Fishing

Flygoddess brought up an interesting subject in response to StanWright on a different thread and that is the use of various fly lines. While there are so many types available, doubt if many fly fishers would be carrying/or own such an array of fly lines.
For example I have a reel & two spools for ever rod that I own. One spool contains WF & the other ST. That's several hundred dollars in line alone. As a guide no doubt that FGD owns more lines that I can count on all my digits. Lol. Anyhow, how many lines and what type do you have spooled up? And for FGD what would you recommend that the average person should have available?

Dryrod
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I don't know if I can answer that, because I don't know what and where everyone fishes.
For STILLWATERS, I would say 1. Floating 2. an Intermediate or even a Type II 3. A very fast sinking line.

Shooting heads are great for the ONE REEL person, they will give you like four lines in one. Plus allot of people prefer them for rivers.

Like you said, I do have the reels and the spools so my choice is DENSITY COMPENSATED full sinks.
Allot will tell you it is easier to mend a shooting head on a river, but, If I am fishing deep, I really do worry about mending.
All sinking lines from Intermediate on up will eventually hit the bottom, just at times you need it to sink quicker to get past the dinks to the hogs.

Let's not forget the choices in just FLOATING lines. Double Taper, Weight Forward, Triangle, Long Belly, Wind Cutter, etc. It is confusing. If you find one that works well, stick with it, but don't be afraid to try new stuff.

I tried to answer this earlier but got sidetracked.. so here goes..

on my shakespeare rod I only have the weight forward floating line that came with it.. now that I am thinking of it I have a nice double taper line that I may put on it instead.. what do you thing FG??

on my sage I have a wf6f line on one spool and a type II sinking line on the other spool..

on the Pfluger sets that MacLarry and I bought in TN we used the wf6f lines that came with them.. and I have to say it was sweet..

.. MacFly




...."May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. ~Irish Blessing"

I mostly use the Boomer line. It allows for longer casting. It comes in floating and fast sinking. It is saltwater and freshwater rated.

I do keep some 5wt around for the little Troutskies in the freshwater environments but most of my ocean stuff is 9 to 11wt line.


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Are you talking about Climax "BOOMER" line? There is a site that has it on sale for $28.

is this boomer line something I should be interested in??

MacFly




...."May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. ~Irish Blessing"

Subject line is made by Climax. Sounds naughty doesn't it. I would say that if you need a new line & the specks meet your needs, well then the price is right.

Dryrod
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I was checking these out at work and then realized the name of the company.. especially since I have a large monitor.. so realized I probably should check it out at home and not at work.. LOL>.

MacFly




...."May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. ~Irish Blessing"

That is one of the brands but it is the one that I use the most. It is exceptional for shooting long distances and it a plus for the whip cast.

Courtland has another version of it but I forgot what it is called. I didn't like the line so I erased it from my personal memory bank. lol

I am getting ready to try out some other similar line from Scientific Anglers. It should be in the mail any day now. I'll get it when I get home.

Stuck in Alaska right now.


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Rio's "WINDCUTTER II" line is designed for that.

okay.. gots to ask to clarify for myself.. the lines we are talking about.. these are heavy weighted lines so they cast for distance.. and in the case of the windcutter.. give better casts in the wind.. or both .. correct??

tn2.. on the boomer line.. you said it can be used for salt or fresh.. is that one line for both.. or one for fresh.. one for salt?

MacFly




...."May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. ~Irish Blessing"

