---

 

Fly Fishing with Doug Macnair
A Product Update: Flying Beneath the Surface^©

By Doug Macnair

 

Spring has sprung! It’s the time of year when young people look into each other’s eyes and fall in love; it’s the time when birds flutter and bees buzz. It’s also the time of year when us peasants await the our filings to the IRS - otherwise known as Big Brother’s Good Fairy - and feel the warmth and benevolence of their steady gaze. Then, too, 2001 is a very significant year, the year when "We the People," wonder about the Creative Spin used by certain liberal members of the Congress who are busy explaining why our money is really their money. It isn't! It's our money and frankly, I want some of mine back.

 

Did you ever wonder why a man or woman with average finances can be elected to the Congress and, only a few years later, be worth millions? It must be that the Congress has a magic savings plan you and I are not allowed to access. For that matter, what happens to the millions of dollars that get "lost" in the bowels of the Federal government? How can "they" possibly lose it? For that matter, who the hell is "they?" Perhaps the answer can be found in the definition of the term, bowel movement. (Has it occurred to you how much money could be saved if all our "leaders" wore cheap white robes and sat on the steps while attending to "The People’s Business." Who knows, do you think they might even refrain from dipping their greedy fingers into the "Honey Pot" of the Social Security Trust Fund? And You Trust Government?)

 

On the fly fishing front, 2001 is also a year to thank Scientific Anglers once again for their 1998 development of two Mastery lines that have stayed the test of time in our never ending battle against friend fish and the Ancient Fish Gods. These potent weapons are the Wet Tip and the SLS. Both lines were remarkable in 1998; in the year 2001, these lines are still remarkable … Both have performed so well in the few years that have passed, a re-look is warranted. My thanks to Scientific Anglers for the graphics used in this overview making it easy to illustrate a few points that otherwise would require "whole bunches of words."

 

Simply stated, fly fishing beneath the surface is a smart proposition. That's where the fish are likely to be about 90 percent of the time. To catch them, all you have to do is get there.

 

The Mastery Wet Tip.

 

How many of us at some time or other cussed and discussed a sink tip line. Only too often we learned that while the idea was great, the actual line left a lot to be desired. For those of you who may never have tried a sink tip line, as the name implies, the belly and running line float, but the tip sinks. The idea is great but, in fact, the execution has lacked a lot. The problem with sink tips has always been the "hinge" between the floating section of the dense sink-tip. This hinge can, and has in the past, played Hell - the role of the Devil - ruining many a forward cast. Simply stated the transition from the floating belly to the dense sinking tip prohibited a smoothly flowing fly cast. Quite candidly, for ever so many years, I have preferred to fish an intermediate to any of, what I call the "doom-a-floozy" lines.

 

Now there is something new -- a sink tip that really really works! I have always thought that if a sink tip line could be built that really worked, the great advantage would be to those fishing lighter weight lines. As depicted here, the Mastery Wet Tip allows a fly fisher to enjoy the advantages of a floating line while being able to drop down into the water column to the depth where the fish are located.

 

Significantly, I believe this is the first time Scientific Anglers has offered a sink tip in the Mastery series. Given this background, I was delighted to have the opportunity to evaluate the Wet Tip. The line I tried was a weight-forward 5-weight line with a Type III sink tip (sink rate 2.5 - 4.25 ips sink rate). What do I think about this line? I think it constitutes a major breakthrough in technology. I think the Wet Tip is outstanding, clearly a line that follows in the Mastery tradition of excellence. With a controlled cast, the hinge effect is all but gone. What little is left is of no consequence!

 

What is so different about the new lines? No doubt much more than I can detect; however, it is interesting to note that the Mastery sink tips are varied in length depending on the line’s AFTMA weight rating, and tapered accordingly. The lighter the line weight, the shorter the tip: they range in length from 6.5 feet for a 3-weight up to 18 feet for a 10-weight line. The 5-weight I used came equipped with a tip measuring 8-feet. All SLS lines are ninety feet in length.

 

The Mastery Wet Tips includes also feature an array of sink rates ranging from the Wet Tip II, at 1.5-2 ips (3 through 9-weight); through the Wet Tip III, at 2.5-4.25 ips (4 through 9-weight) and the Wet Tip IV, at 3.75-5.25 ips (5 through 10-weight); up to the Wet Tip V, at 5.5-6.5 ips (6 through 10-weight).

 

My 5-weight Wet Tip carries a type 3 sink-tip, (2.5-4.25 ips). Did it sink? You bet, and right on schedule from what I could see. It quickly would take a fly into the water column about 3- to 5-feet depending on the swiftness of the current. It also seemed to sink in a straight line, as promised, keeping me in direct contact with the fly. Re-surfacing the tip to enable the standard cast proved no problem.

