggest you make one more investment by fishing with a quality guide such as Dennis to get some first hand instruction. He will show you the right gear, presentation strategies and how to recognize water best suited for flyfishing. Who knows, you may even hook a fish in the process. This is money well spent and can greatly accelerate the learning curve. It did for me!