Modern Fly Lines Explained with Kelly Galloup 

Took my brand new Battle II 5000 for a spin yesterday for the very first time and I hooked a 20lb yellowtail using a Ugly Stik X2 (medium hard) rod ru-vid.comUgkxM68VkfsQhHaabDce1IwOCXuvumcpbZ_k . This combo was recommended on some website and it did not disappoint me. The reel is smooth, the drag click is pretty cool cause i think it adds to the excitement of fighting the fish, personally the drag is my favorite part. I use braid and 300 yards will fill the entire spool. This combo is my main setup from now on although I have to disclose I am new to fishing.

Kelly, we appreciate your attitude in fly fishing: always straight forward, focused on the bottom line with no pretense. Just the way we like it!

Mr Galloup - I've learned more about fly fishing from your 'debunking' videos, than I have from all the hundreds of 'how to' vids' I've viewed. Thank you sir. Ray

Great to have someone honest about fly fishing equipment, reels, rods, and lines. Thank you for being so reasonable.

Thank goodness for - at long last - a forthright dose of common sense about modern fly rods, lines, and casting / fly presentation.

Great advice, I've been using double taper lines for years & fish dry fly almost every day. The presentation and value can't be beaten.

Most honest angler I've seen across all topics in the sport. No bull attitude. Love it

THANK YOU for clear, concise and no BS information...!

found this author / videos by accident. what a great resource. funny, concise, experienced, solid info. so helpful.

I've downloaded all you great video's. They are GREAT stuff!!

As I said so many times I love your attitude and how you present things. Thank you so much for what you do👍

Thank you for telling the truth about lines and reels. I've just started watching your videos and agree 100% about what I've seen and heard. I fish creeks in Smokey Mtns. So thankfully to have a expert to be truthfully about it,,you have a new fan in me

This is absolutely the best comments and explanation i've ever seen or heard about rods and fly-lines and about casting a line. This is what i have ment in many years but no one will listen. Everybody only talks about the length they are casting and other dum shit. Great! Thank you!

One of the best thoughts about lines ever. I had a good laugh too... 😂

Great video Kelly, so true about this over emphasis in distance, I live in Ireland and my Dad taught me to fly fish when I was 10, he always said Jim always fish the shore line before you think of casting further, I never forgot his advice some of my biggest brown trout were caught within 20 feet from the shore of the lakes I fish in Donegal. It is refreshing to hear such good common sense from an angler who knows what he is talking about. Well said Kelly. Regards Jim

Best advice ever (Y) just sold all my WF lines and got new DT Lines to replace them. Damn, I just love to casting a DT line

Heard that same whole thing 35 years ago at a fly shop when I bought my first Sage rod and WF fly line and up lining the rod 1 size , need the RP rod and a WF line to get distance ... Can't cast a lick over 30' . Gonna try a DT line next. Thank you very much

Great video, good old common sense about practical fishing instead of getting all nerdy about the gear. Perfect for me as I'm new to fly fishing. Instant subscribe.

Excellent video! Hit the nail on the head! Thank you.

Great video, I appreciate the information. I fish with an old school fly fisher and he complains regularly about the lack of consistency between the various line manufacturers.

You are spot on about casting distances too! I have caught a lot of trout at 15 feet!

Dude I just have to say, your videos are my favorite of all that I've seen about western fly fishing gear. The way you spell it out and cut through the BS is great. I haven't used my western rod in about 6 years (I usually fish Tenkara because I'm an ultralight backpacker) but you really make me want to go out with my old rod again... good shit. I'll be watching more of these for sure, need to touch up on all that stuff I forgot from a bunch of years ago before I pull the reel out of the closet again :)

Great advice!. I have been fly fishing for over 40 years and agree with him 100% on this. Most of my fish are caught at short distances. Practice wadding closer in and casting shorter and you will catch more fish.

14 minutes of honest common sense. ...and I thought I was a slow action double taper black sheep all this time. Thanks Mr Cahill and Galloup !

Very informational video. Thanks Kelly!

