What line to use fishing from a boat?
- Thread starter gwb72tii
- Start date
Divad
Whitefish
If you needed one line, an intermediate with sink 3 tip. If you were to pick two, a full intermediate and a sink tip or sinking head in 3-5. If you were to pick three, a full intermediate, type 3 sink tip/head and a full sink or sinking head type 5/6.
My two cents. When I’ve cast from the boat I use the intermediate w/ type 3 head the most. But I know some that really love a 5/6.
I’m also partial to a compact or semi compact/mid length head in the above types to cast quickly. Maybe @Nick Clayton will weigh in.
My two cents. When I’ve cast from the boat I use the intermediate w/ type 3 head the most. But I know some that really love a 5/6.
I’m also partial to a compact or semi compact/mid length head in the above types to cast quickly. Maybe @Nick Clayton will weigh in.
If you plan to be even remotely serious about fishing from your boat you're gonna want a variety of lines. There are just far too many variables when fishing from a boat that tend to result in situations where one particular line is going to be the best tool. It's tough to do it all with one line.
That said, for SRC in the sound if I had to pick a single line it would be an integrated shooting head in a type 3. The Airflo 40+ is my personal favorite, but there are other options such as the Cortland Compact that is a nice line as well. I just find a type 3 to be the most versatile line. Can fish it on shallow flats, can fish it in heavier current and a little deeper water as well.
If I was strictly fishing the canal I might switch that to an intermediate, though I find myself fishing the type 3 on the canal most days with zero issue.
The problem is, from a boat you can fish so much different water. From flat oyster beaches with little current, to steep beaches and 6' of water, to heavy, river like current in 8' of water, to even deeper....having a variety of lines is really the best way. I suppose one could use one of those multi tip lines, or a variety of poly leaders and save some money, but I personally despise both of those options.
When I go cutthroat fishing on the sound I bring floaters, intermediates, type 3s, type 5s, and type 7s. Some days they all get used, some days I'll fish the same line all day. I'd say I fish the type 3 and type 5 the most on average, but that is what I find works best for my fishing style.
If you're going to add Salmon into the mix then the type 7 in particular, or even a type 9 is often the ticket.
I know this doesn't help narrow things down, but hopefully gives you an idea. If you're just gonna go out a few times a year then get yourself a type 3 or int if you prefer, and you'll catch some fish. But if you plan to spend a lot of time on the water then a variety of lines really is the best way to go.
Personally I wouldn't recommend anything but integrated shooting head lines no matter what you choose, but that's just me. You can make do with just about any style of line, but for a fishery that involves so much blind casting, often dealing with wind or heavier flies, integrated shooting heads are simply the best tool for the job without a doubt.
That said, for SRC in the sound if I had to pick a single line it would be an integrated shooting head in a type 3. The Airflo 40+ is my personal favorite, but there are other options such as the Cortland Compact that is a nice line as well. I just find a type 3 to be the most versatile line. Can fish it on shallow flats, can fish it in heavier current and a little deeper water as well.
If I was strictly fishing the canal I might switch that to an intermediate, though I find myself fishing the type 3 on the canal most days with zero issue.
The problem is, from a boat you can fish so much different water. From flat oyster beaches with little current, to steep beaches and 6' of water, to heavy, river like current in 8' of water, to even deeper....having a variety of lines is really the best way. I suppose one could use one of those multi tip lines, or a variety of poly leaders and save some money, but I personally despise both of those options.
When I go cutthroat fishing on the sound I bring floaters, intermediates, type 3s, type 5s, and type 7s. Some days they all get used, some days I'll fish the same line all day. I'd say I fish the type 3 and type 5 the most on average, but that is what I find works best for my fishing style.
If you're going to add Salmon into the mix then the type 7 in particular, or even a type 9 is often the ticket.
I know this doesn't help narrow things down, but hopefully gives you an idea. If you're just gonna go out a few times a year then get yourself a type 3 or int if you prefer, and you'll catch some fish. But if you plan to spend a lot of time on the water then a variety of lines really is the best way to go.
Personally I wouldn't recommend anything but integrated shooting head lines no matter what you choose, but that's just me. You can make do with just about any style of line, but for a fishery that involves so much blind casting, often dealing with wind or heavier flies, integrated shooting heads are simply the best tool for the job without a doubt.
Yes indeed. The higher the number, the faster the line sinks. A floater floats, (obviously lol), and intermediate sinks pretty slowly, a type 3 sinks a bit faster, type 5 faster yet, and so on.