FYI:
Each line company uses the same uniform designation. A Scientific Anglers, Cortland, Teeny, Rio, Wulff, AirFlo, Orvis, Monic, Borger or whomever's 6-weight fly line is designated for a 6-weight fly rod.
Variations from company to company have to do with the core of the line, the hardness or softness of the outside material or, in the case of a floating line, how high the floating line rides.
Those choices are only part of the decision. What fly are you casting? Wet - or dry? Short or long casts? Delicate presentations or slogging nymphs or streamers?
A "DT" line means the line is tapered on both ends. It was originally marketed as a budget line. If one end was worn or cracked, you could take the line off the reel and wind the worn end against the backing. The DT has been used for many years as a dry fly line.
A newer line, called the "TT" for Triangle Taper, marketed by Wulff, has a longer distance of taper. It casts very well, rolls out smoothly, making it not just a great dry fly line, but a super line for roll-casting.
"WFF" is more alphabet soup for "Weight Forward Floating." This fly line is mostly used for fishing nymphs, streamers, and artificial bait. Some folks use the WWF for dry flies in areas where constant winds can cause your fly line to collapse without the additional weight.
So called "Level" lines are mostly used as running line for shooting heads. A speciality distance-type of line used in some places for steelhead or blue-water fishing from boat or shore. Shooting heads can be very heavy, with lead cores and require a "chuck & duck" method of casting.
"WFS," is Weight Forward, Sinking ... yes, sinking. Make a long cast and the whole line sinks. Great for some special uses, like steelhead or other fast-bottom fish, or lakes. There are disadvantages to the sinking line that are better handled with other lines. Pulling a full sinking line up out of the water and casting it is tough. Not much fun in a float tube either.
A better solutions is an "F/T," a floating line with just a tip section, usually 10 feet or so, that sinks and takes your fly with it. There are sink-tips that sink fast, or very fast. Or slow - or slower yet!
If you look in a catalogue or at your local fly shop, the variations in all of these lines is mind-boggling. Some have longer - or shorter tapers. Some are better in cold water, some coil up like a kids' slinky in cold water. Others stretch in warm water. In as many colors as jelly beans.
You need to match the type of fish, fly, and water you fish to know which line is best. (Keeping in mind of course it has to match the weight of the rod.)
Now you realize you may wish to use more than one fly line. Guess what? The reel manufacturers have thought of that. Most reel companies sell extra spools, cassettes or reel inserts. Just so you can change lines to fit the fishing du jour.
Advice is to buy one very good quality line to start with. If your interest in fly fishing was sparked by the traditional image of dry flies, go for either a double taper or weight forward line. Yes, good fly lines are expensive. But the bottom line is a cheap line will not cast well on any rod. A good quality line will throw a proper loop on the worst rod made. The fly line is the most important part of your fly fishing gear.

Dryrod
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DR,

I am gonna guess and say you were replying to my question even though when I clicked the "in reply to.." it took me back to your original start of this thread..

I guess what I am really asking is is there a line I can use on my shakespeare or sage rod that is weighted to give more distance and is more affective against the wind..

from what I read on the windcutter II.. it sounds like a line that would give me both..
but I could be mistaken on that.. lol..

ya'll know that when I do go fishing I use everything that I think will work.. mainly nymphs.. but also poppers and the occassional clouser or terrestrial.. I dont use very many drys.. so I am not too worried about them.. I will use dropper flies if the mood hits me right.. lol..

the reason I think a line like the windcutter will work on my shakespeare is that is rod has a "heavier" action than my sage..

I understand on the spools for a given reel.. I have a rio floating line as my main line.. and an orvis type II (I think) sinking line as my other line on my rocky mountain turbine reel.. Id gladly buy a line.. and some extra spare spools if I knew they would work for me..

btw.. I also have a 6 wt dt that I bought for a different idea I had and have never used.. was thinking of putting that one on my shakespeares reel just as the everyday line to use with it.. any thoughts on that thought.. :-) ??

almost forgot.. I am also looking at the tfo mini magnum rod with my turbine reel to use out of a float tube (its only 8' long).. maybe with the floating wf6f line.. or a windcutter type line.. any thoughts on this one ??

MacFly




...."May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. ~Irish Blessing"

There is a fresh and a salt version. I use the salt all around since it will take the abuse. The salt version is a little faster sinking because of the density of saltwater compared to that of fresh.

It just works better when you use it in fresh and gets a chance to soak some of that salt off of it too.


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and here I thought you might rinse it off between applications.. LOL...

MacFly




...."May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. ~Irish Blessing"

In reply to what you posted Dry Rod, WF is one of the most popular floating and not just for nymphs. It is a great all around line.
The difference to me between DT and WF is the shooting portion . DT is shorter, generally speaking around 15' to running. WF is generally speaking 30' to running line.
This means, DT loads quicker at shorter distances (which is not saying it doesn't cast long also). The line was designed for creeks and streams and more delicate presentations, which is not the case anymore with all the tweeking and specialty lines, but many that fish slower action rods prefer it because of the shorter shooting. Roll casting is suppose to be easier also.
The thing I don't care for with DT is that the running line (which is thicker).
I don't care for the resistance of a thicker line in my smaller guides which several of my rods have. I really have to muscle it where I don't with WF.

Which leads to the specialty tapers, such as a LONG BELLY. Longer thinner portion, easier to mend.
The Wind Cutter II: A unique taper designed for two different aspects of most fly casting: light presentation and extreme distance casting. Fly fishers using RIO's WindCutter fly line can make tip casts with just the tip of the rod for a very tight loop, yet for distance use the thick belly to load the butt section of modern graphite rods. The tip is one line size less and the belly one line size heavier than the nominal line size. The first thirty feet on all sizes is within the AFTMA parameters for that line weight. The WindCutter was designed for windy conditions and bank feeders such as those found on Idaho's Henry's Fork of the Snake. Multifilament core, self-lubricating coldwater coating.

