A fly line is another crucial component of any fly fishing outfit. The wrong type of fly line can lead to poor fishing and very unpleasant casting. Any fly line you use should match up in weight perfectly with both the fly reel and the fly rod.
Orvis recently released a slick new line of fly lines called the Wonderline® Advantage. It is 20% slicker than any other line, according to their website. Check it out.
Why is the fly line so important? In fly fishing, you must remember that it is the weight of the fly line - not the fly itself - that actually casts the fly that you present to those hungry trout. If you use too heavy of a fly line for the fly rod that you have, what happens is that you end up "overloading" the fly rod (the fly rod bends excessively). This presents severe casting challenges, to say the least. The overloading of the fly rod will also cause your fly to make quite the entry when it hits the water also, spooking anything in the vicinity.
Conversely, if you use too light of a fly line for the fly rod, the result is the opposite. Because the fly line is "lighter" than the fly rod, the fly rod does not bend enough to properly load. In this case you won’t be able to cast the fly out as far as you want and you’ll have very poor casting control.
Remember this Formula!Fly Line Weight = Fly Reel Weight = Fly Rod Weight. So, let's get started examining fly lines. The first thing to keep in mind about fly lines is the weight.
Click here to read more from Hooked on Flies