Any line you're looking at will have the actual sink rate listed on the box, or on the specs if you're looking online
I actually don't have one just yet. A couple guys I fish with often both picked one up over the summer and fished it a lot in open water rips and such and I was pretty impressed with how they fished. I want to say it was a Cortland line, but hopefully @ffb or @Irafly can chime in since I can't remember off the top of my head.
I kept saying I was going to pick one up but never got around to it. I like my type 7 40+ an awful lot but there was a clear difference in the depth those guys were fishing compared to mine.
I kept saying I was going to pick one up but never got around to it. I like my type 7 40+ an awful lot but there was a clear difference in the depth those guys were fishing compared to mine.
type 9 = 9 inches per second, type 3 = 3 inches per second (that would be inches sinking per second) and so forth.
Cortland Compact comes in a sink type 9
Yep, if you want to rope flounder at 65’-80’ of water with a slight current, you’re going to need the Cortland Type 9.
Honestly it casts great and it fished well. I like it better than the T-11 stuff because the line is a bit easier to strip and handle.
Yep I got the Cortland Compact Type 9 this last summer as well. I used it exclusively as my open water coho line. There aren't many beaches where you wouldn't be snagging bottom with that thing it sinks like a rock.
I fish a Type 3 out of the boat probably 80% of the time or better. On the shallower sloping beaches you may want an Intermediate and is what I fish the other 20%. I also have a floater that I can't remember the last time I used. There are a few spots where a Type 5 or 7 would come in handy I just haven't added them into the mix yet. I have a mix of Cortland Compact, Rio Outbound Short, and Airflo 40+. I am especially a fan of the Cortland Compact.
I don’t fish out of a boat much and the lines have been pretty much covered, but in regards to fishing them you might consider a 6 wt over your 5 wt, especially with the heavier sinking lines. The 5 will work for cutts and smaller coho which you’ll encounter, but a salty 6 is nice to have when it is a bit windy and bigger fish are present, especially coho.
If you really get into this, you’ll likely get a 6 anyway and not have to double up on line purchases.
Just something you might consider.
SF
If you really get into this, you’ll likely get a 6 anyway and not have to double up on line purchases.
Just something you might consider.
SF
I fish both 5 wt and 6 wt out of a boat. I typically use compact intergrates shooting head lines, intermediate on my 5 wt and either intermediate or type 6 on mt 6 wt.
Type 9 sounds appealing. Might have to add that one this year.
Type 9 sounds appealing. Might have to add that one this year.
I carry a floater, intermediate and intermediate/3/5 line when SRC fishing from a boat. I have fished the floater twice in the last year 
. I do fish the intermediate a decent amount in shallow water (maybe when fishing water 4 feet or less) especially when there is little current to deal with and the I/3/5 a lot. I only have one season where I fished salmon from the boat a decent amount. Like others have already said, I fished the I/3/5 most and a type 7 in open water. I can remember one day when having that line in the boat made an huge difference over the I/3/5. Intrigued by the type 9 discussed here. Going to have to grab one of those! It’s overkill but I also fish a lot of 7 weights for coho. Well, it’s overkill until it’s not. Comes in handy on very windy days, throwing heavy flies and when you hook into a king which tends to happen once a twice a season.
. I do fish the intermediate a decent amount in shallow water (maybe when fishing water 4 feet or less) especially when there is little current to deal with and the I/3/5 a lot. I only have one season where I fished salmon from the boat a decent amount. Like others have already said, I fished the I/3/5 most and a type 7 in open water. I can remember one day when having that line in the boat made an huge difference over the I/3/5. Intrigued by the type 9 discussed here. Going to have to grab one of those! It’s overkill but I also fish a lot of 7 weights for coho. Well, it’s overkill until it’s not. Comes in handy on very windy days, throwing heavy flies and when you hook into a king which tends to happen once a twice a season.
I picked up one of those Cortland Competition "level sink" 6/7 weight Type 9 lines when they went on sale a while back. Pretty good deal for around $45 IIRC. I used it for coho in the Sound a bit last year too, when I had to fish for them when the far superior pinks weren't around, and I can attest that it sinks like stone and is a good deep fishing fly line if you need that kind of sinkability. It fishes too deep even for 15-20 FOW with a normal cast and strip. I thought I'd use it for vertical chironomid fishing, too, but haven't tried that with it yet. I did pick up a couple silver bullet RBs using it for trolling the pelagic zone of a good sized, very deep Basin lake a couple weeks ago.
