Scientific Anglers Stillwater Sinking Lines

Scientific Anglers have spent the last few years refining their Stillwater series, expanding what was already a very good range into a comprehensive lineup covering just about every lake fishing scenario. I’ve been fishing the new lines over the past year and have been really impressed. They’re built on a new taper that’s two line sizes heavy, making them easy to cast with long leaders and teams of flies, while each density has been fine-tuned for a specific job.

Stillwater Hover:

The new Hover has become one of my favourite lines. It sinks at an ultra-slow 0.5 IPS—slower than the previous version—and has an almost neutrally buoyant feel. The whole idea is to break the surface film without continually dragging your flies deeper into the water column.

It excels when fishing unweighted nymphs in windy conditions or when retrieving flies slowly from the bank, keeping them just beneath the surface where they often fish best. It casts beautifully, turns over larger lake flies with ease, and has quickly become one of those lines I find myself reaching for more and more.

Stillwater Clear Camo Intermediate:

The Clear Camo Intermediate has become my go-to sinking line. With a 2.2 IPS sink rate, it gets down just a little quicker than the previous version, but still fishes beautifully around lake edges and over shallow weed beds.

Like most clear intermediates, it casts effortlessly, but what really stands out is how supple it remains. Memory is virtually non-existent, even after sitting on the reel for extended periods. It’s the line I fish most for wets and streamers on lakes and equally at home swinging flies through larger rivers. If I could only pack one sinking line for a day on the water, this would be it.

Stillwater Parabolic Sink 3-5-3:

Anyone who’s followed my lake fishing over the years will know I’ve always been a fan of sweep, or parabolic, lines. The new 3-5-3 continues that trend.

The parabolic density profile fishes the flies in a natural sweeping arc through the water column, making it an outstanding searching line when fish are spread through varying depths. It’s also just a really enjoyable line to cast. By simply adjusting your casting distance you can fish surprisingly shallow or cover much deeper water, making it one of the most versatile sinking lines in the range.

Stillwater Seamless Density S5/S7:

I’ve always thought Sink 7 lines are under-utilised. If the fish are deep, this is where I start.

The Seamless Density design removes the hinging you often notice in multi-density lines, maintaining a straight-line connection to the flies while the thin profile helps the line sink quickly. The result is excellent contact and sensitivity, whether you’re fishing nymphs, wets or streamers over deep water. It’s also outstanding on windy days, with enough weight to punch through difficult casting conditions while still maintaining good feel throughout the retrieve.