Fly Line Primer

One of those questions we get asked all the time is “what’s the deal with fly lines?”

Fly lines are probably the least understood and one of the more important, elements in the critical chain between the fly fisher and his quarry. 

“Its just a piece of plastic string right, no way is it as cool as a new rod, a new large arbor reel or the latest in waders? “Hey, it’s so skinny it won’t even fit a label to show off. How will anyone know I’ve got a cool new line.’’

Well we have to accept that fly lines aren’t sexy, that they probably aren’t going to get “oohs” and “aaahs” from your fishing mates in the same way some of our other stuff is. The bottom line is nothing changes the performance of a fly rod more than selecting the appropriate fly line. It doesn’t matter if you are fishing a $500 or a $100 rod, the right line makes all the difference to the way the rod performs and the way you cast. Now the right line won’t cure your casting ills, there’s no substitute for practice, but it can help the two of you work together better. In the overall scheme of your fishing outfit, the extra $30 you might fork out for a top end fly line, over a cheap line isn’t all that much. We sell a lot more $60 or $65 fly line than $30 lines. They do work that much better. If you have any doubts, bring your rod and cheap line, and cast it head to head with one of our high end lines on our casting area. We know you will be surprised. You can also use our range of demo lines to find out which of the lines will best suit your rod. The best part is it’s free.

NUMBERS COUNT: It sounds obvious unless you’re just starting out. The “weight” on your rod signifies the most appropriate line to match it with in the manufacturer’s mind. The AFTMA line weight is a measure of the first 30’ of fly line, though a true 5-weight rod can fit within a range of actual weights. Now where it gets confusing is that rods can actually cast a range of different AFTMA line weights, just performing very differently for each. Stick to matching AFTMA line/rod ratings, and you won’t go far wrong.

WF???: If you look at fly lines you will see some marked WF and some marked DT. Double Tapers are the more traditional style of fly line, evenly tapered at each end. They work well, and have the bonus of being able to turn your fly line around to get a longer life. Weight Forward fly lines have a short “head” section which concentrates the weight of the fly line up at the front end and a thin running line to make up the length. A shooting head is a more specialized type of line for distance casting, basically an extreme version of the WF.

Thanks to the Sexyloops website for the diagram.

DT lines have faded out under the onslaught of the WF lines, which work well with modern graphite rods. DT’s still have their place, particularly in delicate presentation or for lots of roll casting. But if you’re starting out, or even an intermediate to expert fly fisher, WF lines are hard to go past, particularly with some of the modern designs, which bring delicate presentation and better roll casting to WF lines.

 WHAT SORT OF WF?

Starting out, 90% of your trout fishing, you can make one easy decision on a fly line. Buy a floater! The Journal of course ran over sinking lines a few issues back, if anyone wants a copy we can reissue it, but for the purposes of this article let’s consider floating fly line.

Sitting here in the Journal hot seat, we can spot 14 different types of floating lines on our racks alone from 3 manufacturers, Scientific Anglers, Rio and Sage. Incidentally SA and Rio are two of the big 3 US fly line manufacturers. Many other companies including Sage, Wulff, Orvis and more have their fly lines made by these big 3. Sage was with SA and is now with Rio which was purchased by Sage’s owners last year. Orvis is made by SA. Obviously we think SA and Rio are great companies but they really have separated themselves from the pack in terms of technology, design and importantly popularity. Let’s split them up from here.

 Let’s start with the Workhorse lines from our manufacturers. SA’s GPX, the Rio Grand and Sage’s Performance II are great all-round performers for beginning to even expert casters. These lines are at the heavier end of the AFTMA range, which means the rod loads with less line out of the tip. Hence these are very handy for people starting to learn to cast or for better casters wanting performance in close. These lines were developed for modern graphite rods, some of which, particularly last decade, tended to feel a little woody on very short casts. All 3 work really well; the Grand is probably better suited for the faster rods, and the GPX and Performance Taper very good on the moderate fast. All 3 should handle large dries, streamers and heavy indicator rigs within the rod’s capacity. We actually prefer these for beginners to the so called beginner’s lines like SA’s Headstart, which can feel a little clunky.

Presentation lines:  These fly lines are best suited to the more moderate-actioned graphite rods, fiberglass and perhaps some cane. Rods like Scott’s G2, Sage’s ZXL, TXL and others. Think shorter casts, quieter landing, small dry flies and the like. Generally we fish these on lighter rods, from a 2wt to a 5wt, on spring creeks, or the flatter sections of the White and Norfork. SA has the Trout and Rio the Selective Trout; both are superb and handle nicely. These fly lines won’t overpower the more delicate rods. Sage’s TXL fly rods get their own DT fly line for the ultimate quiet presentation.

 New Stuff: The advent of the more flexible fast action rods like the Sage Z-Axis, ZXL and say Winston’s B-IIx, have demanded new lines from the manufacturers. Both took similar approaches, with WF fly lines with longer heads for better roll casting and better control in the air on long casts. They also roll cast better than the workhorse lines mentioned above.   The extra head length means the fly line won’t overpower the softer tip on this style of rods. Rio’s answer was Rio Gold really lights up both the Z-Axis and ZXL; not that you would be surprised given the sister company relationship now shared by these two. SA track down the long belly WF line path was overshadowed by some new technology thrown in as a bonus. You’ve probably read here before about the unique SA Sharkskin fly line. This fly line started out as a regular SA long belly fly line, but it gets run through a texturing machine to give the sharkskin finish.

Keep it clean: So you have finally coughed up the money for a top end fly line, you love the way it casts and shoots. Now the hard part comes, keeping it as good as new. For this bit we thought the advice from our mates at RIO, who actually make fly lines, would provide the best advice on how to take care of your purchase.

 “Most plastic cleaners/polishes contain solvents that attack the fly line’s PVC coating, and can cause it to dry out, resulting in fly line cracking.
Other enemies of fly lines include insect repellents containing DEET, solvents, gasoline, sunscreen, and excessive heat and sunlight.
Recommendations for Cleaning and Dressing…
Most RIO fly lines are self lubricating. However, cleaning is an important aspect of fly line longevity, and we recommend cleaning every day.
In freshwater, microscopic particles of algae will collect dirt and debris. These adhere to the surface of a floating line, adding weight which eventually overcomes the line’s natural buoyancy. This microscopic dirt will also help grind ridges into line guides and destroy line coatings.
In saltwater fly fishing, salt will dry on the line.
When you notice your line not shooting as well, or the tip of a floating line beginning to sink, it is overdue for a good cleaning.
Warm water, a few drops of a mild soap without detergent or even a small bar of soap and a rag is sufficient for cleaning a fly line.
If this procedure does not result in a clean line, one can use a good brand of micro abrasive fly line cleaning pad to remove stubborn dirt.
Once it is cleaned, apply a super thin coating of RIO Poo Goo or another brand of 100% pure silicone on a cloth and pull the line through it. This coating needs to be extremely thin or it can pick up dirt. The silicone will also help the line to float better.
Do not use a line dressing that contains a wax since it can destroy the self lubricating properties of the line, and many have solvents in them. The perfect answer is RIO’s Agent X line dressing.”

 

We recommend Rio dressing for Rio fly lines and SA dressings for SA lines and also have offerings from Umpqua and Mucilin to keep your lines in tip top shape through the Web Store cleaning products page.