Very rarely leave comments, almost never, but here I have to. I'm glad someone explain to people the essence of fly fishing. Everything you said here is 100% right. I personally have the same experience, and I think the traders began assuming fly fishing. And that's why this is going on in recent years, lying on line class and the class of rod, just to sell.

OMG! Someone finally articulated how i feel at some of these casting events…..thank you Kelly!!!!

Love your no bullshit approach to fishing. New sub!

I have used a 6wt or 5wt DT line and a sage rpl 3 9 ft 2 pc since the 90s ,never considered distance a factor,I mostly fish dryflys a lot of midges.I am 59 now and just bought a nrx 5wt,love it.I fish a spinning rod with a rabbit hair jig on rivers but interested in that new bank robber rod, st croix HMG is my favorite spinning rod.I use a quigley cripple in some variation from midges to mayflys,a lot of barr emergers,and bead head pheasant tails,in lakes I mostly use type 2 sinking line and a mohair leech.I have been loving your videos,hope to stop buy your shop this year.Thanks

As a custom rod builder I need to find out what line works best for the rod I just built, otherwise the client will use a line of his/her choosing and they may think my rod sucks or they may not realize they can get better performance out of a different line. It is getting more difficult to tell the difference because most new fast rod blanks are made for a half size up line. For saltwater, for distance in open water, there is an advantage for long casts in many situations. With most river scenarios that is not that important until wind comes in to play. To me, the main thing is that the line companies need to be honest about the line weights and tapers. All your videos are great and informative.

I'd be willing to bet I have not bought a new fly line in close to 30 years... take good care of them and keep them clean and polished and they should last a long time.

Kelly, another great example of long casts, is in golf. I have played with may guys who can hit a drive 300+ yards. Of course they don't have a short game, so they still don't score. I've been bass fishing for 40+years, I know, it isn't distance, its accuracy. You are right on target. By the way, I have the white Jeep pulling the RPod. I've stayed at your place a couple of times, and will be back in the early spring.

Greetings from New Zealand. Man, you make so much sense! The other thing I really appreciate is your ability to communicate succinctly in good English, without the "aaaahhhh", "ummmm" and "errr" that others litter in their dialogue, making me want to smash my laptop. I love your comment about over-lining a rod. Never thought of it that way but I am now a bit more informed thanks to your knowledge and willingness to share it.

At last I know. Thank you & greets from Poland

Some really good points. The only new rod ive bought in the past 9 years is a txl 3/70. The whole premium rod market has gone nuts with fast action rods - sales hype. Any caster worth their salt should be able to use a moderate action rod and be able to get tight loops and serviceable distance. It comes down to being in good control of the rod tip and smooth power application.

Absolutely true. Bought a new 6 wt Temple Fork with Lefty Kreh - and was surprised at the DT line distance. Stalk more - cast less yup. Personally always thought fundamentals count so i bought the early Lefty Kreh videos to learn to cast. just like golf - where one swing tells all - one cast tells all. all the best.

Bang on . Most of the fish you will catch , are no more than 15-20 yards out . There is simply no need to bust a gut to get distance . Fly turnover and presentation are far more important . I see some fly lines now selling at £120 ! If someone said 10-15 years ago , that lines would break the £100 mark , you would have laughed at them . I've been using Airflo lines now for years , and they have really come on leaps and bounds regards memory , low stretch , and longetivity . And they are £50 or under . Same with Cortland lines , no BS just good quality dependable and long lasting lines .

very interesting kelly. My first line was double taper and I learnt how to cast and found the first year of fishing I had remarkable results and have since thought about that and realise it was because most of my casts were only 5 - 6 mtrs long and as my casting improved I started looking at the other sides of rivers and thought it looked better so tried casting over there. I also got fooled by these WF non stretch lines. I find it very difficult to buy double taper lines in most NZ fishing shops and often look just out of couriosty. I used cheap WF Chinese lines now $8.00 and they are as good as most $140.00+ NZ lines. Truth be known they are probably some high profile label lines just not packaged and labelled as such. Thank you Slideinn I was introduced to your site by a gentleman I meet on the Ruakituiri River New Zealand by the the name of Jim he was using one of your Black Boobie Galloups

I've found that in slower moving, meandering rivers with wary fish, the ticket is to get into the water and throw an absolute hero cast upstream. For me, that long hero cast is an important part of my arsenal, and I feel it makes me more well-rounded as an angler. Feeling like a badass when I throw it is a bonus.

