[Mike Barrio]

Medium intermediate, fast intermediate, sinking lines .......... Do you use them?

Which flies and how many droppers might you normally use when fishing with one of the above?

What can you tell me about the tactics involved in your sub surface fishing?

Cheers
Mike

[Rob Brownfield]

Trout only or other species too (Salmon, sea Trout, Pike etc).

[Mike Barrio]

You tell me what you use them for Rob

[Allan Liddle]

Quite often use the intermediate (usually slime line) when 'short lining' to help with that 'break through the surface' angle especially when it's really windy.  Also use it occasionally (often again when windy) with spiders when 'swinging wets' on running water (big coloured water dries not working stuff as well).

Ditto on the midge tip for above on lighter winds and slower fishing tactics, or clearer finer spider tactics used and no obvious hatch / fish action.  Used this tactic more on grayling than browns to be fair.

Di3 and nymphs on lochs (Leven and a team of three 'Snatchers' a favourite), also for working nymphs or lures (again team three) at mid depth (counting down and retrieve speed dictates, no rocket science i'm afraid)

Ditto Di5 when a wee bit deeper needed.

Di7 for depth charge work or pulling big lures etc, again no revelations or anything startling.  But also use this line with a booby on a very short leader to target shoaled rainbows as they move close to surface and not obviously taking dries, nymphs etc.  Cast directly in front let line settle a second then pull hard ro get booby to 'pop' across surface a very short distance before 'diving', fish chase instantly and often hit at the first point fly 'dives.'

Plenty other minor tactics for sunk lines but would be here all day talking about them  

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Allan

Which is more useful to you casting wise, less line in the air with more shooting ability, or more line in the air with less shooting ability?

Cheers
Mike

[Allan Liddle]

Former for rivers and loch banks, latter on lochs (boat fishing)

[Rob Brownfield]

You tell me what you use them for Rob

Fair enough

Rivers:
Sink tip 10' Fast Intermediate - weighted streamers like Sculpins, cast at the bank and stripped back
Intermediate - swinging wets when there is a little extra water
Fast sink - More streamers, but light ones that dart in the currents, on the swimg or stripped across current

Lochs:
Intermediate - buzzers when there is a strong wind blowing or if the water is cool
Slow and Fast sink - Lures

Pike :
Intermediate for "bulging flies" just under the surface in the spring
Fast sink for off a boat
Di9 for getting down on big lochs off a boat
Lead Core shooting head for fishing my foam backed "wobblers" a few inches above the bottom

Sea:
Intermediate for general Mack and Pollock fishing
DI7 and 9 for rock marks and Pollock/Cod with heavy clousers etc.

[Mike Barrio]

Lots of interesting stuff so far

[Hamish Young]

I have used intermediates extensively this season past (GT90i and an Orvis) whilst drift fishing from boats; drifting out on a boat is probably about 95% of my trout fishing these days and I've found an 'inter' bloody useful after many years of giving them a wide berth
I believe Euan will be in the market for an intermediate in a #4wt too - if he's not bought already A slow intermediate (bit quicker than a slime line for me) may become my 'go to' loch line for many adventures next season.

I have also experimented with a Di5 line this year with considerable success again mainly on lochs but I have used it as a streamer line on rivers.

What interests me most in any line for boat fishing and whenever I'm chucking 'cutlery' about is something which loads a rod quickly and can be shot quickly with the minimum of fuss. So typically that is a line with less time in the air and more shooting ability over something which requires more effort than it should really need for the task.

H

[Stuart Smith]

I use sinking line most of the time apart for dry fly

rivers i use 200 or 250 grain head with floating running line and fish one streamer one the end.normally a zonker thing

lochs i have loads think my last count was 18 in my box.airflow short sink tip for washing line style and stripping wets and buzzers and spiders
i have lines from 0.5 of a inch a second to di 8s and normally fish two flies on them unless im hunting big browns in the lochs and i fish just one big fly

for pike i normally use a slow sink but again i have most things down to a di9 for fishing my flies just off the bottom or just above the weeks

for salt water i use long sink tips for shallow water sea trout fishing or a di3 clear full sinker and a di8 or T14 for deep stuff for pollock

stuart

[Barry Robertson]

I am a sunk line tart !!  



Most of these lines get an outing over the course of the year whilst others are just there incase i am fishing with someone that is rattling fish on a certain line that on the given day the fish are only interested in!

Over the years i have found certain lines work better on certain venues for example a fast glass and a Di3 sweep for Lintrathen but yet a snowbee buzzer line or a slow glass for Menteith!
All these line choices can go up or down a line depending on drift speed also to add into more confusion 
The list is never ending and if you were fishing rutland then maybe another 3 lines would out fish the ones mentioned previously!

Cast wise for a midge tip i like  3 flies !
Pulling wets also 3 flies!
Pulling deep and slow i like 2 flies!
And also a single fly fished on a long leader or a  short leader has its day!
You really could talk aboot this all day as there is so many options but i guess its the same as most things fishy its what your confident in that works for you that really matters!

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff guys, lots of interesting points to take in

Cheers
Mike