Lets be honest, there are more fly lines out there than anyone could reasonably try, and at $50-100 each, you wouldn’t want to spend t...
Lets be honest, there are more fly lines out there than anyone could reasonably try, and at $50-100 each, you wouldn’t want to spend the money to try them all. I want to make it easier for you to choose the line that will suit you best. This is a trout-specific article as we are about to enter the spring trout season. We will get into saltwater and steelhead/spey fishing in the future.
There are a couple of factors to consider when looking for a new trout line. The first is price. If you are a starving college student, dropping $100 on a new line to put on your $25 hand-me-down fly rod is ridiculous. This limits your choices, but there are still options that can make your life much easier (or much more difficult). More on these lines in a bit.
The next factor to consider is application, and this is the most important factor in choosing a line. Do you spent most of your time throwing small to medium sized dry flies (like a #24 midge up to a #8 hopper or so)? Do you spend a lot of time nymphing with an indicator, 4 split shot and two tungsten bead nymphs? What about streamer fishing? There are completely different lines that are built for all of those situations, and using the wrong one will, again, make your life more difficult.
The last important factor is your rod. Is it a broomstick or a limp noodle? Faster rods tend to match better with heavier lines, while noodles are more accurate with a dry fly (when you use the right line).
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| It's Trout Season!!!! |
Let’s look at fly line design to get a better idea as to why a certain line will work better than another. We often refer to the design or profile as the “taper” of the line. As you throw your forward cast, energy is traveling down the line. You can see it in action as the line unfurls in a nice loop in front of you. Hopefully your fly lands really softly and gently on the water. That can happen because the diameter of the line decreases as it nears the tip. As it decreases, the amount of energy that the line can carry also decreases. Lines that have a long front taper are better for presenting dry flies with accuracy, but worse for throwing streamers. You need more energy to “turn over” a streamer than a dry fly. This is why streamer tapers are short and do not end in a small diameter. The “heads” in these lines are typically shorter overall than dry fly lines.
Let’s compare a Rio Big Nasty with a Rio Light Line. You can see that much of the weight of the Big Nasty is in the front of the line, while the bulk of the weight in the Light Line is distributed from 13’ to 36’ from the tip. This makes the LightLine a better presentation line and the Big Nasty a great streamer line.
There is a huge difference in the overall weight of the line as well as the distribution of that weight in these two lines. The Big Nasty is at least two line sizes heavier than the Light Line. Rio no longer publishes line weights for many of their lines, but there is a “standard” for lines designated by AFTMA years ago. It is based on the weight in the first 30’ of the line. Rio (and most other manufacturers) are not always on track with making sure that a line adheres to the standards set by AFTMA years ago. That is why they say that a Rio Grand is a line size heavy. The 5 wt line falls into the range for a standard 6 wt line in the first 30’.
Back in the day when there were not a lot of options with lines, you chose your line based on how far you were going to cast your dry fly. If it was going to be consistently over 30’, you downsized your line by one size because after 30’ of line was out of the rod, the overall weight in the line would be more than you needed to properly load your rod.
Ok, getting back on track…
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| AFTMA line standards courtesy of: rodbuidlingforum.com |
Today’s faster action rods can handle more load (heavier lines) than our grandfathers’ rods. Most graphite rods today would fall into the “fast” range and will take a bit more weight to get the flex in it that it needs to unleash the line. Fast rods are not as accurate for dry flies as slower rods, and slower rods have a harder time turning over big flies and indicators, but all appropriately- sized rods will get the job done if they have the right line on them.
If you have a slower rod, like an old (or new) glass rod, bamboo or even a slower graphite rod like the Redington Classic Trout (love this rod!), then choosing a less aggressive line like the Trout LT or the LightLine will make your rod sing. It doesn’t put as much stress on your rod and lets the rod do what it was meant to do.
There are two different ways to load a fly rod. You can use the weight of the line to flex the rod to catapult it forward. Using a heavy line, the rod will load up and spring forward with less effort or precision in casting. This is like shooting a shotgun. In the bush, we had two options if we had to shoot a brown bear (which thankfully we never did): The first option is to hit it with a slug from a big shotgun. This would knock the bear down from the weight of the round, hopefully breaking its shoulder. It’s not fast and it’s not precise, but it works because of the weight of the round. Translate to fishing: use the total weight of the line to create the energy to sling it forward.
The second option is to use a faster, smaller round that has more penetrating power. This is another equally effective way to down a bear in case of dire emergencies. In respect to fly fishing, this is like loading a rod using line speed. The line is smaller (thinner/weighs less) but you are getting it to go faster. Like in our gun comparison, this method is more precise than the heavy load method which is more likely to result in a large splash. It requires better timing with your cast (practice), and it works better with slower action rods. It’s very difficult to get a broomstick to flex when you cast it, but a willow branch will flex with little effort. Same concept…
So as far as lines go, there are great options. Rio frankly makes great trout lines and has a lot of options. The Rio Grand is the most versatile all-around line for the average trout fishermen. It is the most aggressive all-around trout line in Rio's lineup. It casts well, it’s easy to load and it has decent presentation. It is suitable for nymphing, and can do some streamer fishing if needed. It is the go-to line for most anglers in most situations. 90% of the time, 90% of anglers will be able to use the Grand and have it be just fine. It’s not your best choice if you have a slow rod. It is a shotgun, but it is the line of choice for anglers across the world.
