/
Full sinking fly line from Orvis Co.
We got our rod and reel now we need to figure out what fly line we will need. Choosing the right fly line is probably the most confusing aspect of fly fishing for Musky or any other fish for that matter. All the major fly line companies have so many different fly line options and it can boggle your mind. I'm going to attempt to make this as simple as I can for you. For starters we are only going to worry about two types of line. One is a full sinking line and the other is an intermediate sinking line.
Full sinking lines are tungsten filled fly lines that are made in different grains. Each line grain corresponds with a specific rod weight. For example Orvis Depth Charge grain recommendations are as follows..350 grain (9/10wt Rod), 450 grain (11/12wt rod), and 550 grain (12wt rod). NOTE: This line has a sink rate of 6" per second. Which means when you cast your fly out and let it sink, it "should" sink around 6" for ever second you wait to retrieve it. Factors such as current, boat movement, fly style, etc can affect the sink rate somewhat so you'll need to figure that out for each fishing situation that you're in.
What does this mean and in what situations do I fish this particular line?? I use a full sinking line any time I need to get my fly down in the water column. This is usually the case if I'm fishing in deeper Lakes or fast moving current (PRO TIP: Musky do lay in current) For an example you're fishing a Lake in 10 foot of water and you want to get mid water column with your fly. Make your cast and wait 10 seconds before you retrieve and then strip your fly back to the boat. This retrieval delay allows the fly line to sink your fly to the desired depth. Another example is when fishing a River and you have fast current to contend with. Most likely you'll need a full sinking line to get your fly down in the water column. A full sinking line also gives you the ability to have a faster presentation because the line holds your fly under the water more than the intermediate line. You can also use a fast retrieve to keep your fly up off the bottom in shallower spots where you don't want to get snagged. Not to mention that a fast retrieve can also trigger strikes from a hungry Musky. As you progress in your Musky fishing you will see that water depth is extremely important to catching these fish. Knowing how to get your fly to the depth the fish are in is going to be vital to your success.
Intermediate sinking line from Scientific Anglers
Our next fly line option is a full intermediate sinking line. This is the perfect line for shallow waterways or places with lots of structure. It has a very slow sink rate which means you can keep your fly off the bottom with relative ease.This line also works really well when the fish are taking slower presentations such as in Winter. I have some water that is chalk full of rocks and fallen timber and this line allows me to fish it effectively because I can keep my fly just above entanglements without getting snagged. If I were using a full sinking line I'd be having a lot of hang ups and most likely losing a bunch of expensive Musky flies. You can also use intermediate line when using top water flies...you do not need to use a floating fly line.
That's basically it. Those two types of fly line are all I ever use and they work really well for me. There are a ton of other fly lines designed to do all sorts of things but they are not important to the beginner fly angler or the fly angler that wants to keep things simple.
Leader
I'm a simple person and thus most of my fishing set ups are pretty simplistic. My Musky leader is just that..simple! I always cut my welded loop off of my fly line because they ALWAYS crack and break anyways. I will nail knot roughly a 3' piece of 80lb flourocarbon to the now cut end of my fly line. A nail knot tool makes this a very easy job. Once you tie the knot I put a dab of Loon UV Knot Sense on the new nail knot and that's it. There are lots of guys that use a lighter leader or they use a breakaway leader. But I use the 80 lb because if I get snagged to the point where I can't get my fly out, I can usually pull with enough pressure to bend my hook and retrieve my fly. These flies cost good money and I'm not keen on the idea of losing them if I don't have to.
On the other end of my leader I tie a perfection loop big enough to slide my fly through. I admit that this part of my leader is the biggest pain but I'm not the biggest fan of swivels. I don't like what they do to my fly action so this leader system allows me to bypass swivels. I again dab some Loon Knot Sense on that knot and now my leader is done. Simple right??
Nail knot fly line to leader connection
Perfection loop at end of leader
When I first started fly fishing for Musky I quite frankly made some dumb decisions. The biggest dumb decision I made was fishing without using a bite guard. In my mind a Musky couldn't bite through 80lb flouro that easily so I risked fishing without a bite guard. I luckily landed a few fish and one day I was reading a Musky fly page on Facebook and the post was about bite guards so I decided to read it. One seasoned vet commented that fishing without a bite guard wasn't a matter of "If" you were going to lose a big fish but "when". Minutes later I was online ordering bite guard wire and I fortunately didn't have to learn the hard way.
Typical bite guard wire from AFW
I use this AFW wire in a 65lb camo. It knots fairly easily and doesn't kink.You need to perfection loop one end and the other end you loop knot it to a Musky fly . If your mind is wondering, yes you need to make one for each fly you plan to use. Then it's as simple as looping your leader perfection loop through the wire perfection loop and then sliding the leader loop over top of your fly and you're ready to fish.This most likely isn't the most economic way because you're using a lot of wire but as I mentioned above I'm not a big fan of swivels and I don't want to be buying crimping tools.. My way is just one option of many so take it or leave the choice is yours.
