Fly Lines
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Floating lines actually have multiple uses because of the versatility of the fly line. You can use floating line when fishing with dry flies as well as the fishing nymphs or insect larvae from just below the surface to the deep waters of the lake. Floating lines have their limitations. How deep you can fish with the floating line is dependent upon the length of the leader and the fishermans patience. A fisherman must wait for the fly pattern to sink to the optimum depth. With leaders as long as 7 1/2 feet in length, floating lines are efficient when fishing in waters about 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet. It is extremely difficult to cast if you use a leader longer than that. The floating line can be used in the shallow shoal or littoral area of a lake where trout feed the most and is also a good choice when using fishing chironomid larvae and pupae, mayfly nymphs, damselfly nymphs, caddis pupae or any of the adult form of these species. No matter the length of the leader used just make sure it is tapered. This enables the fly to turn over after you have cast.
The Intermediate slow sinking fly line sinks about 1 to 2 inches per second. When fishing in water that is less than about 6 1/2 feet deep, this fly line is a good selection because of the slower sinking rate of the line. Learning to be patient is important for a beginner with the use of this line the amount of time you have to wait for the fly to sink is decreased.
The fast sinking fly line sinks about 3 to 5 inches per second. This type of fly line is perfect for fishing in the drop-off area of the lake. Trout like to occupy these drop-offs because of the cooler water temperature closer to the bottom. This can be very important to the trout during the warm summer months. The plants in most drop-off areas are still photosynthesizing, so the plants are still growing making for the abundance of insect or fish food.
Because a normal drop-off is about 6 1/2to almost 9 feet in depth, the use of the fast sinking fly line makes more sense than a slow sinking fly line. You want to make sure that you are retrieving your line as close to the bottom as possible. So you will need to do some calculating. Time the time it takes for the fly to reach the bottom using the specifications on the package. This will help you know when you should retrieve your line, however, if you are constantly getting snagged on the vegetation at the bottom, you will want to wait less time before retrieving your fly line.
When I was a kid going fishing, I learned absolutely nothing about the equipment I was using. As a kid, you went to the local store. A rod and reel sometimes came in the same package with fishing line already on it. Of course that was the conventional tackle not fly fishing equipment, but I never really knew there were so many different sizes and types of fly line, fly rods or even the fly reels to choose from. The good thing when looking into fly line, even though there are several different manufacturers that make fly line, they all have the same name and classifications for their lines. If you choose a 6-weight fly line from one manufacturer it is the same as the 6-weight fly line from another manufacturer. The difference in the fly lines are in the core, the outer material or how high the floating line ride, if you are choosing a floating line.
In choosing a fly line you must know several factors before making the purchase. What fly are you casting? Is it a wet fly or a dry fly? Will you be making short casts or long casts? Will you be making a delicate presentation or slogging nymphs or streamers?
So while you are taking all of that in, I will tell you about some of the different types of fly lines you will have to choose from. The DT line is designed to be tapered at both ends. It started out a budget line. Since both ends are tapered, when one end wore out, you could take the line off the reel and rewind the worn out end first. It has been used for a number of years as a dry fly line.
Then there is a newer line called the TT or Triangle Taper, which has a longer distance of taper. It is a good casting line and rolls out smooth. This not only makes it a good dry fly line, but also a great line for roll casting.
The WFF also known as Weight Forward Floating line is used for fishing nymphs, streamers, and artificial bait. Some people do use it for dry flies where constant winds cause you fly line to collapse without any additional weight.
Level line is used for steelhead or blue-water fishing from boat or shore. It is a specialty distance type of line. It is used as running line for shooting heads. Shooting heads with lead cores can be very heavy.
A WFS also known as Weight Forward, Sinking is good for some special uses such as fast bottom fish or lakes. When you start pulling up a full sinking line out of the water and casting the line can be tough. These are the disadvantages to a sinking line, other lines would be able to do the job better.
A floating line with a tip section, about 10 feet or so, will sink and take your fly with it. There are sink-tips that sink fast or very fast and you can also get the ones that sink slow and even slower than that.
It all boils down to matching the type of fish, fly and water you will be fishing when choosing the best line.