fly line

[BenG]

I just recently got back into fly fishing. I have had two combos for years but never did well with them. I only caught my first bass over 12" on the fly this year after having a fly rod for 15 years. I had level line and never knew how to cast. In the past couple months I have accquired about 8 rods caught several quality fish and even have been catching trout in streams, thanks to good line and a casting lesson.

 

Since taking up fly fishing it is has been cold. I have been using trout line rio or scientific anglers. I heard warm weather changes line performance what should I do in warm months for line. I also use light rods 1 to 3 wt at times, is there a warm line for these weights. I never had so much fun catching bluegills using these rods. My 3wt line has gotten twisted like an old phone cord is that weather related?

[bjensen]

Ben,

 

Generally speaking, around these parts a "cold water" line works well, whether fishing for trout or bass. Cold water lines will have a braided nylon core, warm-water lines (generally referred to as tropical lines) have a solid mono-core which makes them stiffer and less prone to "wilting" under hot temps (above 90 degrees). Also, a heavier "bullet-style" front taper makes casting heavy, wind resistant bass flies much easier. My choice for a bass line is a coldwater Rio Clouser line. I have it on my 6 & 8 wt. bass rods. For my trout rods (which are mostly bamboo) I have a weight-forward Rio Gold line which has a more gentle front taper for delicate presentations (less slap when it hits the water).

 

As for your "phone cord" condition, two conditions can exist. Is the line coming off the reel in coils, or is the line itself twisting like a strand of heavy cord or rope? The coiling condition is typical because the line will take a set while stored on the reel. This can be easily removed just by stretching the line as you pull it off the reel. Just hold a 3-foot section between your hands and stretch it, holding it stretched for a couple seconds. If the line is actually twisting, that is caused by casting and is more prevelent when casting bass bugs or other large flies that tend to fly thru the air in a constant barrel roll. It is simply the aerodynamics of the fly that causes that. The twist can be easily removed by snipping off the fly, pulling about 40 feet of line off the reel, and casting directly downstream, letting the line just hang in the current. The twist will undo itself hanging in the current. It will not work if there is a fly still attached to the leader!

 

Hope this helps...

 

Brian

[ronk]

Flyline twist most often occurs due to improperly transferring it from its container to the reel.The line should come off the container spool in a straight line rather than in clockwise coils.Either remove all the line from the spool in a straight line by hand before winding onto the reel or place a pencil into the hole in the spool for a straight line transfer.

Rather than the flyline a fly can only cause a leader to twist.If this is a problem attach a size 14 or smaller swivel between the butt section/tippet section of the leader.Another advantage is the butt section won't be shortened with each tippet change.

While some lines are designed to perform best in certain temperatures most perform similarly in all temps.To minimize the # of lines & spools apply the kiss principle & choose a good quality general purpose weight forward line.Some lines tend to coil more than others.A large arbor reel will reduce coiling.