Line for Night Fishing.

[Rennie]

Every year I ignore some good fishing for the Sea Trout my club has to offer.As I'm usually pretty well Salar orientated, any I do get are usually a by catch, but very welcome.
I've fished else where for the Silver Prince with some success, but its been on easier venue's with more fish and more open banksides where overheading with my best reservoir method of casting is perfectly adequate.Ribble is a tadge trickier!.
From the off, not a good over header.I have tried my lighter switch rods, but my Spey casting go's tit's up once its fully dark.
So what I'm wondering is, can you recommend a line for night time fishing that will help me as much as its possible to, I'd like a floater with maybe short polys- don't really need the heavy sinkers!.My rods a Sage SP in 10ft rated 7 weight.
To date I've used 7 weight Cortland 444's in float and intermediate and the Multi tip option too- however that has 1st generation loops which are primarily Shrink tubing, super glue and braid and are as clumpy as clogs on a ballet dancer.Would an 8 weight be preferable? or one of the new generation of single handed Spey Lines.
I've a Greys Platinum thing on currently and in my eye's its a stillwater line, it proved interesting come pitch black time!
So my ears are open, my wallets putting up a struggle, but I'll catch it 1/2 asleep and splash the cash if needed.Any idea's all?
Pedro.

 

[gwelsher]

I always use a weight heavier WF floating line and 5' polytips. With the extra weight line I do not have to extend so much line on the backcast.
I have been tempted to try one of the new short body shooting heads but I don't do enough Sewin fishing these days to justify the expense.

 

[Rennie]

Thanks for that!
Pedro.

 

[Grassy_Knollington]

Try the Barrio SLX with a 30ft head available in floating or inter now. Go for the #8 to load deeper / more easily.

If you want a much shorter head then the Wulff Ambushes are around 20ft I think and the Guideline ULS are too - although Guideline is just the head and needs running line as an extra.

 

[cgaines10]

I like the Barrio GT125, the profile is perfect for effortless pick up & put down casting & good presentation.

 

[Sash]

+1 for going up a weight. Almost whatever your line, the extra “feel”, esepically on the back cast, should really help.
I used an Orvis Bank Shot this year: a WF with much of the weight of the head up front.
It has been really good to use, and meant that, on a small, tree-lined river, I have been able to cast with far less false casting - sometimes none!

 

[Rennie]

Mutio obrigado all, três enlightening!
Pedro.

 

[Loxie]

I use Airflo ridge clear lines, for almost everything. They work very well, day and night but fall apart very quickly.

 

[billy fish]

I use the 444 in a weight forward . I then put whatever on the end to fish the depth I need to reach or just use a weighted fly . I like using a surface lure so generally stick to a tapered leader .

 

[sewinfly]

I use an 8wt Barrio Mallard"light cream colour" Floater don't use tips with this as I still have the complete set of 8 wt Sewincaster fly lines .
These are clear intermediate tip, a type 3 " and a type 6" sink tip lines.Pity they don't make them anymore.Mine are taking off and cleaned every year at the end of the season.
Rare as hens teeth they are to find.

A well known Sewin fisherman Jonathan Jones uses a lot of the Airflo mini tip lines I believe, can find out for you if you want.

Spencer..............

 

[Handel]

I still have a full set of sewincaster lines as well. I only use them for overhead casting.

Now that Airflo are US owned I wonder what lines they are going to make. I have an Airflo 40+ line that speycasts well off an Airflo switch (trout rated) and is the sort of set up it sounds as if Rennie is after.

 

[happy days]

I use a rio iline 13g on a redington cps 7wt good overhead and spey cast, bright yellow makes it visible in low light as well.

 

[Rennie]

Handel, I have the Airflo Nan Tec switch rods 6 and 7 weights both with 40+ lines on them as recommended by Airflo them selves, a 7 and 8 weight.I've used the 6 weight at night with the 7 weight line, maybe I should persevere?.
Cheers, Pedro.

 

[Handel]

Handel, I have the Airflo Nan Tec switch rods 6 and 7 weights both with 40+ lines on them as recommended by Airflo them selves, a 7 and 8 weight.I've used the 6 weight at night with the 7 weight line, maybe I should persevere?.
Cheers, Pedro.