Best fly fishing content on you tube.

The hijack has been going on a lot longer than 20 years, though the specific up lining part might be from then. Step one was graphite, which was great, and did give everyone a boost regardless of action, just because it is so much lighter and thinner. Boron rods were the next step, more distance only rods. And then all the modulus upgrades and faster rods. I did the cut the DT line in half thing around 1980, but didn't really like it because a lot of my fishing was searching type, and I did shoot and cover water, and I just cut the DT too long for the load of my rod, so it didn't shoot well, and I don't know why I didn't recut it. So thanks for the reminder. I think I may buy a few lines and mess with them, with kids coming along, I can find good matches, and save bit of line for other projectsfor other projects.

Thanks for this. Yeah I've been taking single hand line weights with a grain of salt, especially after getting more into two handed rods. I think it would probably make more sense for the consumer to think in terms of grains and taper rather than line weights. I was in my local fly shop explaining to the dude that I wanted a line for my new Sage 3 weight, and he knew I had a #4 Rio Gold. He recommended a Rio Perception #3 line . I looked at the head weight of both and they were virtually identical. Been fishing the #4 Gold on it just fine, considering it's a fast 3 (and like you said probably closer to a 4 weight rod). Try what you have (reels, lines, rods) with other stuff you have before you go out and buy something else.

I can verify this on a different level. I was "out of fly fishing" for almost 20 years. When I decided it was time to get back in, I ordered a $120 line because I'd never fished a "premium" or "top tier" line before. I put the 4 wt line on my old ( 22 year old but still in perfect shape) Cabela's LST rod. Loved that rod. Always cast very well. Favorite rod. ................ the new line cast like total garbage. Now, I didn't go way into trying to find out why this was the case, but I did end up putting every new 5 wt. line I bought onto my 4 wt. rods. So, it was pretty evident that something had changed in the last 20 years. A few weeks later I bought some Orvis Clearwater line ( is that the only line they make now? Just that one line???) It was all I could find and it was only $50. Bought a 5 wt line. Put it on a 5 wt. rod to see what would happen..... cast like a dream, unlike the $120 hot garbage line that neither cut the air or had very good flow. Ahem. So as someone who was out of it for a long time, it's all a brand new learning curve on lines and rods and trying to fit new lines to old rods has been a pain, but there's no way in hell I'm paying $1000 for a FISHING ROD to just catch a fish. Anyway, thanks for telling the truth on all this. People wouldn't believe me when I said things weren't right with regard to line weights and actual line weights. No one ever believes me, though so I'm not sure why I was surprised to be met with ridicule and insults over it. Fly fishing has apparently become more cult-like than it was back in the day, as well? Dunno. Weird.

Hi Kelly, I enjoyed your discussion on lines and reels. I think you have a point in terms of trout fishing. Most casts for trout are probably way less than 40 ft and reels are used primarily for storing line. Click and Pawl drags are more than adequate. I have been fishing for trout in the West since the 80's and have never had a fish take my line into the backing. Not even close! However, salt water fishing is a completely different sport. Casts of 50' -60' feet are the norm and casting to 80' is useful for hookups with Tarpon and Bonefish. These fish can easily eat up backing and even spool you, if you are not on your game. For Tarpon, Bonefish and Permit, it is worth buying the best reels with top quality drags made with salt water resistant parts and Rods with strong salt water resistant components that are designed to cast out to 80' or so.

I am so glad that rods seem to be pulling back a bit from who can build the fastest, maybe the greatest thing the fiberglass guys brought back was a return to sense. And the match of line to rod has made all the difference to my days on water.

