The Importance of Fly Lines


Why are fly lines so important? Just like with fly rods and fly
reels, fly lines need to match up with the types of fly fishing
that you do. This match should be made precisely, too. Thus, if
you have a 5 weight fly rod and a 5 weight fly reel, and it
extremely important to make sure you have a 5 weight fly line. By
not having a properly "balanced" fly rod outfit (which is where
the fly rod, fly reel and fly line match in weight), the angler
is very likely to have extreme difficulty in casting.

For example, using too light of a fly line for a particular fly
rod will present severe casting challenges. Remember, in fly
fishing, the weight of the fly line - not the fly itself - is
what allows the angler to cast. The fly rod, as it is essential
to casting, will not properly cast the wrong weight fly line.
Thus, where the fly rod is "heavier" than the fly line, the fly
rod will never be fully loaded (will not bend properly), since
the weight of the fly line is not enough to properly bend the rod
during the cast. Likewise, should the fly line be heavier than
the fly rod, the fly rod will bend excessively during the cast,
making line control an iffy proposition at best.

In essence, if you forget everything you just read on fly lines,
please try to remember this very simple thing. Make sure your fly
line weight matches precisely the weight of the fly rod you are
using as well as the weight of the fly reel you are using.
In an ideal world, you want to always go by this formula :
Fly Line Weight Fly Rod Weight Fly Reel Weight

Fly Line Codes

Now, let's move on to how to decipher the various codes that are
found on fly line boxes around the world. Any angler who has
looked for fly lines undoubtedly knows that lots of abbreviations
and codes are used to identify the fly line. So, here's some
examples of how to identify fly lines when looking at them in the
store.

DT-4-F : This code means that the fly line is a double taper
fly line, with a weight of 4, and floats

WF-5-F : This code means that the fly line is a weight-forward
taper fly line, with a weight of 5, and floats.

WF-10-S : This code means that the fly line is a weight-forward
taper fly line, with a weight of 10, and is a sinking line. How
fast the line sinks (it's sink rate) will be listed on the box.

DT-7-F/S - This code means that the fly line is a double taper
fly line, with a weight of 7, and is a sink-tip fly line. The
sink rate of the fly line, as well as how much of the line
actually sinks, will be listed on the box.

L-5-I : This code means that the fly line is a level taper fly
line, with a weight of 5, and is an intermediate sinking line.
The sink rate of the fly line will be listed on the box.

ST-6-F : This code means that the fly line is a shooting taper
fly line, with a weight of 6, and floats.

Well, that's about it for fly lines, if you need fly line for
your new fly rod.

About the Author

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