Modern Fly Lines, Loops and Repair for the Practical Fly
Angler
by
Gene Macri
©2013 E. Macri
Fly lines aren't getting any cheaper for the most part. But using
Loops at the end and realizing what you need will save you money. First of all if you wish to learn about cleaning
a fly line check use this link: Fly Line Cleaning. What about the
recommendations by Rio and other manufacturers about cleaning lines? You can buy Rio Agent X cleaners and dressing
at fly shops. There's only one problem: RIO is PVC coated fly line, I Believe! How well will their
cleaner works on non PVC lines? I don't know..they don't talk about it and will it harm non PVC lines?
No one knows!
Does using Armour All and similar product damage your fly line? Well it
depends on what type of line you have and what you call damage. I have many lines where I used Armour
All for over 15 years...so if it does damage it sure takes a while. I've used it
on
Scientific Anglers, Cortland, Orvis etc line without major problems. If Rio tells you not to use it on their
line then so be it, however, their solution may not be right for other lines. Rio lines have PVC coating; Airflo
lines have some type of Polyurethane with an outer Teflon coating. Scientific Anglers recommends silicone
dressing if you must dress your line and it appears that many of their lines are PVC with certain modifications of
their cores and different outer coatings. For example their Air Cell Line has a PVC coating that was also uses so
called special lubricants to make it slicker and shoot farther. Theoretically it will not hurt to use silicone on
PVC lines because that's what's in the coating for a lubricant. Furthermore, it appears to me (and I have a
background in chemistry) that most silicone type products put on fly lines are extremely thin surface coatings and
that's why they must be dressed again and again because they come off with use. Cortland it appears use PVC in most
their lines too. Some of their newer more expensive lines seem to have a Teflon type coating too. By the
way what's some of the major ingredients in Armour All...you guessed it...SILICONE!
If you have an older fly line and are trying to get some more use out it, use
my cleaning method and use the Armour All. Furthermore, you can add some paste type wax of used on autos..(oh my)
and it might enhance it further. ( I now use microfiber cloths and they work well in wiping and clean fly
lines).
How To Save Money On Fly Lines
Now how to save money on fly lines that fly shop dealers won't tell you about.
If you are using nymphs especially with shot, short line nymphing, Czech nymphing etc. you can easily use a LEVEL
LINE! That's right! You are fishing a very short section of line with a usually less than 25 feet of
line out with shot. Why do you need a tapered or weighted forward line?. Does the weighted forward or
double taper help the shot cast nicer!!!!!!!!!!! Buy a level line that fits your rod and it's not problem to
use a 6 level on a 4 weight etc. You can even get a brightly colored one to help you with the drift. This is
especially true on freestone and swifter waters. You can buy these lines for under10 dollars. In fact, I've
seen levels sell for $5 or $6 dollars in stores and closeouts.
If your line does not have loop on the end you can easily put one on. I use Cortand
and Rio loops as well as others. However, here's what you should do: 1) once the loop is on use Super Glue
before and after the plastic joint that covers the end of the loop to the fly line. Don't believe you can just heat
the plastic or other method because the loop will pull off and you will lose the leader as well. Tie a
perfection knot at the end of your leader if one is not there and then loop it. Here's a diagram and
instructions on how to put the loops together. Many anglers do it wrong so use the diagram and
instructions: (click the title)
By using loops and the proper knot you can experiment in making a variety of
shooting heads, special lines for special waters etc. If you have an old fly line, let's say a Weight Forward
just snip of the warn part put colored loop and you now have an excellent nymph line for short line fishing.
You 'll save a bundle and you'll never know that you didn't spend another $30 or more for a new line. What
about the different type of line characteristics such as stiffness, and feel etc.? Well we leave that
for another discussion. I'm not saying that you don't need special lines for saltwater, tarpon fishing
and specialty waters but for most fishing especially nymphs, streamers and wet flies on most waters there is no
appreciable difference in floating, mending or the success rate as far as I'm concerned with cheaper
lines.
| 