Which fly fishing lines should I choose?

With so many fly fishing lines on the market today it's hard to know where to start. You've got to choose whether you need a floating fly line, full sinking line or sink tip.

Then you have to choose the taper. Do you need a double taper or a weight forward? With all of these choices it can be a bit confusing, especially if you're new to the sport of fly fishing.

Over the last few years fly fishing lines have become very specialized. It use to be simple to choose a fly line because you didn't have a lot of choices. This is not the case today. Today we can select a fly line based on the species that we intend to fish for.

In many ways this can make the selection process simpler. If you are a trout fisherman using a 5 weight rod you can select a 5 weight trout taper line. There are bonefish tapers and bass tapers and every other kind of taper you can imagine.

So let's take a look at some fly fishing line basics that will help you make a more informed choice.

What weight do I need?

The two most important tools in your fly fishing arsenal are your fly fishing rod and your fly line. The key here is that they have to work together so they need to be matched up properly. If you're fishing a 5 weight fly rod, you will probably need a 5 weight fly line.

If your line doesn't match your rod, it won't cast properly. You'll have troubles creating a tight loop and delicate presentations will be difficult at best. This can be very frustrating and create a lot of unnecessary work on your part. It will also cost you some fish.

This is the most important point that I'm going to make in this article, here it is. Make sure your fly fishing lines match your fly rods.

Fly Fishing Line Tapers

The line shape is what determines how the line casts. Double tapered fly lines are thicker in the middle and thinner on the ends. This makes the double taper excellent for short casts and delicate presentations. A small clear spring creek with spooky wild trout would require a very delicate and precise presentation. This is where a double taper fly line can be a gift from the fly fishing gods.

A weight forward taper will be easier to cast longer distances but does not provide as delicate a presentation as double taper fly fishing lines. I use a weight forward line for most all of my fishing. This is because most of the time I'm fishing bigger rivers and lakes. In these circumstances I may need to cast a pretty good distance to get to the trout.

Floating lines and sinking lines and sink tips

Do you need a floating line or a sinking line? The short answer is both! In most situations a floating line can be made to work but there are times when the only way to catch fish is to get deep.

I would recommend keeping a spool of sinking line or sink tip with you for those deeper water situations. In most cases a sink tip will do the job for me. This is important when fishing those deep fast runs with a nymph or streamer.

Sometimes you need a little help getting your fly to the fish. I've seen times when a 6 inch section of sink tip between the line and leader made all the difference. If you're going to be fishing deeper lakes or ponds, you will find a full sinking line a must.

Summary

The bottom line is, whatever kind of fly fishing you plan on doing, there are fly fishing lines designed to do the job. There are fly lines designed for trout, bass, bone fish and tarpon. There are floating lines and sink tip lines and full sink lines.

With all of these choices we have the ability to fish more kinds of water for more species than ever before. And with these specialized fly fishing lines we can increase our chance for success on every outing.