| Unlike standard gear fishing where you are casting | | | | There are many reasons for wanting your line to |
| a weighted lure, with fly fishing you are casting | | | | sink. Many times the fish are deep and are |
| the line. It is the exact opposite, the heavier the | | | | feeding on bait fish. In this case you need a line |
| fly the harder it is to cast. This is because you | | | | that will deliver some sort of wet fly that imitates |
| are casting the line and any weight or size to the | | | | what they are feeding on. This requires a sinking |
| fly will want to slow the line down. Therefore, you | | | | line or floating line with a sink tip. With new |
| can expect to spend what would be considered a | | | | advancements in lines, full sinking line is quickly |
| lot of money by gear fishermen on fly line, but a | | | | becoming less and less popular. Instead people |
| good high quality line is definitely worth it. You | | | | are using WF floating line and then adding certain |
| want a line that will load up you rod and cast a | | | | tips to the line that have different sink rates. |
| nice tight loop, and be one that you can use for a | | | | Floating Line with Sink Tips |
| long time and in many different situations. | | | | The most versatile and becoming more the norm |
| There are several different fly lines to choose | | | | are WF Lines that come with a variety of sinking |
| from. In fact, there are more than the above | | | | tips that sink at different rates. This allows a fly |
| average fly fisherman will ever need. Here we | | | | fisherman to be able to adapt his or her |
| will discuss the most popular types and what they | | | | techniques quickly to adhere to what the fish are |
| are used for, as well as my pick of brand and | | | | doing. Personally, all my rods have a WF floating |
| model. | | | | lines with interchangeable tips. I want to be |
| Weight Forward | | | | ready for whatever it will take to hook the big |
| The standard fly line is weight forward line (WF) | | | | fish. These combination lines are a little bit more |
| and will most likely be the one you want. WF line | | | | expensive than standard lines, but you get several |
| has a taper at the end where it has a larger | | | | lines that can be applied to different situations in |
| diameter and heavier weight than the rest of the | | | | one package. |
| line that is designed to shoot the line out of the | | | | Another way to fish multiple depths with a WF |
| back cast loop and then drop it down lightly at the | | | | floating line is to buy a spool of sinking line such as |
| end of the cast. | | | | "T 14" and cut it into different lengths depending |
| There are other types of line, but they are | | | | on how fast you want it to drop through the |
| quickly losing ground as WF line is the correct | | | | water column. This is better suited for advanced |
| choice for almost any fishing condition. It is the | | | | fly fisherman as it takes time to know how much |
| only style that I use, and aside from people who | | | | sinking line will be the best for certain situations |
| buy the cheapest line or combo set that comes | | | | and can sometimes be tougher to cast for the |
| with no taper, I don't know anybody that uses | | | | novice. |
| anything different. If you do buy a cheap combo | | | | Backing |
| set, the first thing you will want to do is buy a | | | | Fly Line Backing is usually braided line (gear fishing |
| new WF line and get rid of the junk level line | | | | line) that is placed on the reel before the fly line |
| (same diameter throughout the line) it came with. | | | | and serves the purpose of a reserve line for |
| | | | | those big, reel smokin' fish that can't be stopped. |
| Types of lines: Lines are typically either floating or | | | | Typically a person will want 200-300 yards of 20 |
| sinking types with variations of both available. | | | | – 30 lb backing depending on the size of fish |
| Floating Line | | | | they are after. For most applications with a 7wt |
| Fly lines are designed to either float or sink. The | | | | or lighter, 20lb will be more than enough. From |
| most common method when people think of fly | | | | 8-12 wt you will be better off with 30 lb. |
| fishing is casting to trout with floating flies | | | | Anything bigger than that and 40lb would probably |
| designed to look like bugs, which requires floating | | | | be a better bet. A good rule of thumb is to use |
| line. Same goes for nymph fishing, but a split | | | | at least 10lbs heavier than the heaviest portion of |
| shot weight or weighted fly is used to get the fly | | | | your leader (the monofilament line between the |
| to the fish. WF Floating lines are by far the | | | | fly line and fly). That way, if you hook a brute |
| easiest to cast, so if you are just learning the | | | | that takes you into your backing and there is a |
| fundamentals of fly fishing, this is probably what | | | | break, the leader will break instead of your |
| you will start with. | | | | backing. So you will lose the fish, but you will still |
| Sinking line | | | | have your spendy fly line. |