Understanding Fly Lines
Are there too many fly lines, too many options? Perhaps. After all, you can only fish one at a time. Nevertheless, serious fly fishers want the best line for each fishing situation, so manufacturers constantly research and produce specialized lines for various scenarios. For many rod weights, there are more than 100 different weight-forward lines alone.
Unfortunately, if asked to describe the line they are using, or want to use, most anglers offer little more than “weight-forward, six, floating.” They don’t understand tapers or how slight modifications affect casting and fishing. A basic knowledge of fly-line design helps explain why casts, good or bad, behave the way they do—and why there are so many lines on the market. This crash course should clarify some of the mysteries about lines and help you make more informed choices the next time you shop.
Cores and Coatings
Modern fly lines consist of a core and coating. By varying just these two components, manufacturers have probably produced more than 2,000 different fly lines—with more to come. The core is the heart of a fly line and affects its strength, stiffness, and elasticity. Braided nylon is the most commonly used core material for freshwater lines because it is relatively stiff and has a minor amount of memory (how much the line retains its coiled shape once it’s stripped from the reel). Nylon monofilament cores make clear, colorless lines possible, though they are generally stiff and have a lot of memory. They are often used in tropical or warm water because they are less likely to wilt in heat and memory is less of a problem. Braided Dacron cores have low stretch and are best suited for tournament casting or situations where hard, instant hook sets are in order.
When fused to the core, the coating also determines the line’s memory. Warm air and water temperatures generally make lines supple, while cold temperatures make them stiffer.
Lines with soft cores and coatings may be fine in cold water but can sag and drag in warm temperatures, making casting difficult. Similarly, harder warmwater lines with stiff cores become wiry and kinky in cold conditions. Finally, most cores have some stretch, which does more good than harm. Completely stretch-free cores are of dubious advantage. On the other hand, very stretchy or overly limp lines tend to sag between the guides, increasing friction that can cost distance.
A coating made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane, or polyethylene treated with additives that make it stiff, slick, and UV resistant is applied over the line’s core. Alone, most coatings sink because they have a specific gravities greater than water. Microballoons added to the coating reduce density and add buoyancy to make lines float. The more microballoons added, the less dense the line; thus, the larger the diameter, and the higher it floats.
On the other hand, powdered sinking agents (tungsten) in the coating increase the density and make lines sink. The thinner and denser the line, the faster it sinks. If a line’s sink rate is listed at 3 to 5 inches per second (ips), it means the lighter weights (e.g., 6-weight) might sink at the slower rate, while a 9- or 10-weight might sink at the 5 ips rate. Most sinking lines are density compensated, meaning extra weight is added to the thin tip so it sinks at least as fast as the thick belly portion. Without compensation, the belly sinks much faster than the tip, causing a sag in the line under water. When this happens, fly control, strike detection, and hook sets are decreased.
No line topic is more controversial than coating color. There is so much conflicting evidence (and many more opinions) in the bright- versus subdued-colored lines debate, that I say it should be a matter of personal choice. Clear lines are increasingly popular and, at times, seem beneficial. On the other hand, they are harder to see and follow during casting and fishing. Remember also that one purpose of the leader is to keep the line away from the fly, so fly-line color may not even come into play when you fish. Under certain conditions color, or lack of it, does appear to make a difference. I have fished with lines of nearly every color but believe that I fish better with highly visible lines. If you conclude that a bright color has a negative effect on your fishing, change, but don’t take someone else’s word for it.
Anatomy of a Fly Line
Different parts of a typical weight-forward line perform different functions. On a standard weight-forward floating trout line, the front end, or tip, has about 12 inches of level line where the leader is attached. You can cut off small sections of the tip to tie knots with no negative effect on performance.
The front taper precedes the tip and is where the line diameter increases over a length of four to ten feet. This is what determines how the line turns over and presents your fly. The longer and more gradual the taper, the more it preserves and controls the dissipation of energy from the cast; the shorter and sharper the taper, the more energy it transfers to the leader and fly. The former is more suitable for dry-fly fishing for trout or casting smaller bonefish flies, because it allows you to softly present your flies. The latter facilitates turning over large flies and streamers, or dealing with wind, and is found on bass, pike, and saltwater tapers. Extreme, highly specialized tapers for casting in strong winds work fine for this purpose but aren’t the best choice for distance or delicate presentation.
The belly, the thickest portion of the line, follows the front taper and carries most of the line’s casting weight. Its length varies from 20 to 60 feet. The diameters of a shorter belly of comparable weight will obviously be thicker than a longer one. A thick, short belly makes it easier to cast large flies like streamers, poppers, or weighted flies because a majority of the line’s weight is near the tip, which helps the rod load quickly without much false casting. These types of lines are also good for windy conditions when carrying line is difficult. A longer belly distributes weight over a greater distance, making it easier to carry line and cast longer distances with lighter flies. Long-belly lines are best for trout fishing with dry flies or light nymphs.
The rear taper is the transition from the belly to the thinner running line. Like the front taper, the rear taper varies in length. Generally, a longer rear taper allows better line and loop control than a shorter taper.
Together, the front taper, belly, and rear taper comprise the head of the line, ideally the portion of line you carry outside the rod tip while casting. The remainder, perhaps up to two-thirds of the total line, is the running line. This is the part you shoot after making your final casting stroke. A thinner running line normally casts farther because it offers less resistance going through the guides. But if the running line is too thin or too limp, it may tangle often, so consider stiffness as well as diameter when you select a line.
A double-taper line is symmetrical with the same taper on both ends. Imagine a long pencil sharpened at each end. I see no performance advantages to
double-taper lines and don’t use them. However they are popular among some trout fishermen whose fishing calls for only short casts. They do have an economic advantage in that the line can be reversed when one end is worn.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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