How To Care for your Fly Lines

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Tom Rosenbauer shares some simple details on how to keep your flylines in great shape. To watch more of Tom's videos you can check out the YouTube channel here: Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing.

 

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Tom Rosenbauer shares some simple details on how to keep your flylines in great shape. To watch more of Tom's videos you can check out the YouTube channel here: Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing.

The first 2 feet of my weight forward like is cracked and no longer float. Can I cut it off or will it damage the performance? It’s a 4 wt. that I usually use on smaller streams. I’ll try washing it first.

 

I think you can cut off the damaged portion and just attach the leader using a nail knot. That's what I'd do.

 

The first 2 feet of my weight forward like is cracked and no longer float. Can I cut it off or will it damage the performance? It’s a 4 wt. that I usually use on smaller streams. I’ll try washing it first.

All fly lines have pretty much level tip section that is technically not considered to be part of the weight of the first 30 feet of line or part of the taper.

How LONG that tip is depends on the line brand & model but it varies between 6" to as long as 20" but 6" is very common.

Bottom line, it very likely if you lop off two feet of your line you will most likely notice a difference in how it casts.

Have you tried just dressing the line with a silicone paste floatant? Another thing that helps is to grease the butt section of your leader.

 

The first 2 feet of my weight forward like is cracked and no longer float. Can I cut it off or will it damage the performance? It’s a 4 wt. that I usually use on smaller streams. I’ll try washing it first.

My flyfishing mentor has this to say if you have a cracked fly line... "If your line is cracked, you've had it too long, or you're fishing way too much."

 

TR says to not apply floatant since it holds dirt and scum? When I strip the freshly dressed line through a paper towel to remove the excess, I don't get any buildup to speak of.

 

I typically use lines such as Rio Gold. Rio Tech Trout and SA Trout. Gold has a tip between 5 and 6 feet. Tech Trout and SA Trout have 10ft tips and are called presentation lines. Gold is more all purpose but turns over long leaders especially with large dry flies better or more easily. Tech Trout and SA Trout are good for like on the Upper D fishing the Sulphurs on smoother water or tailouts. I thought of cutting off some of the tip on those lines but cant bring myself to chop up a 80 or 99 dollar line.

The Wulff Triangle lines are popular on the Upper D. Many cut back the tip from 10 to 18 inches for reasons stated above.

 

I typically use lines such as Rio Gold. Rio Tech Trout and SA Trout. Gold has a tip between 5 and 6 feet. Tech Trout and SA Trout have 10ft tips and are called presentation lines. Gold is more all purpose but turns over long leaders especially with large dry flies better or more easily. Tech Trout and SA Trout are good for like on the Upper D fishing the Sulphurs on smoother water or tailouts. I thought of cutting off some of the tip on those lines but cant bring myself to chop up a 80 or 99 dollar line.

The Wulff Triangle lines are popular on the Upper D. Many cut back the tip from 10 to 18 inches for reasons stated above.

Trust me that the lines you mention don't have 5 & 6 foot tips, they have 5 or 6 foot front tapers, the tip is level section that is MUCH shorter that is only there to provide a place to attach or reattach a leader.

If you cut off 6 feet from a 90 or 80 foot line you will notice a huge difference in performance.

 

You are correct. I misnamed the front taper the tip . My reasoning for different front taper characteritics is correct.

 

TR says to not apply floatant since it holds dirt and scum? When I strip the freshly dressed line through a paper towel to remove the excess, I don't get any buildup to speak of.

TR also says to use dish soap which is a detergent and most if not all fly manufacturers recommend against the use of detergents and instead recommend using plain non-detergent soap like Ivory...

The reason being detergents can be harsh on the plasticizers in fly lines and can accelerate the removal of impregnated additives to improve shooting & floating like Sci Angler's AST or Rio's SlickCast.

In regards to TR admonishing the use of floatants, the big three fly line manufacturers Rio, Sci Anglers & Cortland all sell "treatments" for fly lines. At one time Rio recommended the use of Andre Puyan's Poo Goo, a pure silicone gel as a final line treatment after cleaning.

FWIW - I STILL use Poo Goo on some of my older Rio lines as well as the AST stuff on my Sci Angler lines.

As you know there is a right way and a wrong way to apply dressings and "wiping it off to remove excess" like you do is the RIGHT way.

The bottom line is the best way to clean a fly line is the way the manufacturer recommends. The plastic fly lines I own are made by Rio & Sci Anglers and I called them both and asked what they recommend...

...that may explain why I have some 20+ year old fly lines in my rotation that still cast and float great.

 

Thanks everyone. It broke my cheap-a-- heart but I bought a new line. Did I ever tell you that I'm cheap?