Parabolic sinking lines

[Brian in OR.]

Anyone using this line ? thinking of trying one out but curious how its compares to your standard sinking line... Likes/Dislikes

https://www.scientificanglers.com/product/sonar-stillwater-parabolic-sink/

 

[Jake Watrous]

I have been. I made a frankenline a while back for the Sound (5-7-5) and liked it a lot from the boat, but it was too fast for lakes.

I’ve also played around with them for skagit casting and…it’s awesome.

The idea for me in a lake or in the Sound is that the heavy part sinks fast, and when you’re stripping the fly back to you it doesn’t climb as much as it does dive and track through the water following the heavier middle part of the line.

In a river I figured the fast section would sink fast and the current would drive the fly down to the level of the fast section. Still tweaking the various lengths, but it works well enough to keep playing with it. You can control depth with rod angle and on rivers like the SD where depth isn't consistent it's quite handy.

 

[Brian in OR.]

Thanks for the reply, the concept sounds interesting and would like to play around with one. Would be really neat if someone actually made a video in clear water of what some of these lines actually do versus what they claim to do....

 

[Theron]

I've used one on lakes. It seems like it keeps the fly deeper during the retrieve as compared to my straight sinking line but that is hard to judge. I have there SA and I like the way it casts and it has two nice big hang markers that help determine line still in the water.

 

[TheNautiCoug]

I have the rio 4/6/I and it does get to the depths super fast, caught only one fish with it on the top dropper when I was counting it down. I only fish it with a buoyant fly on the point to really get the most action and depth coverage out of it. I should have gotten the 2/4/I I think that would have been a better option to use on a more regular basis with the lakes around here. Another option would be to get a dual density line like SA 1/3 or 2/4 and then put on the booby tip ($15) which floats. Hinging might be a draw back though.

 

[flybill]

Love the marketing, tempted to buy one just to try it out.. and I could use a new full sink line anyway.

Parabolic! Can I bedazzle it before I use it? Asking for a friend.. I mean it's just a sinking line, with stealth technology and able to create a wormhole to bring in fish from Mars!

Not trying to pick on anyone or even SA, but seriously.. it's just a sinking line.. cue the submarine music from Hunt for Red October!

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving all!

 

[Jake Watrous]

Love the marketing, tempted to buy one just to try it out.. and I could use a new full sink line anyway.

Parabolic! Can I bedazzle it before I use it? Asking for a friend.. I mean it's just a sinking line, with stealth technology and able to create a wormhole to bring in fish from Mars!

Not trying to pick on anyone or even SA, but seriously.. it's just a sinking line.. cue the submarine music from Hunt for Red October!

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving all!

I think it’s because parabolic describes the shape of the line when sinking (a parabola) vs. their lines that sink tip only, or in a straightish line due to density compensation.

 

[flybill]

I think it’s because parabolic describes the shape of the line when sinking (a parabola) vs. their lines that sink tip only, or in a straightish line due to density compensation.

I read that after the fact.. still not convinced it's a good thing, but understand the physics now.. will be curious to hear some reviews from guys on the board here. When I fish sinking lines, I was the fly to get down to the same depth as the line and not be up too much!

I've fished with some great lake and sound fly fishers, so don't know if were fixing a problem with sinking lines that doesn't need to be fixed or maybe it will help with presentation and make things look more realistic and increase hook ups... now if only I could do this with women at the bar! Then I would be golden!! LOL!

 

[Porter2]

I’ve mentioned this before but I know it doesn’t work for everyone but if you can check with your fly shop. Several fly shops have demo lines to try out. Check them out for a week and hit some water to get a good idea if the line works for your set up and achieves what you want from it. These new lines are averaging a whopping $100 a pop so it’s something to think about before you dole out a 100 bucks and a line you won’t like.

 

[troutpocket]

Based on experience with other current SA lines, it probably casts great and does what it’s supposed to do. I can imagine situations where it would be useful. On Days when fish are spread out and moving throughout the water column, having a line that bellies in an arc could be really effective. For me, it would not be a first choice.

 

[Chucker]

I don’t really get the need for it. Fast sinking lines have always sunk this way, because of the taper at the tip - there’s less of the heavy stuff there, so it sinks slower. That used to be considered a problem, and they invented density compensated lines to try to fix it.

You can accentuate the effect that they are describing by using a longer leader, but unless you are using a buoyant fly, it will do you no good as the fly tracks behind the line as you retrieve and ends up in the weeds anyway.

The masters of sinking line technique who I used to fish with always used slow sinking lines, counted them down to the depth that they wanted to be at, and then retrieved slowly so that they stayed down there.

 

[Westcoast]

These are what all sinking lines were before density compensated lines came out. They worked back then , I’m sure they will work now. But there was a good reason we all switched to the new straight sink lines.

 

[Wayne Kohan]

Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If the line has a belly in it and I begin stripping the line in, I'm not going to pull the fly down and follow the belly in the line, I'm going to pull up the belly first. As others have said, if I want my fly to stay higher than my line in the water column, use a buoyant fly.

 

[Jake Watrous]

Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If the line has a belly in it and I begin stripping the line in, I'm not going to pull the fly down and follow the belly in the line, I'm going to pull up the belly first. As others have said, if I want my fly to stay higher than my line in the water column, use a buoyant fly.

Not defending parabolic lines, but what seems to happen is that the fly dives with each strip, instead of climbing. Kinda like a boobie fly but the fly stays down when you aren't stripping, and if you let it it continues to sink.

 

[Islander]

I’ve seen guys get a similar effect with an intermediate line and a two fly booby leader. Booby on the end of a fairly long tippet and a heavier fly at the junction of the tippet and a somewhat shorter leader. Either with a tippet ring or an extended surgeons knot. I’ll probably give it a try next spring, but the conventional sinking lines have worked well for me, so it’s hard to stop doing something that’s working.

 

[Roper]

I’ve seen guys get a similar effect with an intermediate line and a two fly booby leader. Booby on the end of a fairly long tippet and a heavier fly at the junction of the tippet and a somewhat shorter leader. Either with a tippet ring or an extended surgeons knot. I’ll probably give it a try next spring, but the conventional sinking lines have worked well for me, so it’s hard to stop doing something that’s working.

and spend beer money doing it…