09-23 REELLIFE digital - Flipbook - Page 20
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.
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.
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. There
isn't even one size fits most. There
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.
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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....