Fly lines & Casting

6632 Views 34 Replies 16 Participants Last post by rln, Aug 26, 2007

BCKID

Discussion Starter · Jun 19, 2007

Good day: I am new to fly fishing and have some good gear. Sage 5wt rod and reel with a Rio WF fly line. My daughter wants to learn to fly fish and I need more practice. I notice a big difference in the price of fly lines, ($65.00 at the fly shops) to ($20.00 at Canadian Tire) Now my question is this, is there a big difference in casting a better line for a newby over a cheaper line? Thanks BCKID

1 - 20 of 35 Posts

eimaj

· #2 · Jun 19, 2007

Yes there is a huge difference.

That being said, for bigginers, the SA headstart line is a great line at a good price. Try it out it'll make you look like a hero :thumbup: I think it's about $35 range may be $40. This is a line that you can keep for a long time and will do for both her and you using it, also being that it has a heavy head you can use tips on it.

newsman

· #3 · Jun 20, 2007

I haven't found much difference unless you are getting into the performance lines. There are a few bad ones I would suggest avoiding Omni and Fair Play. My favourite general purpose line (getting harder to find now days) is Northern Sport also know as Aquanova. When I want performance I chose Cortand Rocket Tapers.

professori

· #4 · Jun 20, 2007

Avoid the $20 Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart lines. They are usually short lines (only 40 ' or less) and once you get some proficiency, you will find tghey can't reach your longer casts. Cheaper lines have a tendency to deteriorate (crack, retain coils, etc.) somewhat more than a higher priced line. Many lines are available in the $40-$50 range and if matched to your rod will give good performance to a beginner.

sarg

· #5 · Jun 20, 2007

I would say that a good line is the most important peice of equipment to get when you are starting out. If you are looking to save some money I would look to the reel. Like a few others have said stay away from the really cheap lines as most have horrible memory and that can be really frustrating when first starting out. I believe SA make a line for people just starting out and it is well priced (I think the name of the line is in a previous post). Anyhow good luck and there are lots of great videos out there if you would like to focus your effort.

eimaj

· #6 · Jun 20, 2007

Just to add, with that SA headstart it is a little bit shorter, but you can cast into the backing, usually about 20ft :thumbup: and it has the same finish as the more expensive lines they have.

BCKID

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 20, 2007

Thanks for the info and tips. I get to go shopping again!! BCKID

bluedun

· #8 · Jun 21, 2007

Everybody's comments are bang on. When I started I bought a cheap line and it was horrible. It didn't seem to shoot properly. I thought it was my technique until I tried a buddies setup. He had a Cortland line I believe. The ease in which it shot out was incredible.

I must say however that purchasing an expensive line does not guarantee less memory etc. I have over 10 lines and there are a few which I am not to happy with.

stone

· #9 · Jun 23, 2007

There are also a lot of specialty lines out there that are more specific to certain things that you may want to do. There are lines that excell in distance casting, in very delicate presentations, in turning over long leaders, in casting heavily weighted flies or nymphs, etc. etc.

I recently purchased a RIO Selective Trout WF floating line for my 6wt for chironamid fishing...and all I can say is WOW! The complex taper of this line makes carrying almost any length of flyline in the air effortless, and it easily turns over long leaders and indicators. It also lays out nicely and floats well. Casting this line is pure joy...and I am determined to change over all of my floating lines from 2wt to 8wt to this new RIO Selective Trout line.

troutchaser

· #10 · Jun 23, 2007

stone said:
I recently purchased a RIO Selective Trout WF floating line for my 6wt for chironamid fishing...and all I can say is WOW! The complex taper of this line makes carrying almost any length of flyline in the air effortless, and it easily turns over long leaders and indicators. It also lays out nicely and floats well. Casting this line is pure joy...and I am determined to change over all of my floating lines from 2wt to 8wt to this new RIO Selective Trout line.

Same here! :thumbup: That line is awesome. I have a few now and will likely never go back... although never's a scary word in this game.

eimaj

· #11 · Jun 23, 2007

I also picked up the Rio line, but wasn't 100% happy, maybe just poor planning on my part. I started a new thread as to not de-rail this one. :beerchug:

reelangler

· #12 · Jun 25, 2007

Hey all,

Looking into picking up some new 5/6 wt. Wet and Dry line. Any suggestions that might suit both a 5 and a 6 wt. I know it depends on the rods, but any suggestions anyhow?

stone

· #13 · Jun 25, 2007

reelangler said:
Hey all,

Looking into picking up some new 5/6 wt. Wet and Dry line. Any suggestions that might suit both a 5 and a 6 wt. I know it depends on the rods, but any suggestions anyhow?

Hi Reelangler:

If you are looking to buy one set of lines to use on both your 5wt and 6wt, I would suggest going with a 6wt set. Most 5wts will throw a regular 6wt line (try not to buy the oversized lines that are meant to load stiffer rods), and your 6wt rod will also be able to support a lot of line in the air for distance casting.

