How much of the front of you line can you cut off before...?

D

DJBerg

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Aug 20, 2012
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So I got my new rod all set up last night, mystic m series 8'3" 3wt, rio trout avid line, and a redington rise 3/4wt...

Well on the first outing with this pole, I ended up catching a nymph about 5' up my line and it took a pretty decent chunk out of my line, probably almost half way through the line...

So my question is can I cut my line back that far with out casting compromise for presentation? And just re tie a new perfection loop?

Thanks guys, DJ Berg
 
Getting half of your fly line caught in a tree must have been one heck of a sight! Welcome to the joys of fly fishing. IT GETS BETTER.

Pretty sure that is a tapered line... cutting the line will affect the taper and performance of your casting.

You can always cut the line back and just tie a new leader but the line probably won't cast as intended to by the manufacturer.

I know your not going to want to hear this but I would totally avoid cutting fly lines and if I were you I would purchase a new line.
 
It will likely improve the casting. It may have a slight negative effect on your presentation but my guess is you will not see any noticeable difference.

As I see it you have three choices:

1. Live with it. If its not hurting anything and you can live with the idea that it will probably pick up more crap, this maybe the way to go.

2. Cut it. If you can't live with missing chunk, I would at least try this approach, what do you have to lose?.

3. Replace it. I will go to extremes to avoid replacing a $50+ line. If you can live with a $15 replacement, that maybe the way to go.
 
Line in a tree I'm a pro at that... Thinking on buying a pole saw n starting to retrieve flies, lol.

Yeah I'm running 6x tippet so I'm sort of hoping it will break before tha actual line, hoping any ways and if it does, well I'll prob just cut the loop off a new leader(already got one), and nail knot it to keep as much of the taper as possible...

Yeah I figured the line would be salvageable, and well I'm too cheap to spend another $55 on a new line for now... So I'll ride it out n just go with the flow...
 
^^^
Hey... making things work and adapting is a part of fly fishing too. Not a bad move and yeah 55 dollar line is expensive. I wouldn't want to spend that twice either.
 
Just to help clarify, I think he is saying the nick happened 5' in to his line and the nick went half way through the diameter of the line. So he would only be losing 5' of line, not half the line.

5' wouldn't matter too much for me. If it's a Weight Forward line, it would just bring the weight part more forward sort of like a short belly line. I agree that it might even improve casting.

If the line is a double taper, couldn't it just be flipped around?

Here is a good illustration of fly lines:
http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/flylines/
 
Single taper wf4f line, awesome other than when you pierce it with a sz18 hook lol.

Yeah ya know new toys alway gotta have some issue that you caused... I think that's just the way my world works lol
 
Just some superglue over the affected area should work fine.
 
Anybody see this article?

http://www.flyrodreel.com/magazine/2012/august/welded-loops

I've fixed fly lines using this technique - it works!

If the damage isn't bad, sealing it with superglue would probably be fine. If the damage is bad enough to cause the line to hang up in the guides, I'd try a repair like in the article on making welded loops.

Get some clear heat shrink tubing (Radio Shack) slightly larger in diameter than the fly line. Cut a piece of the tubing so it extends an inch or so on either side of the damaged spot, and slide it on the fly line.

The article mentions using a curling iron, but I used a heat gun. Applying heat carefully as in the article, I rolled the still hot heat shrink tubing in my fingers until it cooled, and then cut the tubing off.

The heat melted the the pvc coating inside the heat shrink tubing, and fused the pvc back together. The heat shrink tubing kept the shape of the line nicely as it cooled. I couldn't even tell the line was ever damaged.
 
5' is probably the entire front taper of the line. if you can't fix it as per HA's method, then you will have to live with it.

Cutting it off will compromise the line.

All this is moot if its a double taper line. If it is, turn it around. Move on with your life.

All things considered, live with it. I've put hooks through my line and the line continues to work just fine, and despite the fact that I could simply turn it around, I have yet to do so.
 
Yet another reason to go barbless, I magine you can repair it rather than cutting it off. You could probably use a short piece of shrink tubing for a repair. OR some kind of plastic glue. Suoer glue breaks down in water.
 
DJBerg,

I am sorry, I though it was 5 inches not 5 feet. In that case, cutting will result in a drastically different line. A repair attempt looks like the best option.

I guess I need new glasses again.
 
Thanks heritage, if it's PVC then yeah right about 375 deg would be the temp to shoot for. I had a job as a plastic welder a few years back, nothing that small though, everything I did was for metal finishing lines(plating tanks, hood vents n what not...). But I know how to bond PVC with heat... So I'll definitely be going that route, though I personally will preheat the split so it will have the best meld possible.

Shorted, it's ok I'm only 32 n wonder about my eyes constantly... Everyday I'm reminded I'm not as young as i used to be...

And heck what does it really matter every trout stream I've been to in the last month has been a bust. I can catch pretty much anything except trout. Though maybe because of the dry summer with the heat, they didn't fair all that well... I donno. All I can do is keep trying.
 
Heritage-Angler wrote:
I've fixed fly lines using this technique - it works!
Click to expand...

Now this shocks me!!!!!! You have like 40 of everything, I figure you'd just replace it. :-D
 
I have a masters degree in cheapology.

Do a search on [liquid electrical tape]. Another possibility would be [brush on electrical tape]. A third search taht might produce somethign that will work would be [plastic dip]

I used some brush on electrical tape awhile back to repair the outer jacket on the power cord of a vacuum cleaner. Got it at a local HW store. Man does that stuff stick and it does hold up to abrasion. I bet something like that could be used to smooth out a nick in the outer jacket of a fly line. The plastic dip sounds interesting as well. Teh repair might not look pretty, but it would likely be functional and not get caught on things. We are talking anywhere from 4 to 8 bucks depending on what you get and then you will have it to for other things.

They do sell it in a few different colors, so who knows. Maybe you can find a color close enough to be less noticeable.
 
I've been kicking this idea around in my head for a few days. Thinking I'm just going to weld it, I have my plastic welder(super fancy heat gun), and I'm thinking tin foil so I can't burn it. If you over heat PVC it discolors in a hurry. Or a very small metal tube, something that the PVC will not bond to, but I'll have the best shot at keeping the diameter needed not to screw up my front taper...
 
Clear heat shrink tubing works great for this. You can see when the pvc melts, and the shrink tube keeps the line's shape.

Here's a video showing how to make a welded loop - a repair is even easier. Takes all of about a minute to do...

 
Looks like I am way over thinking this... Seems simple enough, just gotta find some clear heat shrink.

Thanks for a very helpful answer!
 
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