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When starting out in the world of fly fishing you will soon discover that there are more options than you can count and the fly fishing line is no different. There are three main concepts to make up a fly lines properties. These are the taper, the weight and the density. In this guide we shall discuss these aspects and help you understand how they effect the fly fishing cast.
The Fly Fishing Line Taper
There are three main tapers when looking at fly fishing lines these are the double taper which means the line tapers in from both directions and this can be useful for casting in small rivers where accuracy is more important than distance. The other good thing about the double taper is when the tip gets a bit worn you can swap it around for the fresh inner tip and use for another while before needing to replace.
The forward taper is basically the weight of the fly fishing line pushed towards the front of the fly line leaving only running line on the reel when casting. this means longer casts can be made without much of a problem. This line is not as accurate in short distances however and would not be any use on a small river.
The shooting head is when the forward taper has been pushed towards the front even further and so more weight is pushed out the tip ring. This means you don't need as much line out of the tip before you can load the rods for the cast. Great for casting where you don't have much room behind you or on large lakes or rivers.
The Fly Fishing Line Weight
Each fly fishing rod, reel and line has a line rating on it. These ratings make it easy to match up your kits weight. The larger the rating the heavier and larger the kit usually is. For instance a 4 weight setup would be for small trout the rod would be 7 ft to 8ft long where as an 8-9 weight kit would be used for salmon, steel head and pike etc.and the rod would be anywhere from 9ft to12ft long. For the purpose of learning to fly fish we would suggest going for a weight 7 setup. This is basically in the middle of ratings and can be a very versatile kit.
The Fly Fishing Line Density
Line density is another way of saying how fast it will sink. Starting off from full floating to very fast sinking. Each of these lines have their purpose and a top angler would have several of these on him to cover any variation of condition. For instance when fishing a river you may find one pool is long and slow so the full floater is ideal but the next pool is short, fast and deep so you will need the fast sinker to get down to the fish quickly before your line runs out the bottom of the pool. These are skills that you will gain as you progress and I will put more articles up here to help you discover these. For the beginner a full floater is the way to go as it is very easy to learn with.
So in conclusion as a beginner who wants to learn to fly fish you will want to choose a full floater, weight 7, weight forward fly line.
Great to see the differences of fly lines in one place cleared up a few things for me, thanks.
Good to see you got something from the article, thanks for commenting.
Excellent article Mark, thanks for sharing it. Good info on fly fishing.
Thanks for the comment Robert, is that a child of yours in the photo? You would do worse than teach them how to fish, getting out in the fresh air and watching the country side wildlife is far better for the next generation than sitting in front of computers and game machines.
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Me too I spend more time behind the screen than on the river, should be other way around. LOL!
There are so many different techniques to catching fish, its good we have articles like yours that simplify the process.
Its true David there is more to fishing than catching fish but at the end of the day a simple rod and line will catch fish. These product changes are more for fine tuning the sport to be more successful. Thanks for reading.
I fly fished on the Mahoning river in Ohio as a kid. Our gear was very basic and very old but it sufficed to catch the Crappie and Bluegill that were in the river. Thanks for an informative article
No problem John, tackle has indeed moved forward at a fast pace.
Very interesting Mark. I was introduced to fly fishing on some Rocky Mountain streams near Fernie in British Columbia. Unfortunately, I moved away before I understood all the complexities well enough to start up on my own. Now that I live right on the Medway River in South Shore Nova Scotia and can drive to the ocean or major lakes in a few minutes I am toying with taking it up again. I'll have to bookmark your site.
I believe you get a decent run of Atlantic salmon there along with trout, small mouth bass and white perch, I would check out the local tackle shop for details of exactly what fishing is in the area. Do yourself a favor and get fishing.
Each fishing technique has its own set of equipment....best to get the right stuff for the job...good info Mark
For sure there is....everything leading up to the trip is all good for me....love getting my tackle ready for the hunt....
Interesting and informative Mark, even for someone who doesn't really ever fish. Not against it, just never took to it, probably too hyperactive for such a passive past time. However, it seems fly fishing may be a bit more active than bait fishing would be. NPR just had a great story on Fly Fishing it too was very interesting.
Thanks Johnney, it can be a bit frantic at times when fly fishing, when that evening rise happens and the trout are all looking for their last meals before the sun sets. It can be very addictive trying to catch as many as possible before it ends. As you cast forward one shows to your left so you switch your cast to go left to have another show right, and on and on. Loads of fun.
Great article Mark. I really enjoy reading your website. I am learning a lot of new techniques I intend to master as time goes on.
Thanks Ty, I hope I can get you motivated enough to take up the sport and get fly fishing.
Always had a passion for fishing but working in a tackle shop for 6 years definitely helped me. Thanks for reading!
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