Stone

young gun

· #14 · Jun 25, 2007

Bought a new 8wt and i love it, I loaded her with a cortland full body clear line, no spook factor at all.(whole fly line is clear) Got a extra spool loaded with a cortland slow sinking full sink line, first 20 feet is clear.

Thank god for working at a tackle shop. (discount!)

Whistler

· #15 · Jul 6, 2007

The Loop opti stream is the easiest line for novices to learn on. This line(though expensive) has a great coating and a very short head with digfferent coloured running line. Designed for small stream fishing it has the added bonus of being the EASIEST line out there for people to shoot into the wind. The only downside is experienced casters cannot carry a lot of line in the air as the head is short. Also in the series is the Opti stillwater which , though similar , has about a 1 foot longer head.

Brian Niska

reelangler

· #16 · Jul 8, 2007

What about any full floating lines in a 6wt?

Rib

· #17 · Jul 9, 2007

OK, as a very inexperienced flyfisher, I've read through here and there are a few things I want to ask about...

Firstly, Stone, you spoke of matching your lines more specifically and precisely to the type of fishing you are doing.

stone said:
There are also a lot of specialty lines out there that are more specific to certain things that you may want to do. There are lines that excell in distance casting, in very delicate presentations, in turning over long leaders, in casting heavily weighted flies or nymphs, etc. etc.

I recently purchased a RIO Selective Trout WF floating line for my 6wt for chironamid fishing...and all I can say is WOW! The complex taper of this line makes carrying almost any length of flyline in the air effortless, and it easily turns over long leaders and indicators. It also lays out nicely and floats well. Casting this line is pure joy...and I am determined to change over all of my floating lines from 2wt to 8wt to this new RIO Selective Trout line.

Would you also be able to recommend any particular lines you like for casting heavily weighted lines or nymphs...? In very delicate presentations? Flyfishing for steelhead in low clear rivers?
Also, when you talk about a line that floats well, what about lines that float well in streams and rivers vs. Stillwaters, is there a noticeable difference? ...and, When you notice the very tip of your floating line not floating very well what do you do to fix that? Cut it down? Clean it, then treat it with something?

For casting in the wind, Whistler you added...

Whistler said:
...Designed for small stream fishing it has the added bonus of being the EASIEST line out there for people to shoot into the wind. The only downside is experienced casters cannot carry a lot of line in the air as the head is short...

Can you elaborate on that and why it is the case...ie: How head length works? The reasons a more experienced caster would have a problem with shorter heads and related info...? Likely a complicated question to answer on here...
Casting in windy conditions, how much does line play a factor compared to adjusting your technique to the conditions...? Ie: adjusting the angle of the backcast in a headwind, sidearm casting, etc...

Thanks guys in advance...

rib

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eimaj

· #18 · Jul 9, 2007

Ribwart, where about you located, I could just show you the difference with in lines with most of the questions you've asked. I have both the RIO trout select and the Loop Optistream on my 3wt. So you could see the difference between castability and also have a 4wt with 2 different types of nymph taper lines on it. As far as salmon fishing goes I only use the RIO versi-tip line on my 8wt, just cause of cost and versatility.

Let me know if you'll be around the 'Wack anytime soon.

sarg

· #19 · Jul 9, 2007

Don't know how to quote sorry Rib,

With reference to the tip of your floating line sinking there are a few factors that can cause this to happen.

1) Fishing a weighted fly and/or weighted leader the line will eventually get pulled under the water.
2) When fishing fluorocarbon expect the tip of your floating line to sink. (depending on the length of leader)
3) Line could be cracked and coating lost.

There are lots of treatments that can be applied to make lines float a little better. I personally would stray away from cutting it (WF) back because eventually you will be cutting into the head of the line and this will eventually change the performance of the line. I am assuming that this is a problem you have had when potentially using the end of your floating line to detect strikes. If that is the case I would recommend attaching a strike indicator (small releasing indicator) within the first few inches of your leader as an easy fix to the problem. If it is not a self releasing indicator and fishing a long leader it can become very hard to get a hooked fish to hand.

On a slightly different note to anyone starting out it can be really easy to get confused by all the different lines available. Floating, sinking, sinktip, intermediate (slim line) just to name a few. Most stillwater fishing can be covered effectively with two lines...floating and sinking. Using different leader lengths can reproduce the effect of a sink tip and intermediate lines. It is always good to have a sinking line to cover those situations with deeper water conditions. I find that 90% of my stillwater fishing is done with my floating line and using different leader setups. The key is learning how to cast different leaders lengths effectively and of course finding a good line that fits your particular style of casting.

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Gibbs

· #20 · Jul 10, 2007

Another good thing to remember is to seal the end of your floating line if you have cut it.. water can get inside a cut line and cause it to sink! after this happend to me i made my own welded loop on the end of my floating line by securing a loop with two nail knots.. this works great and now it's all loop to loop connections! cheers.
gibbs

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