Fly lines
 
Fly lines can be divided into 3 main sections. Backing, belly and tip. Belly portion of the line is the “weight” of the line. It will give the weight and provide the casting power. In all 20 to 60 ft of a line is the belly potion.
 
In the early days fly lines are made of horse tails hairs. Later replace with silk and nylon. Modern lines tend to be made of 3 different materials. The core of the lines are made of braided line, Dacron or mono. This is the strength of the fly lines. To give a thickness and floating characteristic a layer of plastic is coated to the core line. Material used for this line will decide how fast will the line sink. Thinner lines tend to sink faster. for most cases plastic materials is being used extensively.
 
Finally a layer of plastic coating is given to the line. This coating act as a water proof layer and also ensure the line pass through the rod chain smoothly.
 
Line density and its diameter contribute to the Sinking characteristic of a fishing line. In general fly lines are classified as floating, intermediate of sinking. Each category has its own purpose. In general smaller line tend to sink faster. to easily identified the line “visually”. Bright colored line tend to float better as compare to a darker lines.
 
If you are new to fly fishing then I’m sure you are curious about line weight. What exactly is a line weight ? in early 60s American Fishing Tackle Manufacturing Association (AFTMA ) develop a way of classifying fly line which are well accepted till these day. A section of 30 ft of fly lines are weight in grain. With the weight information will be cross check with a table. Line weight 1-12 are widely used. Line 13-15 are classified as a special category. This heavy class are mainly for offshore fishing line marlin and tuna.


Here is how the lines are classified.

Weight

Avg weight (grain)

Weight range (grain)

1

60

54-66

2

80

74-86

3

100

94-106

4

120

114-126

5

140

134-146

6

160

152-168

7

185

177-193

8

210

202-218

9

240

230-250

10

280

270-290

11

330

318-342

12

380

368-392

13

450

435-465

14

500

485-515

15

550

535-565



Fly lines categories
In general fly lines can be categories into 3 main characteristics : floating, intermediate and siking. All have its own purposes and usage.
 
1.) Floating line. Widely use by new comers. Design suitable for dry fly.In some cases can also be used with wet fly, but with limited depth.Usually the line is thick and the color is bright.This is another good choice for a green horn.It can easily be seen.
 
2.) Intermediate. line sinking with slower action. Very suitable for nymph and wet fly.In most cases the line color is dark.The line color can blend with the environment easily,making it easy suitable for fishing sensitive fish.
 
3.) Sinking. Our third fly lines category is the sinking fly.Sinking lines can be segregated further to 2 more classifications.
 
- Sinking tip. Sinking tip is the most popular line with the popular fly line for those who prefer sinking line.the last 10-15ft line tip tend to sink while the rest of the line will float.This allow better line handling.
 
- Full sinking.This fly fishing line tend t sink for up to 30ft. color for the line also tend to be dark.If you are targeting those large and vicious species from the deep see this is what you need.The line you fly to be place where the fish is.
 
In addition to its sinking characteristics, fly lines are further manufactured into various physical characteristics. Again, each have its own purposes.

Weigh forward.
The “belly” potion of the line is short and tapered toward the tip. There few variation of weight forward fly lines which are design for specific purposes.However the basic principal is still the same.
 
Double taper line.
Double ta[er line, the tip and backing are the same. You can use either side.Double taper line is very suitable for new comers. It can be cast easily.Unfortunately the line is not easy to make a long cast due to its weight.
  •  
  • Level line.
  • This is the original fly line design.The line size is the same throughout.It also difficult to cast and not suitable for new comers. Casting is not easy to be done and the casting distance is very limited.
  •  
  • Shooting head line.
  • Shooting head line is a combination of tapered and level line.Due to its physical design the line allow longer casting.However we need some skill before can fully utilize the line advantage.It is suitable for windy condition
  •  
  • Triangle taper line.
  • The line is balance with the use of tippet.Perfect for roll cast technique.
 
Hope you understand better about fly fishing lines with the above explanation. Knowing better about fly lines help make a wise decision when buying a new line for your fly set.

Taking care of your fly lines

Fly line need to care properly. This ensures you have a longer fly fishing line live time. After several outing just soak the line in water and leave it over night. Then just wipe the line with a clean cloth. This will remove most of the dirt that we have collected over the time. Then just let the line dry. Once ready just run through the line with fly line dressing. Put sufficient line dressing on a piece of cloth or sponge and just pass the fly through. This will remove any remaining dirt from the line. in addition the line dressing will give a layer of protective silicon that will protect your fly line.