At last I am hearing the truth. I am 66. Over the years I have seen so many fads. Heave rods and lines , then lightweight, now back to lightweight. I have been over lining rods for years but was on a guilt trip over this. I feel absolved.

Damn, I don't even fly fish but this guy's no bullshit style is refreshing to watch.

a BIG help, thank you!

Right on, Kelly! Caveat Emptor...because modern marketing is fiendishly effective at giving less for more -- and the marketing around fly fishing is a prime example.

I find that the back cast is most frequently the limiting factor to how far you can cast forward, and that is often blocked by bank, trees, or bushes.

I fish a lot, and for a Floating line for my trout fishing its DT, and my casting well under 30 feet! I have legs I came move! For bass fishing they I go to the heavier lines for that purpose and dittos for my inshore cold water salt water fishing! My favorite rod to this very day is a 8'6" Sage RP II 5wt for trout fishing, I had to send it back for a reel seat repair and didn't want to be with out a 5 wt rod, so I bought an Sage RP III- that rod was way to stiff, I didn't like it with a 5 wt line, and by accident I took that rod on a trip and didn't take my 5 wt reels, but I had a 6wt, I learned that that RP-III was really a 6 wt rod and it became a favorite for light bass fishing and for tossing streamers! I think one of the reasons Glass has made the come back is just as you have said, they are making the rods for casting on the lawn and not for fishing! I hope that I can get out to the Madison this year its been some time since I been out there!

you make really good videos,i have gained a lot of knowledge, i am just restarting flyfishing after a 40 year break,back when i was a teen we attached a tapered leader to the fly line with a little metal eye screw, and i never learned how to attach a leader to line or tippet to leader properly.how about a a video explaing this?thanks for the good video's

Very insightful video. Most of my fishing is saltwater, only because I live on the coast and it's close. You video got me thinking about my lines so I googled several and reviewed the specs. Inasmuch as you were talking about the average caster/fisherman I would like to hear your opinion on the mind boggling variety of "heads" offered. There are numerous different measurements of the tips, front taper, belly, and rear tapers offered on fly lines. Often minuscule such as 2, 4, 6.5, etc. front tapers. Granted, I am average at best (I can through a line somewhere out in front of me about 80' but only my wife was impressed) but what skills do I need to be able to tell the difference? Can anybody really distinguish between say two or three different 8wt WF floating fly lines in a blind test?

Excellent!

I live at a river where I can't reach some holes with a 9 feet fly rod and are using a spey rod and do this with great success. I think context is very important on this topic.

thanks man, good stuff

this is my goto MONO Line for catfishing hands down. If I use it as main line it's amazing. If I use it as backer for braid it's amazing. I have reeled in fish of all sizes on big game mono and I trust it come tournament time.

I like your humor and your knowledge. I also, like the fact, that you ppoo poo lots of expensive gear.

This video is straight common sense. The only time I really need to reach way out is blind casting streamers on big water. I will cast long and then retrieve. But most trout fishing is within 40 feet, most often closer. I don't need a rod that casts an entire fly line. That why I prefer bamboo, glass, or slower, progressive graphite, like the older Orvis rods, of which I own several. My faster rods are confined to salt water flats fishing.

I'm a little late in the game as an angler, starting at the ripe age of 28, but, here's my thoughts on a wf. for dry flying, any decent angler should be able to accurately cast 30' with a dt no problem but, this is summer fishing with needle thin tippet, low flows, and clear water. This is my first year fishing the skagit, and if you've seen it in the winter, you'll soon see why that wf line, and famous skagit shooting head, will come into use. When the water is calm in the winter, and salmon and steely only take under water tactics, and you're twenty feet plus from your holes than in the summer, those wf lines are the only way you'll get a heavy steamer or nymph to where you need it. it's really hard to through a heavy steamer with split shot for any use with a st. I've tried ha ha. keep in mind I'm only using a wf on a 9' 8w single hand. never on my 6wt which had handled every summer river I've come across.

Fly line question. I am seeing more lines available but I am not finding Sink tip lines. Am I going to have to go back to adding a small lead core trolling line to get a sink tip? Also what are the new gram weight lines about?

