I agree with B-Run on the mending. Stay away from weighted flies and get yourself a good 13-15' Type IV (SA) or Type VI (Rio) tip. If you need more than that then the Teeny line is a good option but not fun to cast. Cast at a 90 degree angle to the current and immediatly set a strong back mend. The bigger the mend the more depth you will get but at the cost of distance. One other trick I have learned is to cast and mend first and then to step downstream. This will give your line another couple of seconds to sink before it comes under tension. If you are still not hitting bottom, you can feed some slack line into the drift. Remember though that winter fish like to hold in softer seams 3-6' deep so stay away from casting out into the fast stuff. If you haven't read Trey Comb's book Steelhead Flyfishing, I highly recomend it. The chapter on presentations is invaluable.

B-Run is dead on with the 4' leader. I only use Maxima for my butt sections but alot of guys use it and love it. Too stiff for my taste. I tie up my own leaders using 25# Maxima (2') and 12-13# Techtan or flourocarbon (2') depending on the clarity of the river. Good luck.

[This message has been edited by Sinktip (edited 02-22-2000).]