Fly Line Choice

[Bruce Edward Litton]

I just bought a TFO Signature 6 ft, 2 weight rod & Ross Flyrise, thanks to Brk Trt, and I'm not sure which 2 weight line to buy for the reel, other than it should be a floating tapered line. What brand does anyone suggest? Even though I've fly fished some since I was 10, I'm still a novice at this point, but want to move ahead with good equipment and some more time fishing trout on very small streams as well as larger streams.

 

[lightenup]

Here we go again....

May I suggest trying a Terenezio faux silk line.....They are amazing....At first you won't believe it, but "season" the line properly and you will never want another...
a bit pricey, but they claim to last twenty years, mine is two years old and getting better everyday......It is a double taper, and cast well new, but better and better with every outing...


Artificial Silk

http://www.terenziosilklines.com/images/stories/flylife.pdf

 

[flyI4]

typically- small stream fishing does not require the same attention to detail when dealing with equipment. in saying that, I mean 1) the reel is not important because the fish don't pull line 2) any rod will work and its really a choice of a long rod for "dapping" or a shorter rod if you want to try and cast although experience has shown me that there are usually obstacles to casting even if u have a shorter rod that isnt hitting the trees above u and 3) fly selection isnt that important. AS a line- I think u want a heavy loading line on a small stream so u can kind of toss it out there without a making a full cast/and or roll cast it. Go with whatever line u can find at a decent price that is a weight forward line- rio is a good place to look- and maybe even get 1 wt heavier then the rod so in your instance a 3wt. The "touch" element wont be important but being able to shoot the line out without making a full cast will.

 

[lightenup]

typically- small stream fishing does not require the same attention to detail when dealing with equipment. in saying that, I mean 1) the reel is not important because the fish don't pull line 2) any rod will work and its really a choice of a long rod for "dapping" or a shorter rod if you want to try and cast although experience has shown me that there are usually obstacles to casting even if u have a shorter rod that isnt hitting the trees above u and 3) fly selection isnt that important. AS a line- I think u want a heavy loading line on a small stream so u can kind of toss it out there without a making a full cast/and or roll cast it. Go with whatever line u can find at a decent price that is a weight forward line- rio is a good place to look- and maybe even get 1 wt heavier then the rod so in your instance a 3wt. The "touch" element wont be important but being able to shoot the line out without making a full cast will.

I am curious as to why many like a long rod for small stream fishing?

I used to have only one rod.....It was an 8' 5" 5wt. Eagle Claw switch rod, then I got an 8' 5" 5wt. Winston IM6, what a difference, but.....I do a lot of small stream fishing.....I used to get frustrated banging into overhanging limbs, bushes, brambles...even when walking( I know, I can count to potato)..........But then I got a 7' 3wt. JD Wagner Boo.....what a difference, small stream fishing became much more pleasurable and a bit more easy.......especially when setting the hook....I don't worry as much about smacking the tip into a tree branch...as far a dapping...I find, in most of the situations presented in a small stream, the drifts are short, but complex, so, put the line on the water in the right place and the length of the rod is moot......a challenge that I will probably never master, but that is what keeps me coming back for more....

I also disagree that fly selection is unimportant.....I fish over very wily wild brown trout in a couple small streams, and believe me, if those fish are not presented the correct fly , ...correctly, they will not eat it....another thing I will never master, but keeps me coming back........situational fishing I guess you would call it.....

 

[flyI4]

LU- I think the long rod is useful in small streams that u know are going to offer nymphing scenarios. Little plunge pools/pockets are a pain to cast into and a longer rod allows u to keep your distane from the pool and kind of flick it in the lie without having to do much work. Often- those types of streams are all about stealth, and the presentation is secondary. Land the fly in the right place and the fish are going to dart after it and take it. I know what you're eluding to though. For instance, rockaway creek is a stream that is somewhat small but has a lot of flat pools and the fish do rise. There- i think a 7ft 3wt or whatever small stream rod u have of comparable length is a nice fit. U gotta make casts there and when u see fish rising usually its a upstream cast and its not just dapping the fly. I totally agree that those situations justify the shorter rod and a more precise presentation. I was thinking more of a dunnfield creek type of situation.

 

[lightenup]

Yes, I fish that creek a lot. The trout in there are stupid, as they are very rarely pressured........I was referring to the creek by my house...more wild brown trout that get a heavy stocking of rainbows every spring(except this year), and get fished over quite a bit...the wild ones are sometimes extremely hard to catch.....I see your point, and agree that a longer rod would be a better choice for that situation....



I need to fish...maybe Monday!!!!!

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Yes, I fish that creek a lot. The trout in there are stupid, as they are very rarely pressured........I was referring to the creek by my house...more wild brown trout that get a heavy stocking of rainbows every spring(except this year), and get fished over quite a bit...the wild ones are sometimes extremely hard to catch.....I see your point, and agree that a longer rod would be a better choice for that situation....





I need to fish...maybe Monday!!!!!

We all know your.........

 

[PRomano]

My advice would be to get a double taper fly line. Brand doesn't matter, they're all good these days. Since you are fishing small streams and not much line is needed, cut the line in half and save half the line for when the first half wear's out. You'll save some cash!