Preach. Amen.

Thanks woody harrelson. In all seriousness I agree that short accuracy is more important for trout for the most part, but for people where I live that fish for a lot of Atlantic salmon, id argue that distance is important when working over large pools where you can't see the fish

Liked your discussion on line tapers but I live in Fl and want to use an 8 or 9 weight for bigger flies jigs and poppers. (Mostly salt) Do you think your ideas about DT vs WF apply in this situation? And also, what about sinking tip? Thanks, Eric

True Dat! I remember Sage was the one back in the 80's that had an advanced marketing machine and decided fast is better and then each year for decades it became a race to make faster and faster rods- which meant you had to buy another 9' 5# weight every year. This engendered all the over lining, WF taper discussion and the like. I thought "really" and never bought into all the crap and hype either. Call it like you see it Kelly...

Dude- your one of the most honest people in your industry- down to the nitty gritty no panties thong wear of fly fishing. While other fly fisherman wear mommie jeans, your methods are like a tight wearing pair of leggings that our L.A. girls wear down here. In other words, your aim is true, and your fucking hilarious. Since there is very little fly fishing here in Los Angeles except weirdos like myself who just enjoy casting a rod regardless if you catch something or not- I have to purchase some real sub par equipment that can cause personal injury like I did with that damn stiff Scientific Angler "starter set." I have settled in with some of the old GFY Pflueger Medalists, and I used to have a Fenwick FF535 that I could cast pretty damn far with...but again, in a lake, a lot of your trout are near shore unless you wanna do a little trolling that I would never do with a fly rod. When the smoke clears, it's really the fisherman not the gear that lands a freezer full of fish, how many you catch and release or just plain ass have a fun casting day. Your videos are very informative and entertaining, and even though i can't sit still i sat through two of 'em before I wrote this out. Thank You for the wonderful contributions you have provided to an industry that is looked down upon by people who just don't want to give the fish a chance.

Most of this went over my head because I am brand new at using floating line, just bought a new fly rod and was chucking n ducking but I want to learn how to finesse fish for steelhead. I have sinking tippits and everything other than the floating line to purchase. I fish the big Manistee river in Michigan if anyone has further advise. Thanks and thanks for the great information even if I'm just to dull to understand it yet. Lol!

What would be the best line in your opinion on a echo ion xl rod in a 7wt model for bass.

Here is a link to the article we mentioned: www.ginkandgasoline.com/fly-fishing-gear/sunday-classic-has-distance-casting-hijacked-rod-design/

Not much of a fly fisherman anymore and it's interesting to hear you debunk a lot of myth about fly fishing .There were guys who could probably hit a dixie cup at a hundred feet but they are all dead now because I've seen them do it the winter with the wind howling and their guides freezing up half the time. These guys were amazing . Most of them fished junk. There was one guy I knew who was even offered nice gear by a fly shop owner and he turned it down .Said he didn't need it . Another guy I knew used Pfleuger medalists reels balanced with filed down toilet bolts .Their gear worked like Swiss watches and all of them landed winter salmon in the fifty pound class . Most of them didn't buy lines but scrounged clearance stuff from old out of business sales and made their own lines from that and a lot of rubber cement . I'd hate to tell you how far I once shot a line at a casting pond and you'd probably call me a liar ,but your right about how distance has hijacked real fishing for the purpose of equipment sales .Delivery is far overlooked . The rationale for buying fishing gear has left the building like Elvis and fly fisherman have gotten to be like women buying shoes . The thing that amazes me is that you can see a fly fisherman chucking something out there and he has this leader and line setup that has nothing to do with the water out in front of him or the fish in it .

I always steer a newcomer(to flyfishing ) toward a DT. First thing though, have they taken a fly casting class from an accredited instructor.Usually not. Best investment they can make. The sales/ marketing forces have conditioned people to think that a WF line is easier for a beginner to cast.

That 5 weight to 4 weight thing is exactly what happened in Golf.

