Double taper or weight forward?
When I first started fly fishing, rods were made of split cane and fly fishing lines were made of silk. With the advent of modern plastic-coated fly lines, both casting and fishing techniques became more sophisticated. Denser lines made it possible to fish much deeper without needing to use big, heavy flies. This is sometimes necessary when trout fly fishing in deep reservoirs (or when salmon fishing in deep, swift rivers). The introduction of shooting heads and weight forward fly line tapers made distance casting easier.
 |
The correct line weight (that loads the fly rod
optimally) must also be related to the length of line that
the angler can comfortably ‘aerialise’. Experienced casters
are able to aerialise a longer line than can beginners. The
double taper line is very versatile, in that it allows a
relatively wide range of line lengths to be aerialised (fly
rods can, in fact, handle a range of line weight either side
of that ideal weight which loads the rod optimally). The
trouble with double taper lines is that they do not shoot
very well and distance casting is harder to achieve. Weight
forward lines which should be more accurately called “less
weight behind lines” are easier for the novice, because the ‘head’ portion
is designed to be the optimum weight for a rod rated for
the same AFTM number (as the line). Provided you know where
the head joins the running/shooting line (see the tip, below),
the optimum weight of line can be aerialised to load the
rod while casting and -if required- extra distance achieved
by shooting the relatively thin and light shooting line.
Choosing your ArrowHead Line
ArrowHead Trout Dry and Wet Lines
These are fabulous lines for the tactical trout fisher. An extra long front taper for very delicate presentation. A comfortable overhead casting belly length also sufficient for roll casting. Manufactured in a hollow core process that makes them lie straight on the water – they are, in short, a unique fly line that casts like a weight forward, but fishes like a double taper.
ArrowHead Trout Twin-Lines
The Michael Evans Twin-Lines have taken the market by storm! These lines combine the Michael Evans specially developed ArrowHead tapers, but are constructed using two different line coatings for he belly (head) and the running (shooting) line. This allows a change in both the colour and (in the case of the sinking models) the density between the two portions of the line. These lines are so simple to use and especially benefit the beginner: just retrieve the line to the point where the colour changes and recast. What could be easier?
Click for information about ArrowHead Saltwater
lines, Coarse
fishing lines or Salmon
Fishing lines.
Choosing the correct head length for your fly fishing line
When choosing a conventional weight forward line, the length of the forward portion (aka the ‘head’, or ‘belly’) must be such that you can aerialise it comfortably. Once again, the better caster you are, the longer the head you will be able to handle. Beginners should start with a head of no more than 10 or 12 metres unless you buy one of my ArrowHead lines which were developed to do away with this problem. The reason for this is that all ArrowHead lines incorporate a long, graduated back taper behind the head or belly which allows a much wider range of line length to be aerialised compared to a conventional weight forward line. This design means the lines are suited to beginners, improvers and experts alike.
Sinker or floater
Beginners should always start with a full floating line. For river trout fishing, a floating line is used in nearly all circumstances and maybe 85% of one’s fishing on small still waters. Later on, particularly for big still waters, you can choose from a variety of sinking lines to fish at different depths. Sinking lines are available in a range of densities, which govern both the speed at which they sink and the effective depth at which one can fish. Sinking lines are thinner than floaters (weight for weight) and will therefore cut through the air more efficiently. For this reason, a sinker is often easier to cast into a strong wind and for maximum distance.
|
