Choosing a Fly Line   

Propensity for density

The density of a fly line is very simply a way to refer to a line that either floats or sinks, and if it is supposed to sink, at what rate.  Once again we will stick to the basics and consider the five different styles of line, which are floating, the sink-tip, intermediate sinking, sinking and the fast sinking lines.  As you may guess, the last three are quite similar but worth a mention.

Floating line – Just as the name implies, this line floats for its entire length or at least it should!  Now mind you, there is floating and there is floating.  I have tried bargain lines that are called floating and should be called “not quite sinking” lines and struggle to stay on top of the water.  Avoid these like the plague!  A good floating line will, if you want to go to the dark side of technical, have a specific gravity substantially lower than water and ride both high and lightly on the surface.  The materials in the coating of these lines will generally be quite supple and contain both copolymers and a teflon or similar compound to reduce resistance and help buoyancy.

These lines are both the easiest to cast as well as the most readily available in the market.  This is the line used for all dry fly fishing, as well as fly fishing with many streamers, nymphs and wet flies. The reason this line works well for subsurface flies is simply that you can alter your leader and fly to that purpose, and do so quite acceptably.  In the main, if you can only own one fly line we recommend that you make sure it is a floating line.

Sink-tip – This is the type of line that sinks for the first 10-30 feet, with the remainder of the fly line remaining on the surface.  The sink-tip line is best served for nymph and streamer fishing as the tip allows the fly to got under the surface while the body of the floating line allows clean pick up from the water.

Intermediate sinking – This line will sink entirely but generally at a relatively slow rate.  This line is most suited to lakes that have subsurface vegetation and, while you want to keep your line down, want to avoid a fast sink rate.

Sinking – This type of line will sink relatively quickly and at a uniform rate. The “sink rate” can vary by design and these lines will sink at a rate of anything from about 2 to 10 inches per second.  This is specified on the box by the manufacturer and again is quite a uniform standard.  These lines are well suited to fast moving water or deep pools where a faster sink rate may be needed.  The choice here is up to you and will be dictated by experience over time.

Fast-sinking – Very simply, this line sinks like a rock!  Again sink rate varies by design and is standardised.  The main use of this type of line is in saltwater fly applications or incredibly deep lakes.

So are there any hard and fast rules with regard to line density and floating or sinking?  Really only one and that is once again that, if you are going to only have one line, it should most likely be a floating line as it is the most versatile.  Just remember that you can get a floating line to go under the surface but we have yet to see a fast-sink line float to the top! 

Wonderful world of colour

If we go back not too many years ago, this was not that much of a question.  Floating lines came in a few light colours so that they were easy to see and sinking lines were darker so that the fish might not spot them as easily under water.  No big deal and it made a lot of sense.  Today, that is still true but the choices are almost endless.  Floating lines range from subtle light colours to screaming neon to clear.  Sinking lines, while not quite so bold, offer equal choice to the fly angler and we have even seen a line touted as camouflage for those that wish to think of fly fishing in terms of military applications!  That being said, we will once again just stick to the basics and let you choose.

We believe that, for sinking lines,  the best choice is a line that is darker in colour such as a brown or olive drab.  This might be a point for debate however most fly fisherman seem to agree that fish may be less likely to see a darker colour and less likely to spook. 

We also believe that, with floating lines, the colour is not really all that important from the perspective of the fish and let’s face it, that is what this is all about!  Without going into the science of fish vision and the refraction of the water, a line floating on the surface in daylight is more about shadows than colour.  So until someone comes up with a line that casts no shadow, the colour of the line is not terribly critical.  That being said, the best colour is then the one that you can see the best and that suits your style of fishing.  We used bright lines particularly for winter fishing, such as our time spent with steelhead, when visibility was the last thing you wanted to worry about!  The simple matter of fact is that these lines were easier to see and that was the right choice.  Later in the year and for summer trout in the full sun, the colour did not matter much as long as it was fairly light.

So there you have it.  We have just gone through a couple of paragraphs to say that the line colour that makes sense is most likely the right choice.  So maybe all the old timers are still right after all?

Crack the code

A good way to look at much of what we have just talked about is to look at a few of the codes that you will see on the box of any good fly line.  So let’s have a look at a few of these and what they all mean.  No, you don’t need a decoder ring, just use what we have talked about and it’s quite simple from there.

DT-4-F   Double taper, 4 weight, floating

WF-5-F   Weight forward, 5 weight, floating

 WF-10-S   Weight forward, 10 weight, sinking (sink rate would be noted)

DT-7-FS   Double taper, 7 weight, sink-tip (sink rate would be noted)

ST-6-F   Shooting taper, 6 weight, floating

LT-6-F   You have not read this article and just bought a useless line!

Meeting your maker

We will just cut to the chase and answer the "big question" as honestly as we can…

“Who makes the best fly line and how much should I spend?”