The most I have ever casted with a dry at a trout is 30 ft id say I use wf lines orvis ,Rio lines and after this video im gonna buy a double taper and see how it preforms in just general purpose trout fishing dries and nymphs

I think I like this guy...straight up.

damm that is good stuff thanks! when I think about it I do try to cast far but always catch close haha thanks

I'm watching Kelly, and learning more about the practical aspects of the art of fly fishing, than from any other You-tuber. Anyway, I have a question which I hope you can help with: I'm a total novice, but am totally hooked, and have bought a number of second hand reels loaded with line, but with no reference to the # of the line. As the relationship between rod and line is critical, how can I gauge the # of the lines so's I can use them to best effect without having to just replace them? Many thanks. Ray

I must say kelly this is the first time I agree with you !!! Keep up the videos like this . I have a new view of you !

I bought RIO Gold! I'm the man. All jokes aside now I'll say why - I liked the color combination with my backing and the store price matched Amazon who had it for half of retail so it felt like a deal. I run cheap line on my back up rods they still cast. I run an 8'6" 5WT not the highly recommended 9' because I cast into the water in front of me not 200' downstream. I went through my paps rod collection after he recently passed. He has many rods from the 50s to current. Guess what, no bells and whistles but they still caught fish. If anything people are now searching for old tech (bamboo and glass).

Kelly, what about putting a 3wt line on a 2wt rod? On a slow rod like bamboo or fiberglass rods.

Kelly I'd like to hear your opinion on fast and ultra fast action rods? Personally it comes across as more of a marketing point to me, as if some university graduates have been let loose to fire people up on stiffer rods, tighter loops and more achievable distance. Yes their maneuver heavy flies better and casting in wind is made easier which I agree with, absolutely, but I have found that the medium or even slow action rods can perform and overcome those same obstacles with adequate practice yet it tires out the fish a lot more efficiently and uses the kinetic energy of the bend/load to present the fly at shorter distances very delicately, furthermore I find that fast actions aren't the best for lighter tippets, and it seems to make sense to some people to pay $600 on a fly reel that has smooth light drags in order to protect the tippet yet it's counteracted by a fast rod which really seems to be unforgiving on that same tippet and probably costs over $800 on top of that all. Also it seems most top rod manufacturers seem to give the slower action rods away for quite a reasonable price which for me is a huge positive as I found them to be brilliant. I'd like to hear your thoughts & opinions on this topic if that's not too much to ask, either by comment or video. Many thanks, great tutorials and videos btw.

Kelly, first...love the information. Excellent videos. Someday, could you please create a video that addresses the differences between fly line quality vs. cost? What's the difference between a $99.00 floating line and a $25.00 floating line? Is there enough of a difference to justify the cost? Asking for a friend. Thanks

First, thanks for another awesome video. Question on lines, do you prefer a full sinking or sinking tip on your streamer rigs on rivers? and not for issues of depth but action. do eather effect the action of your presentation for the better?

Great advice. The super dry camo airflow is an awesome line. I use it in NZ and presents well, agree accuracy over distance, esp stalking Browns in back country long distance casting is a killer.

Thanks for this. Distance is king in the surf, so hardcore WF shooters are the ticket. But I would never use a WF shooter on my 3 WT fishing dries. Different tool for a different beast.

The future of fly lines is to pack the weight of the line into a much shorter section. The weighted fly line should be at most 10' in length. Would this work ?

Great info bro!! I'm new to the sport. I fish small streams in TN. My rod calls for 3wt, and I only fish with nymphs. I much prefer level taper line. Cortland precision sells a line that's .022. what weight of line is .022 equivalent too?

I have a St. Croix High Stick Drifter Fly Rod: 10 Foot, 4 Piece, #4, What would be the best line for this setup, Should I buy a true 4wt line, any suggestions for line appreciated. I fish small rivers and some streams back east (NJ & PA) for trout

I've owned and loved one fly rod for the last 25 years, an Orvis Mid Flex 6.0, Graphite, 8', 6wt Trout model. I finally broke it just outside the warranty and nothing in the Orvis store felt the same, but a Superfine glass rod came close. After hearing you talk about the focus on casting distance, I know why. I was already waiting on an Orvis Superfine Touch Graphite 8'6", 5wt to arrive from Ebay and it did today. I'm a bit let down. I was hoping for that nice, slow graphite action I'm so used to, but this newer "5 wt." is almost 2x as thick as my old "6 wt." near the handle. Should I keep my old Orvis Wonderline Gen 3, 6 wt, weight forward line?

love it,

Agree 100%!

