MASTERY
WET TIP CLEAR
Brett Wolf tests the water with a sink-tip line from Scientific Anglers.

Most of our fly fishing at Blue Lake Lodge is dry fly sight fishing. However, early and late in the season and on some of the tougher summer days we need to fish wet flies to produce results. Fishing wet flies with a floating line is sometimes adequate, but more often than not a specialised sink-tip line is required.

Traditional sink-tip lines have been a disaster to cast even for more experienced fly casters. The sinking tip feels like it is attached to the floating line with a sloppy hinge, and good casts often result in the sinking tip slamming onto the water in a big pile with the fly somewhere amongst it! Tightening the casting loop to punch a fly into the wind or to slide a fly in under overhanging bankside vegetation was only achieved by the very best casters—some of the time!

Casting a sink-tip fly line for less experienced fly casters (even down wind) was simply out of the question until Scientific Anglers introduced the Mastery Series Wet Tip Clear. This past season we’ve been trialling this line in a 6-weight, which has a 10-foot clear intermediate tip and mist green floating line. The taper is weight-forward and the line has the super slick AST (Advanced Shooting Technology) coating.

Compared with other sink-tip lines that I have cast, this Wet Tip Clear really is a pleasure to cast. Scientific Anglers has eliminated the hinging effect, so tight casting loops are not a problem and the clear tip straightens nicely for optimum presentation of the fly.

The clear sinking tip is ideal for fishing flies stealthily in the top metre or so of water. We found this line to be a great nymphing tool for mayfly fishing on Arthurs Lake. Prior to a hatch we fish one or two mayfly nymphs on a level leader. Retrieved slowly around weed- beds we rarely miss. This rig is also deadly during the height of a huge hatch when the trout are charging and boiling on nymphs and emergers. The castability of the line means that the flies can be presented quickly, accurately and at the right depth for these feeding fish—even across and up wind.

The Wet Tip Clear is also ideal for our sea trout fishing in southern Tasmania. Often the sea trout push the whitebait hard against the river bank under overhanging vegetation and are holding be-neath the whitebait. This fly line enables us to slide the fly under the trees and present it at the right depth to sometimes bring a savage strike from these much sought after trophies.

Mastery Series Wet Tip fly lines are also available in a range of faster sinking tips to suit a variety of fishing applications.

The lines are distributed by Mayfly Tackle: 03 9899 0034.