 

This is a superb line and a long-caster if it ever distance becomes necessary. During my distance trials, consistently attaining 80- to 85-feet range proved no problem. That’s damned good for a 5-weight line! (By the way, I use a very crude tool to measure the length of my casts: instead of the "calculated eyeball" often used by others, I use a tape measure that has "0" as the starting point and standard units of measure expressed in inches, feet and yards. Who knows -- perhaps measuring casts accurately may be a whole new concept in fly fishing.) Since I have yet to catch a fish in the air, my habit is to limit myself to one series of false casts to develop line speed, going for record the second time around.

 

In truth, sinking-tip fly lines have been around for a long time; but, making one work to the advantage of the fly fisher is something Scientific Anglers should be most proud.

 

The Mastery SLS.

 

No doubt about it -- if you ever plan to be able to fish the entire water column, sinking lines are a mandate. As any experienced fly fisher would say, you must match the line to the situation, if you want to catch fish. If the fish are deep, your line must take the fly to that depth. As this drawing by Scientific Anglers indicates, if the fish happen to be deep and you are limited to fishing the surface -- forget it! It may be another great day enjoying life in the great outdoors, admiring the Lord’s work and smelling the clean fresh air - depending, of course on the area of the country - but, it will be a day without fish.

 

Ever so many folks sort of avoid the sinking lines, even when they realize a sinker is required. Why? Because the sinkers are a bit more difficult to handle during the cast. Before the line can be aerialized into the standard backcast, it must be brought back to the surface. Try lifting a sunken line without re-surfacing it and I promise your efforts will result in a broken rod! The secret to solving the problem rests in becoming expert in the roll cast. Unfortunately, the roll cast cannot be practiced on grass because grass will not grip the line sufficiently to enable the rod to load. Add to this fact two other factors and you can begin to understand the dilemma: (1) the average fly caster doesn’t practice, even when the opportunity is ever-present, and (2) the weight forward line, so in vogue today, typically doesn’t roll cast worth a damn, most especially against the wind!

 

Added together, these truths of human frailty and technology often lead to consternation, frustration, and sometimes constipation among mortal men, (Much, I must say, to the delight of the Ancient Fish Gods I knew so well in those earlier years of Stonehenge.)

 

Now comes Scientific Anglers with a new line, the SLS standing for Straight Line Sinking. (The SLS offers the advantage of a tip that sinks at a slightly higher sink rate than the remainder of the line.) This allows the fly fisher to maintain a better straight line connection to the fly. As most of you know, the straighter the connection between you and the fly, the better your control and a surer hook-up when friend fish decides to strike. This line excels in strike detection! Scientific Anglers claim new coating technology enables true density graduation. Combined with a new front taper design, it is little wonder the line performs so well.

 

The Mastery SLS lines are 90 feet in length and are available in an array of sink rates about like the sink rates described for the Wet Tip series. The series begins with the SLS-I, in weights 5 through 10, and terminates with the SLS-V, in weights 6 through 10.

 

The line I tested was a 7-weight SLS-I (Intermediate) with a sink rate of 1.5 to 2.25 ips. Sure enough, the tip did sink a bit faster than the remainder of the line. I was impressed! Somewhat similar to the Wet Tip, the heads of the SLS lines seem to be tailored in length to the AFTMA rating. It’s my guess this is what accounts for the high scores the SLS earns in castability.

 

For my final throws, I awaited the arrival of a "just perfect" day for throwing -- a day cool and clear with a stout breeze blowing face-on. That day finally arrived with wind. (We get about ten every year!) Wind is an important factor to consider in evaluating lines. Some do well; others fail. According to the telltales, I made the breeze between Force 4 and Force 5 on the Beaufort scale. The range signifies a moderate to fresh breeze between 13 and 24 mph. That’s enough wind to send many fly fishers to cover.

 

Under these conditions, the SLS did extremely well. Once aerialized, casts of 60- to 70-feet were consistently attained, against the wind! For those of you who understand, it will come as no surprise when I tell you my forward casts were beneath the wind using a sidearm technique. The problem to making the cast, however, is aerializing the line in the first place. Remember, any sinking line must be re-surfaced before the cast can be made: If not re-surfaced, the standard cast is impossible! And as I have previously indicated, roll casting a weight forward line against the wind can be damned difficult. I am pleased to say that the SLS re-surfaced via the roll cast on an average of 30- to 35-feet. I contend that is quite an achievement under adverse conditions.

 

My overall evaluation is simply this: The SLS is a great addition to the Mastery name. It is a great line for sneaky presentations inside of 60 feet. And if that’s not enough be confident it will reach out and touch someone should distance become important. Here is another plus -- it’s supple, it feels good in your hand. (It also looks good in the air!)

 

For more information, contact: Scientific Anglers, 3M Center, Bldg. 223-4NE-05, St. Paul, MN 55144-1000. Telephone: 1-(800) 525 -6290.

 

 

© Copyright: Douglas G. Macnair, 1998-2008

 

 

Articles  |  Fishing Reports  |  Links

 

---

 

 

---