[Rob Brownfield]

I use home made 5' tips of T14 for the same job.

I value my ears! Why not go full sink? Easier to cast, more mass to chuck big flies etc.

I did have a ply with my Skagit outfit but found it a pain to actually fish with. Also, when hooked, the 14 footer became a liability, with even small fish giving me the run around lol.

I too have an Airflo Sniper line (or three  ) and they have the advantage of being affordable, but I think there are better lines out there or on the drawing boards.

I have more expensive lines, I have cheaper, but for throwing proper sized flies, I have not found anything to beat them.

If I am using smaller flies in 6" category, I do like my Rio Outbounds...they certainly shoot better (and tangle more), but 12" flies require something a bit more aggressive. 

[Will Shaw]

Another perspective:

I fish a relatively shallow, weedy loch, (usually fishing over 2ft to 10ft). Mostly float tubing. One minute i can be trundling mice or sliders around weed beds, the next dropping flies into pockets in bushes, the next over weed beds 5 ft down, and the next fishing along a stony bottom. Most of my flies are in the 6" o 8" range, occasionally up to 10".

I sometimes have a spare rod in the float-tube (usually set up with the mouse pattern and a mono leader), but mostly just the one.

I'm using a floating line (Rio in-touch Pike), usually an 8wt - occasionally a 9wt.

I use 5ft Airflo Salmon Polyleaders, looped to 1-2ft of heavy mono, tied to 12" of titanium wire. These Polyleaders have no problems turning over any fly I use.

Unless I'm fishing a mouse/top-water I usually have the super-fast sink polyleader on. This gets the fly down around three or four feet and (as long as I'm not ripping it back at warp speed) it keeps it there. If I use the extra-super-fast Polyleader I'm usually bouncing the bottom. Thing is: I can  quickly switch between bottom bouncing and surface flies w/o the faff of changing lines.

I haven't noticed any problems in hooking pike using this set up. There's no sharp angle between the line and leader - the leader pulls the line under at a gentle incline.

If I really need to go deep and keep deep I go for a full sinker (usually a Teeny 350), but I rarely need to on the spots I fish for pike.

Oh, and I really hate the Outbound Short! 

My ten penneth...

[Rob Brownfield]

Another perspective:

I fish a relatively shallow, weedy loch, (usually fishing over 2ft to 10ft). Mostly float tubing. One minute i can be trundling mice or sliders around weed beds, the next dropping flies into pockets in bushes, the next over weed beds 5 ft down, and the next fishing along a stony bottom. Most of my flies are in the 6" o 8" range, occasionally up to 10".

I sometimes have a spare rod in the float-tube (usually set up with the mouse pattern and a mono leader), but mostly just the one.

I'm using a floating line (Rio in-touch Pike), usually an 8wt - occasionally a 9wt.

I use 5ft Airflo Salmon Polyleaders, looped to 1-2ft of heavy mono, tied to 12" of titanium wire. These Polyleaders have no problems turning over any fly I use.

Unless I'm fishing a mouse/top-water I usually have the super-fast sink polyleader on. This gets the fly down around three or four feet and (as long as I'm not ripping it back at warp speed) it keeps it there. If I use the extra-super-fast Polyleader I'm usually bouncing the bottom. Thing is: I can  quickly switch between bottom bouncing and surface flies w/o the faff of changing lines.

I haven't noticed any problems in hooking pike using this set up. There's no sharp angle between the line and leader - the leader pulls the line under at a gentle incline.

If I really need to go deep and keep deep I go for a full sinker (usually a Teeny 350), but I rarely need to on the spots I fish for pike.

Oh, and I really hate the Outbound Short! 

My ten penneth...

I have used the 5' Salmon leaders but with only a 24lb breaking strain, I gave up on them. I also found that a solid coloured sinking version was too obvious in clear water when fished with 2-3 feet of mono leader and a trace. 

The issue of the "angle of the dangle" is probably more down the style of fly I use etc, but I much prefer a "straight pull" on a sinker

You mention swapping between flies easily...I do that by adding weight to them

I do like the fact there are many different styles and takes on the same subject and its always fun to learn or try other peoples ideas.

[Will Shaw]

Hi Rob

Curious, why is 24lb bs too light? I've never bust one yet - and I don't give much line to pike!

Do you think a dark poly leader is less visible than 30-40 lb mono or FC?  I don't. I fish in very clear water for pressured fish, and I don't think fish are line or leader-shy, and haven't noticed any difference vs mono leaders.

I know what you mean by adding weight, but IMO that changes action too. I feel I can fish an unweighted fly  back nice and slow and evenly at the depth I want, and with a nice slow drop when I stop.

Like you say, always good to find out what others are up to! 

[Rob Brownfield]

Curious, why is 24lb bs too light? I've never bust one yet - and I don't give much line to pike!

I just found that when using the Polyleaders, if I got stuck in the bottom, the leader would invariably break a few inches up from the loop on the polyleader itself.

I did use them for years and years but after being shown the Scandinavian leaders, I just found them so much nicer to use and really capable of taking some abuse when fish dive into weed or around rocks.