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| Buyers Guide to Fly Line
Purchasing a Fly Line: What you need to know. |
Introduction:
| As you will quickly come to realize, there are many, many diferrent types of fly lines. They are designed with specific fishing applications in mind. From the beginner to the experienced fly angler, they all want a line that delivers all the necessary characteristics to help get the fly to the fish. These characteristics include; casting distance,line tapers, surface float, sink rates and sink tip length, water temperature compatability , colored or clear, non-kinking or coiling, durable and priced right. And as you would expect, there are many manufacturers who are continually researching new materials and processes to produce the best fly lines. Fly Line Types:
| Most fly lines fall into the following descriptions: level line, weight forward,(floating, sinking, intermediate) weight compensated shooting head and intermediate weights. They are further distinguished by line shapes, taper designs, tip sections design(transparenecy), surface coating, water temperature specific, total lengths,line color(s) and core materials. There are variations within these descriptions that manufacturers use to differentiate their products from others and, in some cases, special lines that have been designed for specific applications. Most fly lines will describe the line weight for purposes of matching it to the fly rod ATFM line weight rating. For example, WF-9-F, means the fly line is a “weight forward-9 weight line- floating.” It should be noted that most fly rods will cast a fly line that is +/- one line weight. Other descriptors include: DT= (Double Taper), ST= (Sink Tip), F= (Floating), S= (Sinking), I= (Intermediate) and IPS= (Sink Rate in inches per second). Before choosing a fly line, you should first understand the fly line design. A fly line is constructed with an outer coating and an inner core. The fly line materials and manufacturing process will determine the line properties. 
We next need to examine the shape, taper and weight, these are the characteristics that affect how the line will cast and perform based on the fly fishers requirements for given situations.  Lastly and most controversial is line color. This decision becomes one of personal choice. There are many different opinions on whether the line color or lack of color has any significant impact on fly presentation. Most fly anglers prefer to see their line so that fly presentations can be more controllable. Using long leaders help to keep a good distance between the fly and the fly line. If you find that a brightly colored line is impacting your presentation then by all means changes lines. Choosing a Fly Line: Now that you understand more about fly line design and composition, choosing a fly line that meets your angling needs should be easier. There exist today many specialized fly lines designed to handle very specific angling situations and conditions. Without getting into great detail, our fly line guide attempts to keep it simple so that you can make a good choice on a fly line.
Level Fly Lines or running lines are generally small diameter and of little use for casting. They simply provide an attachment for the head of the line and present little resistance when passing through the rod guides when casting. In some angling situations, such as fishing fast running water and where using more than a BB shot of lead is required to get the fly down in the water column, the use of small diameter level fly line makes sense.
Intermediate Lines are slow sinking lines (or neutral density) with sink rates of 1-1.5 IPS and usually designed with a weight forward head shape. They are used for sub-surface presentations where a small amount of line sink and less surface commotion is desired.
Multi-Tip Lines are becoming more popular because they offer the angler a variety of casting and presentation possibilities without having to change out a reel spool. The system uses loop connectors for changeover. The heads are floating, intermediate, slow sink and fast sink.
Most all the major manufacturers market a variety of fly line designs for many specific angling applications, but for most applications the Fly Line Quick Reference Chart will provide a good starting point for choosing the correct fly line.
Manufacturers: The following listing represents most of the retailers and/or manufacturers that sell quality fly lines. They are listed in alphabetical order. Each of the above manufacturers have brochures which delineate the fly lines available and the line weights available for each. These brochures serve as guide to remembering the many different lines.
So without belaboring the issue an angler must choose the species too fish for, the conditions: water temp., climate, water depth, still or fast moving water and so on to fit the angling situation. This will come easy once you have zeroed in on the application. Feel free to ask us for an opinion on selecting a correct fly line for your specific needs.
As you might expect the cost of fly lines varies significantly based on properties, materials and seller. In general, fly lines range in cost from as low $15.00 for a running line to as much as $129.00 for a multi tip system. Once you have chosen the type of fly line you need, compare prices within various outlets, from your local fly shop, to catalogs and large retailers.
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