 

[mob201]

Not to hijack this thread - the emphasis has been on small water - but does anybody have any suggestions about a fly line that is good for casting streamers on big water? The fiberglass in my boat ate up my Wulff triangle taper and although I liked that line, I'm wondering if anybody has something fantastic they want to plug. Any sharkskin users out there?

As for small water lines, I actually wonder whether you want a taper at all. If you don't have to shoot line, why choose anything but the line that will make the smallest impact? Seems like something you can pick off the water easily and roll cast would be the best option. Not sure what that would be. All I know is that the line that came preloaded on my 3-weight reel is not it.:crap:

 

[PRomano]

If you don't have to shoot line, why choose anything but the line that will make the smallest impact? Seems like something you can pick off the water easily and roll cast would be the best option. Not sure what that would be. All I know is that the line that came preloaded on my 3-weight reel is not it.:crap:

That is exactly why you want a double taper! A double taper has all those characteristics you mention. So does the Wulff. Only the Wulff is not reversable so you'll have to purcahse a new line once it wears out.

 

[tomfly]

I am hard on fly lines. I beat the hell out of them. That is because I like to fish the sections of the stream that are deemed to difficult or less pleasing to fish. (The B and C water). I have my reason why I fish those sections. I usually get 2 or 3 seasons out of a line. My line is constantly being scraped over rocks and logs. I am very adept t at destroying the outer coating on the first 20 feet of a fly line. I don’t usually cast more the 25 or 30 feet so how proficient a particular line is at casting is incidental to me. I can scrape them all equally the same. So for me; I try to purchase lines that have become discontinued. I usually get a good line at discounted price. The best line is the one I can get the cheapest.

 

[lightenup]

We all know your.........

View attachment 10376

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[flyI4]

Not to hijack this thread - the emphasis has been on small water - but does anybody have any suggestions about a fly line that is good for casting streamers on big water? The fiberglass in my boat ate up my Wulff triangle taper and although I liked that line, I'm wondering if anybody has something fantastic they want to plug. Any sharkskin users out there?

As for small water lines, I actually wonder whether you want a taper at all. If you don't have to shoot line, why choose anything but the line that will make the smallest impact? Seems like something you can pick off the water easily and roll cast would be the best option. Not sure what that would be. All I know is that the line that came preloaded on my 3-weight reel is not it.:crap:

Mob-


not sure if u fish sink tip lines but i highly suggest u try one if u have been only using floating lines for streamer fishing. If the wulff line u were using was their sink tip- my experiemce w that line is that it does not get the fly in the zone quickly enough. I really like the kelly galloup streamer express line as it both casts nice and gets the fly down quickly. Also-- i personally dont think sink tips are only for high water- u just gotta be decent with line control and keep the fly moving once it hits the water. U seem to know your stuff so shouldnt be a problem for u

 

[mob201]

U seem to know your stuff

Shit - sorry to have given you that impression.

This is great advice. It made me realize something which I'm sure is obvious to the veterans on the board. When wading and fishing streamers as I often do in medium or low flows, a floating line is fine. You are stationary, so you can just cast quartering upstream, and let your fly sink for a few seconds before stripping through a run or a slick in front of some structure.

But you're totally right - Getting the fly down last year was a constant problem when I was banging the banks from a boat. You're moving the same speed as the current, so you can't use the current to fish deeper or shallower in the water column. And when the fish are hanging out under cutbanks or under overhanging knotweed, you need it to get down fast.

I have an extra reel that fishes fine. I'll load it with a sink tip for the drift boat or the canoe. Thanks!

 

[Bruce Edward Litton]

My advice would be to get a double taper fly line. Brand doesn't matter, they're all good these days. Since you are fishing small streams and not much line is needed, cut the line in half and save half the line for when the first half wear's out. You'll save some cash!

Think I'll go with the double taper and cut it in half. You guys are making me feel a little as if my 6 foot rod is too short. Fly14 says I should stick with my long rod, but others say 7 feet are fine. True to my dreaming mind, I just liked the idea of using a 6 foot, 2 weight, actually long before Brk Trk recommended this in another thread recently. Just seems to be a beauty in going really light. I even want to use this rod on the North Branch in May, and I'm sure I will. Reading Thomas McGuane, he writes about cast rate having a lot to do with the value of a longer rod, which makes plenty of sense in a stream where you can double haul. But I think for streams as small as the Rockaway Creek, and even smaller, I may find the 6 foot is just the ticket, if mostly because I just like the light feel, although over the years I hope comparisons grow. If it's no sin to speak of spin fishing, I have for years used a 3 1/2 foot rod so light I can bend the tip backwards and crossover the rod shaft. I use a weightless single salmon egg and cast more than half across the N. Branch. Two pound test line results in drag screaming 10 inch rainbows with the rod bent to the butt.

 

[Alan_B]

No need to cut it in half. When the one end gets beat up just reverse the line on the reel. As for line choice the Rio Trout LT double taper would be an excellent choice.

 

[NJpatbee]

I would take a look at the Cortland 444 DT Sylk line. As far as the 6' rod, I had one that was a 5WT in the mid-70's and it was a chore to cast with, but with today's composites should you have a good tool. If a buy another rod, a 6-6 1/2 rod for a 1 or 2 WT for the small WTS waters I fish is one I would consider, but I do get by fine with a 7 1/2' 3 wt. full-flex rod so it loads quickly. Good luck and let us know how you do.

 

[gregschmegg]

SA GPX... works for me.