Definitely, a very good set up. This is going to sound a bit daft but try a bit of practice in the day casting with your eyes shut. You have the benefit then of opening your eyes to see the results.

 

[FaughanPurple]

At night unless fishing a muddler in or on the surface I generally bin the full floater and tips approach after dark and switch to full purpose lines like a sink tip or neutral/slow inter from 0.5ips to 1.5 ips... adding 5ft tips to these then can give a 3D line effect and found it's a far better speed and depth of presentation to allow you to fish the depths of the pool effectively.. I would always keep a wet2 handy but rarely needed on a warm summer's night.. these are fished on single handers from WF6 to WF8 and my current favourite lines are the whycwood trout lines.. Not too dear so you don't mind trashing them as can happen with loads of tangles and pulling out of trees etc in the dark..

 

[Thrasher]

A floater is probably the line I use least for ST fishing, being either on a sink/midge tip of some sort down to a di3 as a first line of attack. My #7 trout lines are what I use on the river and my soon to be replaced floater is a snowbee xs hi-viz. Probably should keep it on for the river as it is now cracked and sinks at the tip.
I don't use tips as I don't like the join rattling through the rod rings landing fish.

The floater it will be gettingbraplaced with is a Lee Wulff triangular taper, won it so it is going on next, otherwise I would have been buying another snowbee line.

 

[Lancsflyman]

Hi Pete
If the river is Summer low I use a full floater with home made sink tips from old sinking lines, from 12” 18” & 24” with braided loops on both ends.
If the river has a bit of water on, I use my sewin caster line with an intermediate sink tip, the one Sewincaster is reverting too.
Take me on as a guest on your water & we can sort it out from there pal?

 

[Jer]

Mike Barrios SLX line is definitely a good choice where you are going to use the floating line option for night fishing... it roll casts beautifully, will accommodate the usual Spey casts well... because of its line profile... and can be overhead cast too

 

[Rrrr]

I just use my switch rod with barrio switch line due to the size of seatrout we get up here.

Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk

 

[lefthandup]

Can't see past a Rio single handed Spey line on my single hander....go for the 8#.. my mate has the 7# and just feels a wee bit light even though it still punts out a good cast.

 

[Andrew B]

I use an 8wt Barrio Mallard"light cream colour" Floater don't use tips with this as I still have the complete set of 8 wt Sewincaster fly lines .
These are clear intermediate tip, a type 3 " and a type 6" sink tip lines.Pity they don't make them anymore.Mine are taking off and cleaned every year at the end of the season.
Rare as hens teeth they are to find.

A well known Sewin fisherman Jonathan Jones uses a lot of the Airflo mini tip lines I believe, can find out for you if you want.

Spencer..............

Where I struggle is fishing heavily wooded areas onto taking spots size of a table. Literally just a rod length which makes loading the rod very difficult.

 

[cgaines10]

Can't see past a Rio single handed Spey line on my single hander....go for the 8#.. my mate has the 7# and just feels a wee bit light even though it still punts out a good cast.

I've looked at this line before, it probably would be suitable for some of the pools I fish on the Wear which are a nightmare for back casting. I'll give it a bash for next season I think.

 

[Stratocaster]

I've looked at this line before, it probably would be suitable for some of the pools I fish on the Wear which are a nightmare for back casting. I'll give it a bash for next season I think.

Going a line size up certainly helps to load the rod more quickly but I find the main problem at night is lack of space making an overhead or even a roll cast nearly impossible from under trees on the lower Wear. Getting into the water to create more space can be counterproductive as you just spook the fish. I struggled for many years trying to put a line out in the dark before I realised the main issues were rod length and loading it. Ten years ago specialist spey lines and shooting heads became mainstream for salmon and double handed rods but trout lines still remained traditional with long bellies and tips. I started cutting down salmon lines (bought cheaply or second-hand) to make short, compact heads and have used these since refining the lines and connections with running lines. My basic kit is a 10’ #7 fast rod with a short, 20 – 22’ head cut down from an #11 or#12 line and this enables me to stay generally out of the water, retrieve the fly very close to the rod and punch it straight back out with no backcast. When things get really tight I use a 9’#8 rod with an Airflo scagit scout which is incredibly short (16 feet) and requires very little line speed or “D” loop so again the line is never really out of the water or behind me. The Rio single handed spey looks nice but it is double the price of the Airflo.