Trout are said to spend 90 per cent of their time feeding beneath the surface. When it comes to lakes, this means presenting the fly just above the bottom vegetation and debris using a sinking line of varying density. Sinking lines fulfill two basic stillwater presentation requirements: taking the fly to depth and keeping it there so that trout can find it. Now, for those who know me, promoting sinking lines may seem foreign. I freely admit to being a floating-line-long-leader addict when it comes to fly-fishing stillwaters. Despite this preference, I have plenty of space for sinking lines within my kit bag. I can and do use sinking lines often.

Stillwater fly-fishers have a myriad of sinking lines to choose from. Rather than letting depth guide line choice, consider prey item and subsequent retrieve speed. Most aquatic invertebrates are not Olympic athletes: they move at a pedestrian pace. The goal is not to get the fly to the bottom in record time, but to keep it in the strike zone for as long as possible. Unless you’re using buoyant flies where the line must drag the fly to depth, this means using slower-sink-rate lines such as traditional and clear intermediate fly lines. Traditional intermediate fly lines are the slowest sinking line available and, although they take longer to get down, intermediate lines permit the slow weed-skittering retrieves needed for success. Clear intermediates tend to sink faster than traditional solid intermediates, typically around Type 2 rate due to their construction. Manufactures vary, so a little research pays big dividends.

Sinking lines require a different casting approach than the quick pickup used for floating lines. Use a roll pickup to prepare for a cast. As the fly rolls to the surface, scan it to ensure it tracks correctly and has not picked up any weeds. Avoid excessive false casting when using sinking lines. Weight-forward lines are designed to load the rod, shooting the balance of the running line toward the target. Because of their mass, sinking lines load rods quickly. Repeated false casting is not necessary; use three — preferably two — false casts at most.

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