The honest answer may surprise you.  There are only about eight companies around the world that actually make fly lines!  Yes, it's true!  And while there are a lot of really great fly lines from any number of good companies, these are made to their specifications by just a handful of companies. In fairness too, there are companies that do stand out in some ways in nearly each category of line and are above the others.  So really there is no one answer to the question but there are a couple of guidelines.

First, remember one truth that we hold self evident...there are about 24 or so recognised "brand names" to choose from but there are only about eight companies that actually make these lines around the world.  So remember this when you read about a particular line core or coating and be aware that there are only so many materials that really can go into making a fly line.  That being said, there is the good and there is the bad, and the bad are just awful!  Please be sure to read a bit about some of this in the last section here.   

So, do a bit of homework as the reviews and opinions about fly lines are abundant.  You will find that in the better lines, they are all relatively similar in quality, design and price.  And like most things about fly fishing, we will all have our favourites and our opinions.  For example, we have a favourite floating line that has a loop built into the tip because we fish with furled and spun leaders, so the loop-to-loop connection is perfect.  We have also tried a WF-4-F that is under label from the company that we recommend here for rods and reels and found that excellent as well and meets all of our "technical standards".  Look for this under our own label soon!  We have a preference for a pure silk line for bamboo rods but it is expensive and silk lines are painful to maintain.  That being said, we also have used a "Sylke" line in place of real silk and found it quite good.  And finally, also have a line that is a variation on a standard weight forward that is just sensational for a small stream graphite rod.

As far as naming names, I guess for us it would be fair to say that we are very comfortable with RIO, Teeny, Scientific Angler and Cortland but perhaps more so because these are quality line makers and we have used them.  I am sure that the others in the upper range of quality would be equally satisfactory.  And if you know (or ask!) about other brands or other lines under label like ours, you maybe be pleasantly surprised.  So what we are saying really is that if you stick with a well known name brand, you are not going to be far off the mark.  Unfortunately, these lines come at a pretty impressive price too.  And most of all, do you homework and ask questions!

Now then, how much should you spend?  This is an amazing peculiarity amongst those new to fly fishing that we think may reflect that most of us have a "monofilament" background and up until we buy a fly line, are used to getting line on 300 metre spools for not much money.

But think about it....you go out and spend a fair bit for a good rod (sometimes you spend a small fortune!)  Next comes the reel and once again it sometimes is not out of the realm of "common sense" for some to consider a bank loan for the purchase.  Now, we do have other thoughts about quality and cost of this equipment, but think you are about to see where we are going?

You do your homework, you know what you want, you pick a good line maker and when you realise that about 30 yards of line is going to cost you $100 or so, and yes sometimes more depending on what you want, you panic!  First, that makes no sense and it is just a part of the cost of the right equipment, and in fact may be the least expensive on any of it that you have bought.  Next, remember that you might spend a small fortune on a rod and reel but without the right line, you have just wasted your money.  Here is one simple truth....you can make up a bit for spending less on a rod and reel with a good line than you will ever make up by scrimping on your line even if you have the best and most expensive rod and reel on the planet!  And no, you don’t just buy “the most expensive" but you are making an investment that will and should last for many years.  You will not regret spending a bit more on your line but we guarantee that you will regret spending less!  

As promised, we will always try to be fair and stay subjective as best we can, well at least we will try, and the subject of line choice is no exception.  This brings us to one last comment, or opinion if you wish, regarding line choice and what constitutes quality.

There are, albeit only a very few (emphasis on very and few!) times when you will come across a line that is either "under label" or truly a "value budget" line.  Please trust us, neither of these is something that is going to occur as mainstream and unless the big volume and discount stores happen to carry a very top name brand, which virtually none do, don't bother shopping for these there.  

The lines that we have referred to as "under label" will come from one of the top line manufacturers that is willing to make lines sans the branding and offers these to the wholesale market.  And to know the good from the bad, you really do need to research and test these lines. When these lines come to the market, a few of these labels do actually care about the product and realise that if it does bear their name, it needs to be just as good as anything else they offer.  And fortunately, this can be the case.  The best way is to ask about these lines and the good shops are happy to tell you about them!  Just be sure that your "under label" agreement is not just a paid endorsement from a tired football player who is making big bucks off the deal!  

Now conversely in this same case are the lines "under label" from say, large retailers (or even large franchise operations!) and unfortunately, the profit margin gets in the way of quality in most cases.  And sadly some of the old time names we might recognise have long since been sold out and are just junk.  Remember that you will get exactly what you pay for particularly in this environment, less the cost of sprawling mega-store less the cost of the regional celebrity who has sold his name to the line and so on.  Don't waste your money on these and, as suggested in other articles here, run full speed out of "fishing", grab a bag of popcorn from "food" and wander over to "gardening" to spend your money more wisely!

Again, and perhaps even to a higher degree, you must do your research on the brand and line before you spend your hard earned money.  And it might not be a bad idea to know the dealer as well!