Beginner's Fly-fishing - What's the best line to use?
Keoeeit
the line that came with the kit is a cheap level-line. I can't seem to
get it to roll out the tippet and leader nice and cleanly on the end of
the cast. (For the sake of learning initiative, I'm going to blame the
line at this point instead of me :-).
I've gotten conflicting advice on what would be the best weight and
style of line to use. I need something that would be the most forgiving
for the beginner. I'm not interested so much in distance as I am in
completing an effective cast to lay the lure down properly where I want
it.
So, that being said:
Should I use a 5 or 6 weight line? I'm thinking 6 weight as that would
give me a little more momentum with a wider variety of lure/fly
weights.
And should that line be in forward-weighted, or double-taper? I've read
that double-taper is easier to roll out smooth on the end (plus I could
get double-use out of it as I beat the hell out of it with all my
mistakes).
Which would you choose as the most forgiving line type?
Thanks for any opinions you might have on this.
Pete
Fishing school. We were taught everything from casting, fly tying,
equipment and nature conservation. It was all fresh water and the
program owned its own trout pond for practice and evaluation. We all
used a double tapered lined as it's easier to use. Roll casting is
easier with DT, but you won't get the distance as you would with
weight-forward (WF) or shooting-head (SH). The latter is more designed
for salt-water. Roll casting using WF and SH is difficult as they're
more designed for casting. In situations where casting is difficult
such narrow streams and shoreline obstacles such as trees and
pedestrian traffic, you'd want to roll cast. For trout or trout sized
fish a 5 or 6 weight line is fine. A 7 weight line is good for larger
fish. As I'm not familiar with salt-water fly fishing I can't suggest
anything for that. Double taper is hard to find (at least up here in
Boston) except in the exclusive fly fishing boutiques where they charge
about $60 per box. You'll find exclusive and expensive rods, reels and
line there. You can also try a Walmart or department store to get basic
equipment at reasonable prices, but you're unlikely to find experience
sales staff to help you with specific questions. And there's always
your local bait & tackle shop.
You should recycle your fly line every year. You can re-use your double
tapered line by reversing it on the spool.
More:
Air cell or floating: the line floats. This obviously is useful for
surface presentations such as dry flies and plugs.
Wet cell or sinking: the line sinks. Use for wet flies, nymphs in pond
and lakes.
Sinking tip: the line floats except for the tip closest to the leader.
This is useful for streams with a strong current or for presentation of
a subsurface fly.
If you can find it, look for a floating, double taper 5 or 6 weight
line. I started with DT 6 F (double taper 6-weight floating). Your fly
reel should allow interchangeable spools of different sink/float lines.
I hope this helps.
pete
Keoeeit
said, it seems that I should definitely lean towards the double-taper
style of line, especially for starting out. What with it allowing me to
do easier roll-casts too.
Not knowing what size fish I'll be going for (probably small to
mid-size bass, the occasional northern pike -- or pan-fish when larger
fish aren't biting), I'll go with the 6 weight line then too. The rod
is stamped 5/6 so I don't think I can use a 7 weight line on it (or can
you?).
With just starting out I don't want to invest a lot, in case I'm really
bad at it. But I don't want to give-up out of frustration either from
using the wrong line. I can't seem to find any fly-fishing gear in the
local stores in the small towns where I live so I will probably have to
order a line sight-unseen from some online source. That too is why I
needed the extra advice from someone that's "been there, done that".
Anyway, thanks for the info. This really helps.
Pete
Last year, Walmart offered an all-in-one fly combo for about $100. I
taught a friend last year how to fly cast and he went there to buy such
a combo. The fly line usually comes equipped with tapered leader. I
recommend tying a tippet to your leader. The tippet is an extension of
the leader and is useful if you plan to change flies often.
If you have a deep pocket, you can try Orvis sporting goods
(www.orvis.com) or Firefly Outfitters (www.fireflyoutfitters.com). The
latter is based in Boston and is complete with almost everything fly
fishing. Orvis is widespread through the USA. You're likely to find a
wide range of weighted lines and styles unlike the department stores.
Have a good weekend!
pete
Frank
To learn fly fishing, do not try to go it alone - join a club!
You will find it is much easier when you have someone to show you the
ropes. You may not find anyone who is openly gay, but you will not
likely find people who are openly hostile either. At least I never did.
One thing to look for is a club that is an affiliate of the FFF, the
Federation of Fly Fishers. It is a nationally recognized conservation
minded organization that actively promotes fly fishing. I have belonged
to three clubs; two were affiliates, one was not. The two which were
affiliated were superior, hands down to the other club, in terms of
programs, speakers, and activities. Let me know where you live, I will
try to locate a club or two in your area.
As far as lines go, it depends upon the kind of fishing you will be
doing. It does not sound as though you will be casting great distances,
I would guess probably only 15 to 30 feet, so it really does not matter
whether you use a floating line or a sinktip line. You should over load
your rod by one weight. Since it is rated 5/6 go to a 7 WT. You will
find that much easier to cast as you are learning technique. I am
assuming that you probably have a soft to medium taper fiberglass rod,
which will also allow this overloading without a problem.
If you are presenting nymphs, a sinktip will give better line
handling. But then a different rod would suit the situation better.
(Another reason to join a club, where you can learn the differences in
rod types and often "try" other members' rods out on a weekend
fishing outing.)
Also ask at the club if someone has an old tapered and double tapered
line that you can have to practice with.
Then PRACTICE, on grass. Set up a series of hoops (Hoola hoops work
great for a start, but you will also want some smaller hoops) at 20, 30
and 40 feet. Tie a piece of highly visible colored yarn about three
inches long onto your standard length leader and practice casting until
you can get the "fly" into each circle 9 out of every 10 tries.
Then go out on a windy day and do the same thing. If you cannot learn
to cast under perfect weather conditions, you will never be able to
cast accurately under fishing conditions when you get excited by seeing
a fish rise. The actions need to be automatic - no thinking. It is
part of the Zen of fly fishing.
I would stay away from a sinking line if you are fishing rivers or
streams as you will surely get hung up. In lakes a sinking line may be
of some value but not in running water.
I fish primarily saltwater flats and some surf. Mostly I prefer a
floating line as I am usually in 5 to 12 feet of water, In the surf I
will fish a sinking line as the wind dictates it, but a sinking line is
NO FUN to cast. It is heavy and often difficult to control. Most of the
time sink tip lines work well for me when I am planning to be in water
over 15 to 20 feet deep and need top get a fly down. But there is a lot
more excitement having a fish come to the surface to hit a fly than to
go after him. A few years ago I was out over the reefs off Key West
without an sinking line and was tired of catching fish on conventional
tackle, so I broke out my long rod with floating line. We were in
about 40 feet of crystal clear water over an old wreck. Using a bass
popper with lots of feathers, I had a ball while snapper, grouper and
other reef fish came up from the bottom to whack my surface lure!
The hardest thing to learn about casting a fly line is to not
"push" the line. What matters is timing not strength. I was in a
free casting class sponsored by my club, trying to get 50 to 60 feet
of line under control (a typical distance for saltwater fishing). A
seven or eight year old in class, he was maybe four foot six or seven
was casting his line over 80 feet accurately with no problem. I was
ready to pack it in.
The instructor then explained and demonstrated the importance of
timing. It was not the line nor the rod that mattered, but how you
loaded the rod and allowed the line and the rod to work together to
perform its function. He then demonstrated by taking just the three
foot tip of a rod and using only his arm and the rod tip cast a fly
line over 70 feet.
Timing matters!
Don't push the river...it flows by itself.
Tight lines!