I generally don't like weighted flies howeber this winter i did fish with conehead string leeches. These however don't cast so much like weighted flies as the cones aren't that heavy and are very good at cutting through the wind. anyway when fishing small rivers like some of the Lower columbia tribs they are perfect for getting down a couple feet into the water column. You can do the same thing with heavy Iron hooks and sparce ties also.
Cast upstream and make a series of stack mends watching the tip of your line then fishinging it into the swing,

Couple of notes

1. fish this way in shallow slower water 4 feet is about as deep as you can expect to fish effectively

2. stack mends shoud be made so that the introduce slack right on top of the fly, this is what gains depth and if done properly even unweighted flies can reach the bottom very quickly, much faster than a sink tip. but it takes slower water to keep it there through the swing.

3 hooks for unweighted flies.. Mustad 7970, partridge 'M" NOT "N" n's have a really short point that doesn't hook fish well at all.
Tiemco also has a large heavy black salmon hook they make up to 4/0 but i don't know the number of it.