The Rio Gold is a little less aggressive than the Grand. It does everything that the Grand does, but a little more gently and with a little more delicacy. If you have a faster rod, this is a good line that forces your cast to get a little more precise than a more aggressive line. If you have a slower rod, this is an aggressive choice that will load it heavily. This is the line that I suggest for anglers as they progress from fishing heavy lines to focusing more on dry flies and good presentations.
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| A Teton River Cuttie caught on a Rio Trout LT line |
The Rio Trout LT is less aggressive than the former lines. It is a wonderful line for many rods. I would not put it on an ultra-fast rod like a Redington Hydrogen, but for most rods it is great for casting dry flies with good accuracy. As you get less aggressive in lines, you lose your all-around abilities. The Trout LT does not cast nymph setups well, and it is a terrible streamer line, but it delivers a #16 parachute adams at 30’ with deadly accuracy. One thing I do not like about this line is that it does get a little sluggish when casting more than about 30’, but long casts with dries are a pretty rare event.
Moving further away from the Grand towards pure presentation lines is the Rio Light Line. It is a traditional type of line in weight distribution, and I did a review of it last month. I love fishing it on small streams and in situations where accuracy is more important than distance. A rod loads minimally with this line, but it casts how I imagine a fly line should cast in my dreams. It doesn’t do well in the wind and a big hopper pattern flutters around like a plastic grocery bag in a stiff breeze.
Scientific Anglers offers several fantastic trout lines. My absolute favorite line for my 9’ 5wt trout rod is the Mastery Trout line. It is weighted to AFTMA standards and has a good taper for dry flies and a little light nymphing. I have even stripped streamers with it and dredged the depths of the McKenzie with stonefly nymphs. It is not a magic “do everything line” but it does what I want it to do. It is similar to the Rio Gold (but with less weight) and the Trout LT (with a shorter front taper). I like it as an all-around line that is not all that aggressive and offers nice presentation for dry flies.
Cortland also makes a couple of great trout lines. The Trout Boss HTX is similar in design to the Rio Grand, but it has a nice thin diameter and slick coating to deliver flies smoothly with less effort. We have had some rave reviews of this line from customers but have not had enough time with it to give my personal opinion. Cortland has been making fantastic fly lines for many, many years and this is a superb choice for anglers with faster rods, newer anglers, and guys that love to fish big flies.
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| This required a stealthy presentation |
What is the difference between $90 lines and $40 lines? $90 lines have features like no-stretch cores, textures, ridges or other features that are often unnecessary. They also tend to have multiple colors to mark tapers and sections, loops on both ends, mini bubbles in the tip to help it float and super high tech coatings to help them shoot farther and last longer. As you make a line cheaper, you lose those things slowly, as well as the options in taper designs.
The features that I do really like in a nice line are welded loops and a slick coating. A third option that is nice is what Rio calls Max-Float. Basically, extra flotation in the small diameter tip section of the line. I like the loops for easy changing of leaders and prevention of the core soaking up water and sinking. A good slick coating makes casting easier... All of the top-end lines have all three of these key features.
My favorite “budget” line is the Scientific Anglers FrequencyTrout. It has a welded loop and their patented, super-slick AST coating. I really like it for a line that will go from dries to nymphs and not be an issue. Again, not good for deep nymphing or streamers, but it will get it done it you need to. It is a solid all-around choice for the budget conscious angler and my favorite line under $60.
I remember starting out fly fishing in college. I bought a WF7F Cortland 333 to go on my $30 garage sale 5wt rod because the price was right. Well the Cortland 333 is still a good line for the budget-conscious angler. It has a nice taper and good weight distribution, and it was the first PVC fly line on the market. It's built pretty much the same as it was twenty years ago.
Cortland’s 444 Classic Peach has been around since I started fly fishing. It has been rock solid for years. They took the 333, added a welded loop and improved the coating (like the S/A Frequency) and it is a good taper for dries and light nymphing.
Rio’s Mainstream Trout Lines are a great entry-level lines. Basic, no frills lines that get the job done. It is our go-to line for anglers that are just starting out or guys that are looking for a backup line. They cast fine and have a solid design. These are basically what the top-end lines were when I started fishing. All of those fancy features that jacked the price up have come about in the last 20 years, but the basic deign of a solid trout line have been around for decades.
You do get what you pay for in life. $80 for a line is a small price to pay to ensure that your rod is preforming at a top level. I wouldn’t buy a nice pair of skis and expect them to perform at peak levels without investing in nice boots that match the type of skiing that I do. You shouldn’t expect your fly rod to perform well without matching it up with a proper line. We all do our best to catch fish and have a good time doing it, so make sure that you have a good trout line to do the job right.
-Fishing, usually not catching
