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Fly Lines
The Basics of choosing a Fly Line (Single Handed Rods)

Choosing a fly line can be a very complicated affair and once chosen can dictate whether or not your fly fishing outfit is not only balanced correctly but also if it will perform adequately for the application it is required for especially with the multitude of lines on the market today for a myriad of applications.

The following information is only intended as a basic guide for those wishing to make sure that their outfits are balanced correctly for the basic applications.

There are many different types of fly lines now available in the shops, that will cover just about every situation you will encounter whilst fishing. Lines with such fancy names as Double Tapers, Weight Forwards or Forward Tapers, Shooting Heads, and then to further complicate things, they will all have different densities, there will be Floating Lines, Neutral Densities, Intermediates, Fast Sinking, Ultra Fast Sinking, Hi D's. LET'S JUST STOP RIGHT THERE. When you are first learning how to cast correctly, you want to make things as easy as possible for yourself. So the obvious choice would be a floating line, simply because as it's name suggests, it will float on the top of the water, which will make it much easier to lift off again when practicing your casting. When you go to buy your floating line, you will notice that it will be marked with a number on the box, it is this number that will tell you which fly line will balance your fly rod correctly, or as mentioned on the previous page, the correct casting weight to load your spring. On the box, you will see the letters A.F.T.M. (Association of Fishing Tackle Manufacturers) followed by a number. It is this number that is important. Check your fly rod (before going for your new line) and you will notice once again the letters A.F.T.M. or a small hash mark rather like a naught's and crosses sign, (on the rod blank just above the cork handle) again followed by a number. This is the Association of Fishing Tackle Manufacturers recommended line rating for that particular rod, and the number shown, is the number to look for on the box when buying your new line.

If your fly rod displays more than one number, let's say 6/7 this tells you that your rod spring can be loaded with a size 6 Double Taper or a size 7 Weight Forward. If rated correctly, the Weight Forward (WF7) will have the correct casting weight in the first 10yds of the line (some manufacturers profiles may be slightly different) to load the rod correctly and although the Double Taper (DT) is similar (apart from its different profile see diagram below) even though it has a lower rating, because of its profile it can be extended in the air when casting, which will allow you to add extra weight to your rod tip, and load the stronger spring correctly where required, you have now effectively made your 6 Double Taper into a 7 by extending more line in the air, this cannot be done as well with the Weight Forward line, (except when using advanced casting techniques) as the thin running line will not turn over the thicker belly of the line very well. (see diagram and following explanation) If in doubt always opt for the higher rating on your rod when buying your fly line.

Above are the fancy names we encountered earlier, but when explained, they are not as complicated as they sound. A Double Taper line is exactly what the name implies, it consists of about 30yds of fly line that has a tapered section at each end, the middle section is thicker, and is known as the belly of the line. This thicker section will assist in transfer of energy down the line into the thinner taper when casting an extended line, giving you a nice turnover of your fly and a good presentation, and as an added bonus you can remove the line from the reel, turn it around, and return it to the reel, if one end becomes damaged. A Weight Forward line is a good Fly Line Profiles (Click to Enlarge) line to achieve much longer distances for less effort. Once again the clue is in the name, and all "Weight forward" means, is that the casting weight, which is concentrated mainly in the belly of the line, is now all at the front. So with this particular line you have the belly and the front and rear taper (which is all at one end) all within the front section of your fly line, the fly line will then become very narrow behind the belly and rear taper, and down through your rod rings onto your reel. Now if you make sure that the rear taper and a small section of the belly of the fly line is (for now, especially when Roll Casting) just inside your tip ring when casting, you will find you have much more control over the thick part of your fly line, and the narrow line behind the belly and rear taper, (or head as it is known) will offer less resistance when passing through your rod rings during casting and afford you more distance for less effort. Try to avoid having too much of the narrow line outside your rod tip when casting, as this line will not turn over the heavy belly very well and the cast will collapse, especially into an oncoming wind, this is a common mistake and can cause big problems especially when roll casting, although this can be overcome in certain situations when using advanced casting techniques such as hauling. When you move on into the Spey Casting techniques proper, a certain amount of this narrow line outside your rod tip will give you a distinct advantage. Weight forward lines can also allow you to introduce more backing line onto your reel where required. With reference to the head of a fly line which I mentioned earlier, this consists of the front taper, belly and rear taper as a whole.

A Shooting Head is just an extreme version of the Weight Forward line, as before, it consists of the belly and the front taper in the first 10yds or so, but the difference is that it is now attached to an extremely thin running line, and can be cast very long distances when executed correctly, but can cause all sorts of problems if not.

When you are feeling more confident with your casting, you can then buy yourself a Sinking line, there are many different sinking rates available, depending on how deep you want to fish, but help is always available if unsure. Remember, even when buying Sinking lines, that the same rules apply, match the ratings on your rod to the rating on the fly line box, this will still relate to Double Taper and Weight Forward lines.

You will notice in the diagram above, that the profiles of the first 10yds of all the basic fly lines shown are exactly the same, i.e. Belly, Forward Taper and Tip. It is only the profile behind these sections that distinguishes the lines from each other. Click on Diagram for Enlargement

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