A good fly line won’t make you a good caster. A lesson will work better than an expensive line. But let’s look at a few dry fly lines characteristics and what may suit you in common dry fly fishing scenarios.
Things to consider when fly lines are being selected for dry fly:
- Can you cast?
- Are you mending line for drag free drifts on rivers?
- Are you casting distance – bank fishing a lake with big flies or close in?
- Is your rod fast, moderate or slow action?
- Do you want fast pick up and delivery?
Trout flies are generally not large (either dry or wet) and would be comfortably handled by a 6 weight line. However there are many WF (weight forward) line tapers. You will need to think about what fishing you will do most and the type of rod you are using.
Rod characteristics
I will use Sage as the first example. You pretty much can’t overweight a Sage fly rod. They have always been proud of making fast action fly rods and loading them to cast often means anglers go up a weight in line. So, using a 7wt line on a 6wt rod is common. Sage own RIO and the RIO Grand fly lines are one line size overweight – so a 6wt RIO Grand is actually a 7wt. These work well on ‘fast’ rods, but really the rod is a 7wt, but with 6wt written on it. SA and Airflo do the same with some fly lines. A Scientific Angler Infinity Plus is also a full line overweight.
Classic Action Fly Rods
Now take a softer or slower rod – often described as having a ‘Classic Action’. At the extreme end of slow/soft you will find at cane and fibreglass. If a Sage is fast, these are slow. And you really don’t want to overweight them.
Popular Fly Lines for Dry Fly
Let’s look at a few popular lines and we will go with a 6wt line for reference – which should weigh in at 160 grains at 30ft. We are only looking at floating lines. Perhaps we will look at sinking and saltwater lines in the future.
Scientific Anglers: Infinity - Click to buy
Infinity refers to the taper only (they come in textured and smooth coatings). It is a WF line with a long head of 50ft (sorry about the imperial measurements, but fly lines follow US conventions). The weight for 30ft should be 160 grains, but it is 175 gr (half a line weight heavy) and extend this to 50ft – the length of the head and you are casting the equivalent of a 9wt. Make sense? Not really! but a long head allows you to hold more line in the air and the long over-weighted head lets you turn over big flies and nymphs under dries and indicators. I believe it is the biggest selling line in the world. It loads fast rods really well, but is not a line for delicate presentations or moderate and slow action rods. There is also the Infinity Plus which is a full line overweight.
Scientific Anglers: MPX - Click to buy
The MPX line is one of my favourites. It has a short head at 38ft; is half a line heavier at 30ft and 175 grain and the same as the Infinity, but only at 30ft. Its full head weight comes in at 210 grain. Because the head is shorter it is difficult to hold a lot of line in the air, but it is a great wade polaroiding line as you can cast short or shoot it long – both very quickly. It also has a few cane rod supporters as once past the head it is only running line so there is not much weight being added. I am quite happy using a 5wt MPX on my 6wt Sage R8.
Scientific Anglers: Trout Expert - Click to buy
This is a beautiful presentation line for dry fly fishing. It is true to weight and at 30ft is 160 grains – exactly what it should be. Its head weight is 340 grains, but that is at 71ft – the longest head on any regular WF line. This is a true dry fly line and competent anglers can hold the full 70ft in the air. It does not feel like it is loading the rod because of the very long progressive taper. This is not a line for mugs. I would not recommend this line to anyone that is a beginner or 'casting challenged'.
If a line can be a classic this is it. It has a mid length head at 48ft and at 30ft weighs in at 168 grains – just a little over the 160 grain standard. The total head weight at 48ft is 234 grains, so up around the same as the SA Infinity, but it has more rear taper. This is a super all round line that will work for dries, nymph under dry and small wets and has good mending capabilities.
A new line from RIO that replaces the RIO Grand which was very popular. It is a full line size heavier at 30ft, coming in at 185 grains, has ahead length of 38ft and total head weight of 240 grains. A great indicator, dropper line and for heavier flies, but not made for dry fly. It will load up your fast rod with ease and send the flies into next week. But remember it is not really a 6wt, that is just what is written on the box. It comes in Elite (low stretch core) and Premier (standard core).
Summary
If you want to find a fly line that suits you, your fly rod and the style of fishing you do, talk to your fly fishing specialist store. There are many more lines than here and it would be confusing to continue with another ten different lines, which I could easily do. A fly line line is like a car engine and a good line is more important than the rod you use. Different situations will benefit from different lines and more expensive lines will usually last longer.
At Essential Flyfisher we have sold thousands of fly lines over the years and generally go through a number questions when someone asks for a new line to ensure they get the best line for the job. We have more than 40 practice lines available you can try in the carpark at the rear of the shop. Drop in with your rod and have a try.
Cheers, Mike Stevens
