# DIY Sink Tip



## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

Randalbob and I were talking today about different line variations. Has anyone made a sink tip attachment with a few feet of scrap sinking line or heavy flouro? I figure loops at both ends would let you add it to a floating line when you want to get down a bit and remove it when you don't without having to change reels. We are both pretty new to the fly fishing world but really digging it so far.


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## wabi (Jun 14, 2008)

I have made them out of flouro using this method -


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## BradS (Apr 7, 2004)

Try a flourocarbon furled leaader on your floating line. Add 2-4 feet of flouro leader and you are ready to go. Works like a champ. When I am fishing nymphs or swinging streamers, it is my go to set up. 

Brad


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

What is the difference in presentation between the furled leader and the standard tapered leaders? I'm going to make one of these tonight with some Berkley Vanish 10lb flouro I have.


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

Well, that wasn't too hard. Now I have a 6ft curled leader of 10lb Flouro.


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## wabi (Jun 14, 2008)

I usually start with 18-20' of mono or flouro and twist it up. That gives about 6'.
I then add 18-24" of the same weight line to the front (perfection loop to connect) and add a tippet to that. The only thing I've changed from the video is the knot to tie off the loose end where the leader steps down from 4 to 2 thicknesses. I just use a simple overhand knot there. A little less bulky, and even if it has only 50% breaking strength it's still stronger than the tippet. Never had a failure of the knot yet.
I've found the easiest way to twist the leader is to go outside on the lawn and keep the lines separated by my body (one right - one left) and trailing behind me as I walk slowly on the grass as I twist. The dragging the ends through the grass helps keep them from kinking so badly.
I use 6-8# for my 2/3/4 wt rods, 10-12# for the 5/6 wt, and 15-20# for the 8/10wt rods.
If the lines snarl together while twisting it I throw it in the trash and start over.


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## MikeC (Jun 26, 2005)

musky leader = fluro 4 ft 40#,fluro 2 ft 20#, 12 inches of cold hard steel, lol.


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## toobnoob (Jun 1, 2010)

I've used the twisted flouro leaders in the past and they will work for getting flies down in shallow areas. For swinging flies over 4 or 5 ft in current I prefer a sink tip of some sort.

I just made one last week from an old sinking line. I cut 10 ft off and put a loop in one end and tied it down with thread and put a layer of epoxy on it. Nail knotted a 6" piece of 25# mono with a perfection loop on the end.

I tested it out sunday morning and and wow does it ever sink! I could easily get down 10 ft if i wanted too but it was way to much for the shallow runs. I'm going to make another one that's 4 or 5 ft and see how that works.

Casting it was a bear, my shoulder is feeling it today.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Something else that is gaining a little in popularity is a sinking poly leader. These are commercially available. I am using one right now on my 7wt for streamer fishing and love it so far. I picked up an Orvis brand poly leader in Fast Sink and it's great for getting unweighted streamers down deeper. They came in slow, medium, fast, and X fast sink.

At $9 it's a lot cheaper than buying a sink tip line and is a simple loop-loop connection to the fly line, so it's easy to switch it out if needed.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

TheCream said:


> Something else that is gaining a little in popularity is a sinking poly leader. These are commercially available. I am using one right now on my 7wt for streamer fishing and love it so far. I picked up an Orvis brand poly leader in Fast Sink and it's great for getting unweighted streamers down deeper. They came in slow, medium, fast, and X fast sink.
> 
> At $9 it's a lot cheaper than buying a sink tip line and is a simple loop-loop connection to the fly line, so it's easy to switch it out if needed.


I just got one of these at a Cabela's. I'd never heard of a sinking leader but the salesman saw me looking at (more expensive) sink tips and recommended the poly. He recommended x-fast for moving water and said he loves them. Haven't tried it yet.


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## randallbob (Mar 13, 2011)

To All:

Last Tuesday I was talking to an older gentleman on the Grand. He had a long two handed spey rod with some kind of attachment on the end of his fly line. I'm sure he told me what it was but of course I can't remember what he said. If I remember correctly it was 3' to 4' long and had loops at both ends. I want to say it was attached between his fly line and his leader. It was thicker than ordinary leader material (approximately the same diameter as his fly line) and was black in color. Is this one of those sinking poly leaders that has been mentioned in this post?

-Randallbob


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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

Ive yet to try a sinking leader.....But it sounds like a good idea ....espeacilly when I'm out on the mad with a 4 or 5 wt fishing nymphs and decide to pop a streamer thru a under cut bank or something......But my normal streamer set up is a 6 wt with a intermidiate tip line or a 7 wt with a sink tip...Ive made some sink tip before and never really felt they work'd near as well as a line made that way from the start.....they seem to work sink wish and are ok casting when casts are kept short but fall short in overall performance of the real thing.....I do carry some mini heads that are 1-2' in lenght but havent used them since getting my sinking tip lines......


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

I have a 6wt sinking line for my 5wt rod that I may try for bass next time I go to the lake but I did make a furled leader according to the video above for the floating line. Who knows, this whole thing is a fun experiment.


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## Chef T (Feb 28, 2011)

Ahhh yes, the good old furled leader. Making your own setups is becoming a lost art in flyfishing. Everything is ready to go out the package. I suggest to anyone that flyfishes to get into the habit of building your own leaders, lines, etc. It will pay off in the end when you need a specific set up and you are some where you've never fished before. Everyone mentions sink tips and the selections these days are fantastic. I grew up making my own sink tips, cutting up fly lines, making leaders. As a result, I can setup for any situation that is thrown at me with complete confidence.
I remember we use to complain to the fly line reps that we in the Great Lakes couldn't use their West Coast style tips. They were waaaayyy too long an most too fast. We had to cut them up and make our own loops outta running lines and even ended up chopping our fly lines(yikes).


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