Hey Kelly, great video, really enjoyed it. When you say rods got more faster, does that mean stiffer rod? Or does it mean the rod recover to straight faster?

Kelly Galloup= the Chuck Norris of fly fishing

I agree but I do like to make a long cast every now and then. Just for the fun of it. I can still cast the whole fly line, with certain rods, when it's not windy. I've never caught a trout that way. Ever. But I did catch and release a bonefish at 85' feet once. Shine Greene is my witness. He still mentions it when I see him. Weight forward lines are designed to make us buy twice as many fly lines?

I'm agree with you point ! But salmon fishing in big rivers as like Tana and Alta in Norway my request long cast and for most sink 2 or 3 ! There is distance important. My home river Dalälven in Sweden we fish long line and most ledcore like 900grain deep water Express and you fish over depths of 20ft of water steep land sections no wading from there that's fishing for salmon and sea trout here in Scandinavia and were those lines come up from I cast 150ft of line when I'm use my 17ft rod class 13# and heavy tub flys . But grate point of dry fishing my most dry fish I get on 25-35ft line and I'm use DT6 old style Master line from England. Bjorn

Not sure what you mean by if you get a double tapper line you have two lines? I mostly saltwater fish I like to fish for speckled Sea Trout. I the time. Bought my Reel the sales guy put the line on. He said it was weight forward. I have a St. Crorix 9’ 9wt rod. The reel is a Okuma airframe AF 4/6. Never been able to cast that far anyway probably 17 to 18ft. Not sure my setup is matched up right. Any suggestions ?

i don't know if it matters but the 5/6 is a 8 ft.st.croix and the 5 wieght is a 8.6 ft. st.croix THANK YOU

Kelly, a lot of talk on leaders, fly lines etc in north America all the time. Something that would be nice to get a take on, at some stage in the early season this year if possible - would be something like the Jeremy Lucas micro-fly lines. He's going back, back to an old fashioned idea about fly fishing - it takes us back even further than nineteen seventies. A bit like in 'Top Gear' automobile show on TV, once they tested a modern high horsepower 'boy racer' sports GTI against an old low horsepower sports car. It was on a track with a narrow road with lots of bends, so the modern sports car couldn't open up it's engine, and the old vehicle with a different chassis design had better corner handling etc.

All these special lines for bass, carp , bones, reds, etc is way over requirements. One can make slight mods to facilitate fly delivery for an individual in many cases. Keep in mind that many rods can cast 1 or 2 line weights over or under ratings depending on the caster and his or her needs. I have a fine 7wt rod that i perfer to cast a 9wt line

Can you explain the double taper and two lines thing I feel like I am miss hearing you do you literally cut it in the center and just tie it to your backing stupid question but i am sure i am not the only one

Before I learned all the best methods for flyfishing, I bought an 8wt Loomis GL3 and went fishing for 7 weeks, making a loop all around British Columbia. After 7 weeks I could reliably cast 90ft with the Cortland 444 peach wf8. I still haven't got around to fishing big streamers, though I have bought many, but this will be my streamer rod. Anyway, I just developed the habit of judging a rod by how well it can keep the full head flying. Yes, I know I'll catch more fish by fishing close by, but I still see it as how to judge a rod. I just don't think a rod has to be made all that well to cast 7 to 10 yards, and for what you pay for fly rods they should be able to keep the whole head flying. Though I have come to understand that the lighter the rod/ln combo the more hand speed you are going to need. I do give my 4wt echo dry a pass on ever needing to keep the whole head flying, but it's always bothered me that my first rod, a 6wt, just can't come anywhere close to casting like that 8wt GL3 ?circa 1995.