What Are Tapers in Fly Lines?

You must understand it’s the line that we are casting, not the fly. So to create the energy that will propel the fly, the rod and line must work together to create the energy to get the fly where you want it. Tapers equalize the energy that develops from the rod to the line. This is where the taper of the line is important.

Fly-line taper is a small adjustment made by the manufacturer of the fly line to the fly line itself. This generally involves making parts of the line thicker in spots, heavier in spots, thinner in other spots, lighter in other spots. These adjustments to the fly line are done to give the angler better control of the line which, in theory, means improved casting. There are really only a couple different types of tapers in fly lines, but it’s the small variances in those tapers that will make a certain line cast better with the different action rods.

Weight-Forward Taper (WF) Are the most common of Fly-lines tapers there are nowadays. A Tip-flex (fast action) rod requires a line that has a more progressive forward taper. Meaning that there is added weight at the very front of the line so that the rod will load with less line on the water. These lines are most of the time a Half to Three quarters of a line weight heavier. A Mid-flex (medium action) rod will mostly be fine with a regular Weight-forward line. A Full-flex(slow action) rod will have a line with less weight placed at the front and more in the middle to create more subtle presentations. In Trout fishing if we are using a 5 weight rod we are going to use either a WF5F(floating) or WF5S(sinking or sink tip) line.

Double-taper(DT) lines place the thick(weighted)part in the middle of the fly line. Double tapers are longer than weight-forward ones. A double taper fly line is commonly used for short casts but is not practical for long casts. A Double-taper line is usually matched to the lighter weight rods 1-3 for subtle representations of small dry flies. They can also be turned around since the taper is the same at both ends. This can give the line a second life.

Level-Lines When the fly line has no taper, it is called level-taper. Level-taper fly lines don’t really allow for delivery smoothness and are, therefore, rather uncommon. But have become more common for European Nymphing and Tenkara fishing Fly-lines are also numbered to match the line’s weight to the weight rod you are using.

What Are Floating and Sinking Fly Lines?

Floating fly lines float on the surface of the water. They are the most common type of line and the easiest to use. Floating fly lines are better when fishing in windy conditions and are versatile enough for short and long casting.

Sinking fly lines are lines that sink into the water. These types of fly lines are graded depending on the speed and depth with which they sink. An intermediate fly line sinks slowly in the water.

Why do you need a sinking fly line? If you are fishing for fish that don’t come to the surface of the water, you want your fly to reach them inside the water, therefore you need a sinking fly line. If your fish are deep in the water, you will want a fast-sinking fly line: you want your fly to be tempting enough without alerting the fish that it’s bait, hence the need for speed.

As for sink-tip fly lines, most of the line floats but the last part sinks in the water. Sink-tip fly lines are used for fishing fish deep in the water. Their benefit is that most of the line stays atop the water: when you need to throw your line for recast, you won’t have to retrieve the full length of the line from the water.

Are There Differences Between Saltwater and Freshwater Lines?

Fly-lines are either made for freshwater or saltwater. Freshwater lines are usually fished in colder water and are made to be more supple for colder climates. A Bass line will be a little less supple then a Trout or Salmon line Freshwater lines are more opaque in color. Moss green, dull yellow or gray to match the surroundings of the fish. Saltwater lines are made to be more ridgid anh heavier construction for fishing to large fish in tropical conditions and many are colored blue or even clear so they are less visible to the fish.

How Long Will A Fly-Line Last?

At the beginning of this section we discussed how your line is like the tires on a car. Well like tires, Fly-lines have a finite life and that life depends on how well you take care of your line. Think about how much wear and tear a line will go through the Friction of moving through the rod’s guides, dirt, scraping on rocks of other debris in the water to being stretched and the heat and cold. Being wet then dry all over again and again will do damage to the line over time. Most line manufatuerer’s claim that a line if well taken care of should give you between 80-100 days on the water. So cleaning and maintaining your line will prevent cracks and dirt build up.

Fly Fishing Outfitters Have the Fly Line You Need

Whether you are fishing in saltwater or freshwater, we have the fly line you need, including Orvis fly lines and Rio Fly lines and many other manufacturers. We are always able to special order any flyline you are looking for. We carry several fly line weights and tapers to help anglers catch the fish they want. You will find floating and sinking lines as well sink tip lines as well as various fly line weights.