Also, RIO GRAND line is one half size heavier and features a unique taper design that pushes the weight to the front - enabling the caster to load the rod at short range. The line is ideal for fast action fly rods.
RIO's AgentX Technology gives the RIO Grand maximum floatation and creates an ultra smooth coating. This, coupled with the new Extreme Slickness Technology, ensures the line's coating is super slick and results in increased distance and line shooting ability.

Any more, you really have to know what to look for, it is getting crazy. There is no simple answer, and to me the LINE is the most important part next to fly.

wow.. you sure know your lines sis.. :-)

now.. back to the windcutter.. as I stated before I have my Shakespeare rod combo.. that has a stiffer mid flex than my sage launch.. there are times I am on a lake and am facing some fairly good winds.. I have found under these conditions my rio wf6f tends to "die" in the casting... the same is true from a tube on some of our lakes..

.. so my basic question is will the windcutter give me an advantage when attempting to cast in the above conditions... or will the dt work better on that rod under those same conditions.. ??

MacFly




...."May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. ~Irish Blessing"

I believe it will. We have very good winds all the time here and I love this stuff. My next step is to buy it in a 4 or 5 wt.

lol.. it being the windcutter II line?? or the dt.. or both.. :-)

MacFly




...."May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. ~Irish Blessing"

WINDCUTTER, like I said, I don't care for DT, but that is definitely just me.

I figured that was what you meant but wanted to clarify.. ya'll know how my swiss cheese brain is sometimes.. :-)

MacFly




...."May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. ~Irish Blessing"

Maybe I should post a separate thread but I thought this was similar enough that I ought to post my questions here.

I have been wanting to purchase a fast sink fly line for a little while now but have not been able to bring myself to spend the money just yet. I've been looking around and was wondering if anyone has an opinion on matching the line weight to the rod. I've read that it can be good to get a line size above your rod weight, and I've also heard it can be bad. Do you have an opinion?

Also, I have an 8wt and a 5wt, both TFO rods, and I'm wondering which one I should get a fast sinking line for first. I'm thinking my 5wt because I mainly fish the Snake river and other rivers around east idaho and I would also like to start fishing more lakes.

Any thoughts would be helpful...



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Hi there ChrisTheFish and thanks for posting. Recently while purchasing a 2wt rod at my local fly shop I asked to try a 3wt line on this rod. I really like the way it responded. Once I got home I tried my own 3wt line and found the same pleasing results. You can go up one line wt but not the other way around. I'm sure some of our folks that frequent the waters several times a week will stop by to offer their advice/opinion.

Dryrod
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What TFO do you have. I have a Professional and it is a mid flex for sure.
Yes you CAN go one line larger, you can go one line smaller. WHY? well allot of people buy fast action rods (for wind and big flies) and then go one line larger to slow the action down just a bit. Allot of people buy slow action rods and buy one line smaller to speed it up.
The fact the two rods you have are so far apart, I am going to say, buy a 5 weight line, however, sinking line is smaller diameter than a floating line so you could buy a 6 weight for sure.
Myself, I have an 8 weight also, but I use it so rarely, I splurged and bought the multi tip line (15' heads, one floating, intermediate, type II and type V)
About $125., sounds like allot, but four lines and one reel.
For the 5 wt. I would go with the full sink lines for it. I think you will use it more. Or at least I would

The standardized method of determining a lines "weight" is based on the first 30 feet of length. (At least the is what my old memory is telling me. If I am wrong on the length I will be corrected very shortly I am sure) Thus a rod that is say a 3 wt is suppose to cast a 3 weight line most efficiently when 30 feet of line is being cast. Remember that the weight of the line is what loads the fly rod to make a cast.

When you are fishing small streams many times you are casting way short of 30 feet so using a heavier weight line for shorter casting distances will tend to make the rod load better and be more efficient at those shorter casting distances.

I suspect that if you have a tip flex rod and you are casting short distances it will feel a whole lot better and cast easier with a line that is 2 weights higher. ( remember that you have a leader and tippet being a much larger part of that casting distance at these short casts) Using a weight forward line should also aid in getting the rod to load better a short distances.

My $500 tip flex 5 weight rod, with 5 wt forward weighted, is not as much fun to cast on small streams as a $50 mid flex 4 wt rod with forward weighted 5 Wt line. One of these days maybe I will be fishing with some one who can lend me a reel with 7 wt line that I can try on that 5 wt rod and a narrow stream.

dB
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