Ten Things You Should Know About Fly Lines

Ten Things You Should Know About Fly Lines

I have been an invited guest at most of the fly-rod manufacturing plants in North America, but what I have never been allowed to see–in 25 years of covering products in fly fishing–is the inner-machinations of a fly-line manufacturing plant. That’s because, more than any single element of the fly-fishing mix, the fly-line world is the most secretive, proprietary realm, and the line companies admit it. Heck they’re proud of this secrecy, and I guess they should be.

Fly lines are also one of the most important and influential factors when it comes to fly gear, and the ripple effect will be felt more and more in the months and years ahead. As such, Flylab is going to start taking deeper dives into the fly line ecosystem, starting with some basic truths:

1. That thousand-dollar fly rod you just bought (or are thinking about buying) can really be three, four, or five different fly rods in character, all of which are completely dependent on the fly lines you utilize. And if you put an underperforming line on what could be a great rod, you turn any rod into a pretty ordinary casting tool.

2. It’s difficult to judge a fly rod’s performance with one line only. Some rods match best with certain lines for certain scenarios, and those lines and rods aren’t always from the same company.

3. Fly rods that are so fast and stiff that you need a “one size heavy” line to load and feel the cast aren’t what they say they are. The 5-weight that casts better with a “one size heavy” line (6-weight) is exactly what the line weight says: a 6-weight fly rod.

4. The coated fly line may very well be the greatest technological advance in the history of fly fishing, edging out graphite for use in fly rods, and GORE-Tex in waders.

5. PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is used to coat about 90-percent of fly lines, is nasty stuff. A known carcinogen, it isn’t outlawed because when you fish, you likely aren’t dropping little poison bomblets into the environment–it’s how PVC is incorporated into the fly line production process and ultimately disposed of that’s the environmental concern.

6. If you over-stuff your reel and put on so much backing that your line scrapes the frame or line guard, you do create poisonous PVC microplastic bomblets to leave in the river. Good reels have smooth edges.

7. Polyurethane coatings and other more eco-friendly, recyclable materials offer some advantages, and disadvantages, otherwise nobody would make PVC-coated lines. Fly lines with polyurethane (PU) coatings are generally more durable than PVC lines and are resistant to insect repellent and sunscreen. PU lines are also thinner in diameter (for better casting performance and less water surface water contact), but have been historically stiffer and provided less stretch than standard PVC lines. At one point, the older versions didn’t float particularly well, but a lot of progress is being made on these collective performance fronts.

8. There are literally hundreds of different lines with different performance characteristics–all dependent on different factors–line cores, coatings, tapers, mass concentrations, stretch, colors, and on and on. And the majority of angling consumers are completely oblivious to this information. We’re here to help.

9. A $125 fly line should last at least 125 days on the water.

10. How long fly lines last is ultimately determined by how they are maintained: clean, rinse, treat, stretch, avoid abrasion, keep out of intense sunlight, away from bug spray, etc. As fly lines have crossed over (easily) the $100 barrier, it’s important to care for and maintain this core piece of your fly-fishing equipment.  – Kirk Deeter

Getting the Most Out of Fly Lines

We had a question about “getting the most out of your fly line…”

Often overlooked, fly lines are a lot like tires on your car–they largely determine casting performance and also require some simple maintenance to stay clean and functional.

Keep your lines clean: This seems pretty obvious, but brand new (clean) fly lines tend to perform a lot better than ones covered with grit, grime, salt, dog slobber etc. To get your fly line performing again, strip it off the reel (as much as you cast), put it in a bucket of warm water and add some mild dish soap. Let the line soak for 5-10 minutes, then clean with a cloth or shammy to remove the built up dirt and grime. After, rinse the line (again) in water and dry with a clean paper towel. It doesn’t hurt to put a little pressure on the line moving through the paper towel to remove any stubborn grime.

Dressing fly lines: After the fly line has been cleaned and allowed to thoroughly dry, some anglers like to dress their fly lines, particularly dry lines, with an additional dressing like Rio’s AgentX Fly Line Dressing or Umpqua’s Glide Line Dressing. These are intended to keep the line slick, clean and floating better. In recent years, there’s been some debate about whether line dressings actually help to collect more dirt and grime than those without, but you’ll have to experiment and see what works. Every fly line and dressing combination can interact in slightly different ways. But dressing or no dressing, if you’re spending time keeping your fly line clean, it’ll be a big win for your overall casting performance.

How often do you clean a fly line: As a general rule of thumb, clean your fly line when it starts casting poorly (sluggishly). We know some anglers who ritualistically clean their fly lines every outing, others every half-dozen trips, still others who go every few months. There’s really no perfect rule, but if you value casting performance, the more the better.

Things to avoid: It’s a good idea to keep solvents (sunscreen, bug spray etc.) away from your fly lines, as they can damage the exterior. As mentioned above, fly lines with polyurethane (PU) coatings are more resistant to insect repellent and sunscreen.

Twisting, kinking: Often you’ll notice your fly line kinking or coiling after long days of fly casting–this also happens in cold weather. Fly lines, because they are made with nylon cores and PVC coatings, often retain the “memory” of their coiled position over time, particularly when stored on narrow fly reels. Cleaning and stretching (literally with your hands) fly lines can often help remove this built up memory. Entire fly lines can also become “twisted” on the reel after long days of casting, particularly in boats. An easy way to resolve this twisting issue is to strip off the entire fly line and let it float below you in the river (you should even have some backing out). Let the fly line ride in the currents for a few minutes and unwork itself.

Product Buzz

Deeter reviews the Thomas & Thomas Avantt II 9-foot 5-weight fly rod, which is a classically-designed, well-performing rod. Kara Armano tests the Simms’ Women’s BugStopper Jogger and Women’s BugStopper SolarFlex Hoody. GearJunkie has a thorough overview of the 2024 waders that matter; also Patagonia’s winter fly-fishing gear. Some great musky tool intel from Hatch: “Four Must-have Tools for Musky.”

Fly-fishing News

Make sure to enter the Flylab Spring Gear Giveaway: $1100 of awesome stuff we’re giving away. Field Mag heads into the Desolation Wilderness for a high-country photo essay. Field & Stream spends the day with John N. Maclean, son of Norman Maclean, and author of A River Runs Through It. Joe Cermele, from the Cut & Retie Podcast, drops some down and dirty carp knowledge on your doorstep; Deeter on his favorite carp flies. Tim Romano, highlights some fishing tips for spring anglers: “Eight Tips for Fly Fishing the Spring Runoff;” also, ten tips for better fishing photos.

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RIGS Fly Shop & Guide Service

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Afuera Coffee Co.

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