The Importance of Fly Lines
Brett Fogle
Why are fly lines so important? Just like with fly rods and fly reels, fly lines need to match up with the types of fly fishing that you do. This match should be made precisely, too. Thus, if you have a 5 weight fly rod and a 5 weight fly reel, and it extremely important to make sure you have a 5 weight fly line. By not having a properly "balanced" fly rod outfit (which is where the fly rod, fly reel and fly line match in weight), the angler is very likely to have extreme difficulty in casting.
For example, using too light of a fly line for a particular fly rod will present severe casting challenges. Remember, in fly fishing, the weight of the fly line - not the fly itself - is what allows the angler to cast. The fly rod, as it is essential to casting, will not properly cast the wrong weight fly line. Thus, where the fly rod is "heavier" than the fly line, the fly rod will never be fully loaded (will not bend properly), since the weight of the fly line is not enough to properly bend the rod during the cast. Likewise, should the fly line be heavier than the fly rod, the fly rod will bend excessively during the cast, making line control an iffy proposition at best.
In essence, if you forget everything you just read on fly lines, please try to remember this very simple thing. Make sure your fly line weight matches precisely the weight of the fly rod you are using as well as the weight of the fly reel you are using. In an ideal world, you want to always go by this formula : Fly Line Weight = Fly Rod Weight = Fly Reel Weight
Fly Line Codes
Now, let's move on to how to decipher the various codes that are found on fly line boxes around the world. Any angler who has looked for fly lines undoubtedly knows that lots of abbreviations and codes are used to identify the fly line. So, here's some examples of how to identify fly lines when looking at them in the store.
* DT-4-F : This code means that the fly line is a double taper fly line, with a weight of 4, and floats * WF-5-F : This code means that the fly line is a weight-forward taper fly line, with a weight of 5, and floats. * WF-10-S : This code means that the fly line is a weight-forward taper fly line, with a weight of 10, and is a sinking line. How fast the line sinks (it's sink rate) will be listed on the box. * DT-7-F/S - This code means that the fly line is a double taper fly line, with a weight of 7, and is a sink-tip fly line. The sink rate of the fly line, as well as how much of the line actually sinks, will be listed on the box. * L-5-I : This code means that the fly line is a level taper fly line, with a weight of 5, and is an intermediate sinking line. The sink rate of the fly line will be listed on the box. * ST-6-F : This code means that the fly line is a shooting taper fly line, with a weight of 6, and floats.
Well, that's about it for fly lines, if you need fly line for your new fly rod.
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