The Board

hi guys, so basically I have a scandi line that's full sinking, (5/6/7ips) I use it to target chinook salmon, so big flies generally, but I would like to know the length of some of your leaders for this kind of tackle, I've heard that some use long leaders even with sinking lines, everybody tells me that it hinders the sinking ability of the line and fly, but others have told me that this doesn't happen and that the fly swims better on the swing and that with enough technique you can sink anything you want , I don't really know about this so that's why am asking the experts here, any thoughts on this subject? what are your experiences with long leaders on sinking lines?(be it single handed or double)
thanks in advance

Hi

I usually use similar shooting heads for Atlantic Salmon and Seatrout in my local river (my go-to head is a S2/5/7) and I usually use a relatively short leader of around 1 to 1,5 meters. So I guess that my leaders aren’t exactly long. I personally think that the short leaders make most sense on fast sinking lines, on both my DH and my SH rods.

But should I use a longer leader, I think it also comes down to the design of the fly. If I use a light fly, long leaders make no sense, as the fly will be lifted up in the water by the current, away from the fish. But if you use a heavy fly, that maybe sinks at 7-8 ips, just like the shooting head, then I don’t see any issues using a long leader.
And with the heavy fly, and the long leader, I find that the casts are a bit easier, and that the presentation of the fly is much better, as opposed to short leaders. It’s also a lot easier to make a nice tapered leader when you have some length to work with, as opposed to a short leader, which also helps with a nicer cast and presentation.
However, when I write long tapered leaders, I’m still thinking about a length of around 6 to 9 feet. And definitely no longer than 9 feet! It is however rare that I use these “long” leaders, so my experience is limited…

It will be interesting to hear what others have to say about this.

Cheers
Bendix

If the fly sinks as fast as the fly line, there isn’t much of difference except for the amount of leader the fly needs to drag down. The faster the water, the less difference as that wants to pull all level. With light fly, the longer the leader, the more there is lag between fly line and fly. So it takes much longer for the fly with long leader to get down.

3’ 25 lbs