Deep water snag advice

[HermanyorFlorida]

Yesterday I went out in my kayak to Lake Frederick, out near Winchester.  It's one of the modest collection of northern pike spots in Virginia, so paddled I out with the 8wt. and sinking tip line.  I got skunked, no big deal, that happens when you're pitching big bugs around.

My question is this.  I got snagged on a sunken tree in deep water.  I spent about twenty minutes alternately pulling the line directly by hand, reeling up and trying to touch the rod tip to the snag and paddling the boat in the direction away from my original cast.  I literally had a pair of scissors in hand and was reaching as deep as I could into the water to get as much of the sinking tip back before cutting when the fly popped free.  Anything else I could have done? 

I just got lucky this time.  I would hate to lose 6-10 ft. of specialized fly line, but perhaps that's just the risk of fishing in deep, snaggy water?  Any advice is appreciated.

[namfos]

I don't think we here at TPFR would shun you if you used a spinning rod next time. ;-)

Mark 

[Dalton Terrell]

What type of leader are you using? If it's straight 40-60lb test, it will be damn near impossible to break off in a kayak, and the breaking point may actually be your fly line. I'd try building a leader with about 18" of 40lb butt section, 12" of 15-20lb class tippet, and 18" of wire or heavy bite tippet. From there, you should be able to break the class tippet by pulling with your hand and it shouldn't be weak enough to break of on a fish.

Dalton

[Matthew Longley]

What Dalton said.

Also, one more technique to have up your sleeve, that I use when nothing else works (and this only works sometimes) is to pull the line as tight as you can and then let go suddenly so the line shoots out.  Sometimes the elasticity in the line is enough to shock your fly off of whatever it is hanging on.  But definitely use as a last approach, because you risk just driving the fly deeper into whatever you are stuck on.

[HermanyorFlorida]

Hey Dalton -

Thanks, I'm using a straight out of the envelope tapering fluorocarbon leader, I think 15lb class.  I'm surprised it didn't break, but I might have been on a stiff branch with just enough give.  I might trying my own leader for use with the sinking tip line and leave the tapered for floating and intermediate line.

- Herman

[TurbineBlade]

I rarely fish sinking lines, but I understand from Chico F. that *sometimes* it can be benefical to use a longer leader with one over deep, spooky fish.  However, for most people and in most cases a short 18-36" leader works best (I use nose to fully stretched arm....similar to dry fly tippet).  The longer you go with a leader on a sinking line, the more you're working against the purpose of getting deep.  

I'd rather fish a floating line with a  weighted fly than a sink tip with a prepackaged (fairly long) tapered leader.  

Gene

[Rob Snowhite]

Don't throw any leader or line-->leader connector that won't break before your rod. I snagged a log in a reservoir outside Cape Town, SA and tried to work the line free and ended up pulling on the line which wouldn't break. I ended up breaking my 8wt and only had a 5wt for the rest of my trip. A week later I could have fished for 4' catfish in a creek. I only had the small stream 5wt.

On Monday, July 21, 2014 6:05:47 PM UTC-4, HermanyorFlorida wrote: