Sink tip or sinking fly line?

Any info about them?
I am looking to use it on the rivers of the area.
Thinking about making my own with some old line and sink tip material such as T-8 or similar material.
Any one use them? Make them?
Chris

Chris    I use both sink tips and full sink lines. The new intergated tips are connect right to the running line. They can be floating or intermediate lines. If you are going to use full sinking lines or sink tips longer than 15 ft use a stripping basket. Also when using a sink tip loop to loop longer than 10 ft it will cast better if you donot have a weight forward floating line. The two weights hinge on each other. What I have done is turn the line around so the weight forward is connected to the backing. If you are going to use this for steelhead  fishing I usually use my old weight forward line on this way because the running line is like new and you don't need the weight forward to cast that far in the streams. Also so it is thinner and dosen't pick up a lot of water when you line starts freezing. Then you aways ready to put a tip on. I also have tip line system with floating,intermediate and different sink rates for different flows and depths you want to reach these can be attached to floating or intermediate running lines.  If you have any questions give me a call.   Jim

For smaller streams with bigger runs where I don't have to fish the whole run I like loop on sink tips.  If it is bigger water where I'm fishing 30'+ of line I'll go to integrated sink tips.  I did what you're thinking and cut up some old sinking lines.  It works, but isn't the best solution unless you want to go through weighing them all out for a particular rod or a few rods.  I also made some full lead core heads from lead core line (mostly for big flies in the surf).  Can be fun to cast when you really zing one (a 50' head on my SCIV 10 wt will go 140' and still turn over a 9' leader and clouser).
 
Anymore, I carry a couple of the lead core loop to loop leaders from gudebrod (I think).  I fish a standard WF floating line for everything and my multi purpose lines all have a 6" 25# mono butt with a perfection loop on them.  If I get into a run that is deep and fairly long I'll throw on one or two of them, then loop on a 2' piece of 2X tippet.  It works, but I usually reserve it for smooth bottom runs as when the lead core wraps around something it normally doesn't come out.
 
If I know I'm fishing bigger water like the grand in OH and plan to fish some streamers I'll put an integrated sink tip designed for the rod I'm fishing.  It is just easier that way.  Then I can fish that line through most any of the runs and riffles.  If I want to go heavier I can always add the lead tips from above.
 
For most of the steelhead sinking line fishing I did, 5-6"/sec was about right.  Any more and you were hung up too much.  Any less and you didn't get down without additional weight.  6 ips was enough to to the head of a pool, let the line drop 3' to the bottom by mid-pool, and fish the middle and tail out.  If you want to fish the head of the pool it is tougher depending on how fast the plunge is.

Thanks,
Rick

Dave w/ the lighter sinking lines you can roll cast the last 15-20 ft of line and once the line comes up and over w/ the roll cast start your back cast w/ that water load. The roll cast will work for lines up to 300 grain easy enough, but these are matched w/ a 9 or 10 weight rod. The lighter rods( 6 and 7's) just don't have that backbone to roll cast these lines right.

ORIGINAL: flyfishindave

I have used both sinking tips & sinking lines. The sinking
lines I did not like, to hard to get out of the water for next
cast, almost had to retrieve the entire line.
  sinking tips cast a lot better & are much easier to cast
but do not sink as deep.
  I like the 6 or 10 foot sinking tips you add to the end of
your fly line with a loop to loop connection, easy on easy
off easy to carry & you do not need to carry a spare spool
or a spare reel, hope this helps