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[BCLAX]

Im using floating line with a 6ft leader and my flies dont really stay down in the water. i try to wet them before i toss 'em out to give them some weight but they just sit on the surface. i've only found this problem with my muddler minnow, big leeches, and wooly buggers. i'll figure it out sometime but i just want to see if there is some old trick for this. it may just be my inexperience.

[DanJohn]

Not enough materials to soak up water?

Obviously a bead head, and or some lead wire wraps on the bare shank.

If you are fishing streams, the current should take them away for you, and help to get them down a bit. If you are on stillwater, the biggest problem is the 6 foot leader.

You can get gunk stuff (the opposite of flotant) to rub on a fly.

Or, worst case scenario, use a split shot on your leader. Some people put it right at the fly, others put it up about 4-6 feet from it.

[BCLAX]

shorten the leader to 3ft? 5ft?

[DanJohn]

No sir. If you are fishing stillwater, your leader should be, Id say AT THE MINIMUM, 9 feet. I personally use 12-15 foot leaders on stillwaters. That is long enough to keep well away from the fish with the fly line, and easy enough to cast. I know some guys use 20-30 foot leaders, but for us beginners, that is a bit excessive and really not necessary. 10-15 foot should be ok, depending on how you cast.

As well, if you are on a lake, and just casting your fly out, it will just sit there and float. Strip it fast and hard to get it to sink, then continue with a slower retrieve. Retrieves are funny though, its a very non-scientific aspect of fishing nymphs and wet flies. One day I could NOT get a fish to bite anything. I figured they were taking emergers, which I had no flies that represented that stage. I put a shot on my leader, with a pheasant tail nymph, and stripped pretty hard to get it rise in the water, got a bite on the second cast. Sometimes, you need a real slow retrieve. Its a lot of expermenting

But back to the topic. If you have a muddler minnow and leeches that float, trying mucking them up in mud first if you can. Get it all in there. That should help. Aside from that, split shot, bead head, or lead wraps (if you tie your own flies.)

Ive also found that when switching flies, Ill cast in the opposite direction I want to fish, and cast the fly straight into the water. No nice roll over. Just shoot it into the lake, and then its usually good to go. I suppose you could dunk it first though, and that would work. And scare fish less.

[zabber]

Strip it fast and hard to get it to sink, then continue with a slower retrieve.

This usually works well. Especially after:

dunk[ing] it first

[BCLAX]

thanks guys, greatly appreciated

[lucky]

Spit on your fly and rub it in, saliva works great for getting flies down.  If this doesn't work you may want to tie up some heavier patterns by adding tungsten beads or lead and even both if the water is particularly deep or fast.

[RalphH]

a few things to try:

treat fly and leader with a surfactant like xink or even just plain ivory bar soap. An old trick was to carry a small bar of soap, wet that and run it along the leader. Fluorocarbon leaders sink effectively. Buy a couple .

rub wet mud in the fly

if tying your own reduce the amount of material used

use a hook with a heavier gauge wire

don't false cast too much. False casting dries out the fly. An old rule was false cast no more than 3 times. A lot of newbs cast way too much. If you've worked to get your muddler to sink and then false cast 10 or 12 times for the next presentation, you've dried it out again.

[BCLAX]

i'll give that false casting thing a try. all are very helpful

[blackskull]

Tie them sparser.

If you're not using any sinking tips on your floating line, you may need to add some weight to the fly by using a bead or cone head. 

Im using floating line with a 6ft leader and my flies dont really stay down in the water. i try to wet them before i toss 'em out to give them some weight but they just sit on the surface. i've only found this problem with my muddler minnow, big leeches, and wooly buggers. i'll figure it out sometime but i just want to see if there is some old trick for this. it may just be my inexperience.

[adriaticum]

Maybe you just need to adjust your thinking.
Perhaps what you now call a wet fly,call it dry fly.
And find something else to call a wet fly.

[newsman]

That is strange one usually it is the other way around. Once you catch a fish or two it will sink; fish saliva make even the best tied dries sink.

[RalphH]

fish saliva make even the best tied dries sink.

fish slime... and it certainly does turn dry flies into wet flies. I thought of suggesting rubbing some fish slime on the fly but that's the cart before the horse for sure!

[Tex]

Some good suggestions above, the key ones being:

1) longer leader - 6ft is usually MUCH too short on a floating line
2) get the fly good and wet first
3) add weight to the fly
4) tie the fly sparser

The other thing to keep in mind is that mono leaders are prone to floating, and fluoro leaders (though more expensive) sink much quicker.

Good luck!

Tex

[qescott]

possibly tying on the wrong hooks?