Fly Fishing Dish » Lines

Loopy Leaders

CtScribe — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:40:19 +0000

I was recently asked my opinion bout looped leader. As opposed to a regular leaders, that are attached to the float line directly, using a blood-knot, a small, looped tag line is fastened to the float that the leader, also having a looped end, is woven through.
There are a few advantages to a looped, such as the ease in which the leaders can be changed out. When changing out regular leaders, due to a hard knot or a high break, it is necessary to cut the old leader of, and retie a knew one, thereby waisted a few inches of float line each time. With a looped leader, one can simply remove the old, and rethread the new.
While this is very handy, the visibility and drag of a loop is much higher than a small blood-knot. Due to those factors, I typically will only use a looped leader when fishing saltwater, or steel heads in rapid water, where visibility and drag are not so problematic, and for such situations, I find them very useful, however I would not recommend them for lighter trout fishing where it is preferable to to keep your line very streamline and clear. All that said, I highly recommend them for heavy fishing, but have yet to find a plus to using them for stream fishing.

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Tying the Knot

CtScribe — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:08:35 +0000

This past week, a friend of the family bought a number of fly rods for their family members. As a result, I spent a couple hours assembling reels. While doing this, I remembered something important that I wanted to share with you all.
When attaching the floating line to the backing, it is important to use a nail knot. Although this knot is popularly assembled but use of, well yes, a nail, I have, over time found an easier way.

By using a small section of an inkwell of a standard office pen, the line, that is usually passed parrallel to the nail, can be easily passed through the plastic tube, resulting in the same knot.

Furthermore, when this knot is completed, I like to secure it using a dot of nail polish, both securing and waterproof, it locks the knot from fraying, and thereby loosening.

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Dropping a Line

CtScribe — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:14:10 +0000

I was at Harkness Beach State Park for a social outing yesterday evening. While there, I walked down to the shore to speak with a number of fly fishermen that were gathering toward the evening. While discussing the different fish runs, and accepted patterns, I noticed that the majority of the fishermen, and women, were using line baskets while casting, leading me to discuss this popular accessory.

The purpose of these baskets is to hold the line from lying in the water while stripping it in before recasting due to the fact that allowing the line to float freely in the water, especially in current water such as a river or surf, will inevitably result in a large knot. However, by allowing the line to fall into a basket, the chances of a knot will be drastically reduced. Furthermore, freely floating line has to potential to become entangled in brush, rock, or other objects, both submerged and floating.

In the past, line baskets have been constructed simply of wicker, and although beautiful pieces of craftsmanship, did not hold up to the vigorous beatings that they underwent due to avid fishermen. The biggest problem with these baskets was that due to the constant soaking and drying of the wood, they wicker strips would begin to crack.

Today, line baskets have evolved into ultra-light, highly durable, rubber catch baskets that are not only very functional, but are comfortable to wear. In my own life, these baskets have truly shown themselves to be worth the investment, surviving even the most testing weather of winter, king salmon fishing.

Although there are many different ways of handling your line without the need to support it by a basket, these little twists of the hand can be complicated to learn. I highly recommend such an accessory for any fisherman, regardless of their experience on the water. There will always be circumstances in which one will want such a tool.

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Where To Draw The Line…

CtScribe — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:12:20 +0000

Yesterday I was speaking to a man who has just began to fly-fish, and he asked me an interesting question that seems to typically be overlooked, “how often should I change my fly line?”

This question has a number of answers that can all be considered correct. Firstly, the leader and tippet should be treated separately from each other. The tippet material will need to simply be replaced as it is need, it should consist of about three feet of material, and should be replaced when it slowly reaches about 1 ½ feet. The leader can vary in length, and will need to be replaced according to use. It is important that one not allow their leader to become too dirty, or become frayed do to use. Wear and tear on the leader will cause it to become weak, and it will not longer support the weight intended, meaning the difference between a huge trout and a huge story. I personally replace my leader about twice a season to ensure that it does not become too weakened.

Float line is more durable than the leader, but is still subject to dirt and drying. Sunlight, as well as a number of chemical that I have discussed in that past, can drastically deteriorate the line, and will cause it to need to be replaced. It is important to clean the line often, as previously described in earlier blogs, but will need to be replaced seasonally. The strength of floating line is subject to its use, if you are a more avid fisherman, than it will be necessary that you change your line more often. Some hits that your line should be replaced are that it will begin to remain curled when cast, this is a result of grit composite and stretching. Furthermore, if the line does seem to be floating as it once did, but instead drags through the water just below the surface, the line should be replaced.

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Rust- Sand- Salt- Oh My!

CtScribe — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:57:05 +0000

In the battle against corrosion, the later are the three most destructive substances to reels, lines, and flies.

Fly-fishing reels are extraordinarily more simplistic, and easier to maintain than most spin, and bait-casting, reels. The traditional fly reels, excluding ‘auto-stripping’ reels, consist of two major body pieces, and a simple drag system. Proper reel maintenance begins with proper storage.

When storing fly reels for extended periods of time, it is best to store them with the line removed. This is especially true with saltwater reels. The float line that is used when fly fishing, does absorb some water, and if the line is stored tightly wrapped around the spool, the line toward the inside of the reel will not sufficiently dry, and will begin to corrode not only the line itself, but also the metal internal spool on which the line is set. Furthermore, if line is allowed to sit on the spool, than there is a possibility that it will begin to rot the wooden drag-pin inside the reel, thereby altering the effectiveness of the drag.

To properly store line, remove it from the reel, and loosely wrap it over all four fingers on your hand. Hang the looped line in a dry, cool place, where is will be removed from the sun, as well as any foreign chemicals. Because fly lines are made up of a PVC coating over a braided core, it is very intolerant. The PVC coating can easily be broken down by oils, grease, suntan lotion, demoisturizing agents, such as WD-40, gasoline, and even insect repellent. Once the line is safely stored, it is time to prepare the reel for storage.

When a reel is first bought, it is very effective to open the reel and coat all the metal parts with non-chloride toothpaste, then close the reel and spin it for a short period of time. This will help to break in the parts, and will make the reel spin more freely when in use. Be sure to completely wash all the paste from the reel, and then lubricate it with reel oil, or silicon.

When storing the reel, it is important to store it in a place that is free of moisture, generally a desk draw, or a dry tackle box. Many fishermen, myself included, like to use reel-bags for easy temporary storage. Although there are many different types of bags, made from a variety of materials, one should never store a reel in a leather case. Many people enjoy the security given from such a durable bag, but there is a huge problem. Leather bags trap in moisture, causing the line to become rotten, and brittle, as well as resulting in rusting and corrosion of the reel.

Furthermore, for those of us who wish to keep their reels looking ‘good as new,’ it is important not to store more than one reel in a single, bag. More that one reel will cause abrasion, and scratching between the two, and will undoubtedly result in large scratches along the faces of the reel bodies.

Now that we have discussed reel and line storage, it is important to understand the proper storage of flies. When storing flies, I prefer to use boxes that do not have any foam or fur inserts because they tend to absorb, and store moisture, which, in turn, rusts the hooks from flies. Many fly vests have fur patches used for temporary storage of flies, giving them the opportunity to dry off before returning to their boxes. It is key to take advantage of this. I recently tied a fresh box of flies. After fishing only one fly, I returned it to the box without allowing it to dry entirely. I stored the box in my vest, and when I opened it a month later, every fly was severely rusted, and the hooks no longer supported any weight. I truly hope that you learn from my mistakes, and remember to take into account all the above tips for maintaining you fishing gear. Happy fishing!
- Rieno de Pescado

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