09-23 REELLIFE digital - Flipbook - Page 18
Fly Lines - The Method to the
Madness By Chad Bryson
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
for your application. No matter
if you shop online or in a local
fly shop, the fly line choices are
more plentiful than they have
ever been. Fortunately, all the
major manufacturers of fly lines
have done a very good job at
trying to make a complicated
18 | NWFISHING.net
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.
I am going to try to explain the
method behind the madness
of what makes a fly rod/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 also 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 aka- the part of the line
that makes the rod cast. Life was
simple then.
Now that we understand the
theory behind the rod/line
weights, let’s discuss how to
start making the right decision
on which 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 that has beaten
down more steelhead than I
can count. I only use this rod for
steelheading in smaller rivers, or
larger creeks casting heavy flies
or (God forbid) times get hard, an
indicator rig with nymphs. Either
way, I need a 7wt line. Remember
when I said that originally 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