Once upon a time, fly fishing was a simple task. If an angler wanted a fly rod outfit, it was obtained by going to a fly/tackle shop, selecting a rod that had a number written on it, and then selecting a fly line that had the that same number written on it. Said fly line was then spooled up on a fly reel. The angler bought some monofilament tapers leaders that had a weird number with an X and that was it. (We will cover what that X means later.) Off we went into the great beyond in search of stupid fish that willingly ate our artificial offerings. Simple. Those were the days of blissful ignorance, both the anglers and the fish.
In these modern times of technically specific fly rods and fly lines, there are so many choices. What used to be a simple task now resembles an act of faith to get the right set up. No matter if you shop online or in a local fly shop, the fly line choices are are plentiful. Fortunately, all the major manufacturers of fly lines have done a very good job at trying to make a complicated task as simple as possible. Rio, Scientific Anglers, Cortland, and Airflo have application specific fly lines that are easy to navigate on their websites as well as in a fly shop. Plus, it never hurts to have personal input from a bona fide fly shop employee that has actually used the fly line. Hands on experience will never be replaced by the typing of letters on the interweb by someone who has never even touched a fly rod. Keep that in mind when you decide where your money will be spent.
Methods
I am going to try to explain the method behind the madness of what makes a fly/line a certain weight. Also, I am going to attempt to do this without upsetting any manufacturers of fly tackle products. It’s not my intention to ruffle feathers, only to convey the truth as I know it. So, let’s just say your fly rod is labeled as a “7wt or 7 weight”. In theory, this means that the rod blank needs 7 ounces of weight to make the rod load and unload. In theory, that means your rod needs a “7wt or 7 weight” fly line to make the rod do work. What makes a 7 weight fly line a 7 weight? It should be a simple question with a simple answer. Originally, fly lines were manufactured so that the weight of the “head” determined the fly line weight. Meaning that a 7 weight fly line had a head that weighed 7 ounces. At that time, the head was the first 35 feet of the fly line. Life was simple then.
Real Questions
Now that we understand the theory behind the rod/line weights, let’s discuss how to decide the right fly line to select. First – What species am I using this line to fish for? Second – How much money am I willing to spend? Let’s use my favorite single hand steelhead rod, Sage Z Axis 10’ 7wt. Yeah, I know it’s old, but it’s still an awesome rod. I only use this rod for steelheading in smaller rivers, or larger creeks casting heavy flies. Either way, I need a 7wt line. Remember when I said that the fly line head was 35 feet and weighed 7 ounces for a 7 wt line? Now is the tricky part but, not really. My rod needs a fly line head weight of 7 ounces to make it work. If I am trying to cast heavy flies or nymph rigs, it’s easier to do that with a shorter piece of line beyond the rod tip. At least that is our brain’s message to us. Anyone that has ever tried to fly fish knows that our brain says “use less line, it will be easier.” However, this works totally against everything that makes the fly rod/line work as a team. The rod needs 7 ounces to load and unload. However, picking up 35 feet of fly line with a heavy indicator rig on the fishing end is near impossible. OK, maybe not impossible, but it’s hard. Fishing is hard enough, why make it harder? It would be easier to use a fly line that had head weight of 7 ounces that was 20’ instead of 35. The rod gets the line weight it needs and the angler gets the casting performance needed to deliver the cast without having to pick up 35’ of fly line in a small space. On my last trip to the Anchor River in Alaska, I chose the Scientific Anglers Anadro fly line. It has a shorter tapered, more aggressive head that checks the box on what I need to deliver for steelhead flies and rigs. This also works well for skating mice to Bristol Bay rainbows. It is not a good choice for dry fly fishing. Yet, therein lies the conundrum.
Some of you reading this have already thought “I just need one fly line that will do everything I want it to do.” In my three decades of guiding fly fishing, hanging out in fly shops, hosting trips and just generally being in the business, I have never once seen one fly line that will do everything you need it to do. It doesn’t exist unless all you are going to do is fish one way, using one technique for the rest of your life. Even though that sounds completely and ridiculously boring, I guess it does happen. Point being, I don’t use my steelhead line when I go bass fishing. Even though the head taper would be great for turning over big poppers, the fly line core in the steelhead line is designed for cooler or cold temps. Bass fishing is typically warm water which requires a stiffer fly line core so that your fly line doesn’t feel like you are trying to cast a spaghetti noodle with half a deer on the end of it. There is not a one size fits all when it comes to fly lines, not even one size fits most. There are some crossovers, but not many, and not enough for me to write about. Plus, the controversial arguments that would ensue would only be a recompense of opinion.
Finale
Last and certainly not least is the second part of the selection. How much money am I willing to spend on a fly line? Fly lines are expensive. Crazy expensive. I remember the first time I saw a fly line for $25. I thought the shop manager had gone mad. No way was anyone going to pay $25 when we had all been paying $18. Then I cast a rod with the $25 line on it and immediately purchased one for myself. That was more than 30 years ago. Today’s fly lines are light years ahead of what they were then. By today’s standards it isn’t even fair to call those old lines fly lines. They were more of just a suggestion of what fly lines should and could be. My advice is to spend as much on a fly line as you can possibly afford to do. The fly line represents the tires on an automobile. If you take an old Cadillac El Dorado that rides like a dream and put cheap tires on it, it rides like a Cadillac with cheap tires. Consequently, you can put the finest Pirelli racing tires on a Saturn and It will handle like a plastic race car. The tires change every aspect of how the car rides and handles. The fly line does the same thing to a fly rod. Spend the money, you will be happy you did.
In closing, when selecting fly tackle, or any tackle for that matter, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to collect your information from reliable sources. I find that privately owned fly shops are the utmost in providing genuine hands-on knowledge. Go to a shop that specializes in what you want to do. I have a good friend and colleague that owns a shop in the Rockies. He and his staff are some of the most skilled and knowledgeable people when it comes to their water. Yet when those guys go saltwater fishing, they call another friend and colleague that owns a saltwater fly shop for input on what to buy and use. Don’t be afraid to make a financial commitment. It could be the difference in catching the fish that you want to catch and standing around watching everyone else catch fish. Don’t be that person….
