Choosing A Fly Line Part 2

When I was a kid going fishing, I learned absolutely nothing about the equipment I was using. As a kid, you went to the local store. A rod and reel sometimes came in the same package with fishing line already on it. Of course that was the conventional tackle not fly fishing equipment, but I never really knew there were so many different sizes and types of fly line, fly rods or even the fly reels to choose from.

The good thing when looking into fly line, even though there are several different manufacturers that make fly line, they all have the same name and classifications for their lines. If you choose a 6-weight fly line from one manufacturer it is the same as the 6-weight fly line from another manufacturer. The difference in the fly lines are in the core, the outer material or how high the floating line ride, if you are choosing a floating line.

In choosing a fly line you must know several factors before making the purchase. What fly are you casting? Is it a wet fly or a dry fly? Will you be making short casts or long casts? Will you be making a delicate presentation or slogging nymphs or streamers?

So while you are taking all of that in, I will tell you about some of the different types of fly lines you will have to choose from. The “DT” line is designed to be tapered at both ends. It started out a budget line. Since both ends are tapered, when one end wore out, you could take the line off the reel and rewind the worn out end first. It has been used for a number of years as a dry fly line.

Then there is a newer line called the “TT” or Triangle Taper, which has a longer distance of taper. It is a good casting line and rolls out smooth. This not only makes it a good dry fly line, but also a great line for roll casting.

The “WFF” also known as Weight Forward Floating line is used for fishing nymphs, streamers, and artificial bait. Some people do use it for dry flies where constant winds cause you fly line to collapse without any additional weight.

“Level” line is used for steelhead or blue-water fishing from boat or shore. It is a specialty distance type of line. It is used as running line for shooting heads. Shooting heads with lead cores can be very heavy.

A “WFS” also known as Weight Forward, Sinking is good for some special uses such as fast bottom fish or lakes. When you start pulling up a full sinking line out of the water and casting the line can be tough. These are the disadvantages to a sinking line, other lines would be able to do the job better.

A floating line with a tip section, about 10 feet or so, will sink and take your fly with it. There are sink-tips that sink fast or very fast and you can also get the ones that sink slow and even slower than that.

It all boils down to matching the type of fish, fly and water you will be fishing in to choose the best line.

EXTREME BASS FISHING