John Kranick - The Essential Trout Fishing Guide

there.

come as no surprise that this line is also the most

expensive.

There is one advantage to the level variety of fly

line. They are the least expensive to buy and they

Why is this line in such demand? Its extra weight

require no fancy processing system. But if you’re a and extra width is located in the first 30 feet of the beginner, I’d splurge. You may save a little bit of line, for the most part. The remainder of the line is money, but the chances are that you won’t be having level — being not only equal weight but also equal trout for supper anytime soon — fresh trout that is!

width.

D

This means longer casts for you as well as the

O A DOUBLE TAKE

ability to cast larger flies. it also means that you’ll

FOR THE DOUBLE TAPER

find casting not as difficult on windy days.

When you go to purchase a double taper line

double taper line,

But when you place this line on your rod, you

the label identifies it by the initials “DT”. This type of must place it correctly. The extra weight and width line is heavy and thicker in the middle section. It need to at the end of the line, not tied on to the reel.

loses both its width and its weight as it approaches A weight forward taper, unlike the double taper the end of the line.

version, cannot be reversed.

If there is one word to describe the double taper

If you’re a beginner, this is probably the line for

line, it’s balance. By this, I mean that both ends of you. They are, without a doubt, the easiest to cast.

the fly line are the same. Additionally, each end They provide the beginner with the extra control and gradually increases in equal increments in both weight longer casts that sometimes are crucial in fly fishing.

and width as it gets closer to the center of the line.

By the way, the weight forward taper is always used

At one time, double taper lines were the most to cast bass bugs and streamers — those heavy items.

24 The Secrets Professionals Refuse To Share

THE ESSENTIAL TROUT FISHING GUIDE

BUILT FOR DISTANCE:

This weight measurement clearly corresponds to

S

the actual weight of the line measured in grains. While

HOOTING TAPER

you may be confused right now, you can at least

find some solace in the fact that the measurements

It’s true. The shooting taper

shooting taper was specifically on all the lines are uniform throughout the entire designed for fly casting distance tournaments. This industry. (I’m trying to give you some good news!) type is weighted — quite heavily I might add — in its

first 20 feet. For the rest of the line, it’s a uniform

Using a numerical scale from one (1) to fourteen

thickness and weight.

(14), the lower the numbers are, the lighter the lines.

A fly line of three (3) for example is lighter than that

The difference is that it’s thinner than your of a line labeled with an eight (8).

traditional weight-forward lines. It’s just this

combination of the extra weight and width initially

Fly Line Number Weight In Grains

with the thinner than usual back end, that makes it

so awesome.

1

60

Its build reduces air resistance as well as drag on

2

80

the fly rod guide, which in turn, can actually mean a

3

100

greater casting distance if you know what you’re

doing.

4

120

But their usefulness is limited. While they’re great

5

140

at distance casting, that’s about all they’re good for.

They actually lack the needed delicacy for your

6

160

general fly fishing. For one thing, because of its weight,

7

185

it can create a noise when hitting the water.

8

210

It also presents even veteran anglers with a bit of

a control problem. Since the back end is thinner than

9

240

a standard fly line, you may find that it gets coiled

10

280

and knotted easily. Many anglers cast with it anyway,

using a stripping basket to help resolve this problem.

11

330

A

12

380

WEIGHTY MATTER:

F

13

420

LY LINE WEIGHT

14

455

Now, you’re off to the store to buy your fly line,

confident you know what to look for. But then you

pick up a box and…

On occasion, you run across fly line weights other

than those listed above. When you find these, you’ll

Wait! You didn’t expect this. What the heck is this? know immediately that these are specialty lines. This You’re looking at what’s called the weight of the line. means they’re designed for very specific purposes.

Every line is assigned a weight measurement. It’s For the most part, though, you’ll see one (1) through usually clearly printed on the box.

fourteen (14).

The Secrets Professionals Refuse To Share25

ASK ME ABOUT LINE DENSITY

SINK-TIP LINE

(I DARE YOU!)

This comes in a strong second in popularity behind

the floater. It sinks for the first 10 to 30 feet. Then,

No! Not another statistic to remember! Calm down. the remainder of the line continues to float. Most It’s really not nearly as bad as it seems. Simply put, often, you’ll see this used with nymph and streamer the density of a fly line answers the question: Does it fishing. The line helps to get the flies down while sink or float?

still allowing for a large amount of floating line for

Now can you get any simpler than that?

easy pick ups.

Okay, so I misled you. But only slightly. It’s a two-

If, however, you don’t want your fly entirely in

part question — and here’s the second part. If it sinks, the water, this line is not what you’re searching for.

then just how does it sink? Each density that does

sink is designed just a little differently. Now that I’ve INTERMEDIATE SINKING LINE

piqued your interest, let’s delve into this idea just a

little more.

This line sinks entirely, but it does so slowly. This

means it’s an ideal fit for when you want your fly

Actually, there are five types of line densities at underwater, but not entirely underwater. By contrast, your disposal.

the line settles down into the water nicely.

1. Floating

Mostly, the intermediate sinking line is used when

you’re fishing on lakes with weeds. This is because

2. Sink-tip

you can be positioned just above the weeds and

other vegetation.

3. Intermediate sinking

4. Sinking

WHAT ABOUT A SINKING LINE?

5. Fast sinking

This particular line sinks uniformly and relatively

quickly. Of

FLOATING LINE

course, the rate at which it goes down varies

And float it does. This line floats for its entire depending on the length. This type of line is the easiest to cast. No

type of line you purchase. You’ll be able to tell

wonder it’s also the most popular. This particular kind this from the box labeling (yes, you will!). These lines is used for all dry fly fishing and also utilized with can sink as quickly as two inches per second or as many streamers, nymphs and wet flies.