Couple of Questions

[NUFC09]

im new to fly fishing, and only have floating line, and dont really want to spend any more money on all the different types of line until i get the hang of it, and get into it more...

so what do i do if the fish arent rising to the surface, and i only have floating line? am i just wasting my time?

also how long should the leader be?

thanks

 

[mark]

you're line will float, but on the end of it you'll have a long leader...

use a sinking leader, flourocarbon or buy sinking leaders. Also depends on what flies you're using, if you're using weighted nymphs and the like, the tiny bit of weight they have is enough to drag the leader under even if you just use some cheap mono

 

[NUFC09]

how long should the leader be? i have been telt about 9-12 foot, thought that it seemed quite long, and i would be more likely to hook myself with it being that long? lol

how can you tell the difference between a floating fly and sinking fly?

cheers

 

[mark]

how long should the leader be? i have been telt about 9-12 foot, thought that it seemed quite long, and i would be more likely to hook myself with it being that long? lol

some people would say 9 to 12 foot is at the short end for leader lengths! at least the same as you're rod, once you get to grips with casting make it longer, the longer the longer the leader is, the further away you're fly will be from the main line so will spook the fish less and help present the fly better... Got a friend who use a 20 foot leader!

whilst a t the same time exponentially increasing the hassle... tangles, wind knots and the rest

how can you tell the difference between a floating fly and sinking fly?

err... one sinks the other doesn't!

virtually impossible to tell by appearance alone

 

[mick dunn]

I,m not an expert but used a floating line the other day with a long leader. About 12 ft (see my report on Derwent). As the weighted lure went down (black fritz with gold head bead) you could see the leader go under. Fish were taking the fritz as it went to the bottom.
Soeone next to me was using intermediate line which sunk quicker and seemed more efective as fish were feeding on the bottom.

I am trying to work out why floating lines differ. What is WF6 and WF7.?
Is it the diameter of the line.

 

[mick dunn]

The line[Top]
There are a lot of good lines on the market so look for a line suited to your rod (look at the # or AFTM numbers on the rod, if the rod is rated as 6# then you need a 6# line) To simplify things there are two main designs of fly line, these are Double Taper (DT) or Weight Forward (WF).
A double taper (DT) line has the main body or belly of the line parallel with equal tapers at each end.
A weight forward (WF) line has most of the casting weight of the line at the front with a slimmer running section behind.
Then there are two specific characteristics that you can choose, these are floating or sinking. As in all things in life why have things simply when with a bit of effort we can make it complex, so there are numerous variants of these two types. But for a beginner we do not need to worry about them.

So to simplify the above information on fly lines as a beginner a floating line will give you better opportunity to practice your cast and adapt to various situations. Therefore for a 6# rod I would suggest you use a WF6F line( a weight forward #6 floating line). As for the line make, Snowbee XS Prestige, Courtland 444 ( not lazer), Shakespeare Worcestershire and various others are all good, expect to pay £30-50 for a good line.

GOOGLED.

 

[mick dunn]

is this line any good. ?
You've signed out. See you again soon.

 

[salmon bob]

Buy yourself some poly leaders you can get them in all densitys they attach to your braided loop via a loop to loop connection they are excellent they also help turn your flies over better and they only cost a couple of quid

 

[hardy man]

im new to fly fishing, and only have floating line, and dont really want to spend any more money on all the different types of line until i get the hang of it, and get into it more...

so what do i do if the fish arent rising to the surface, and i only have floating line? am i just wasting my time?

also how long should the leader be?

thanks

to be honest mate you would only really need a floating line for most situations if you want to fish deeper just increase the length of your leeder the only other line i would normally use is a slime intermediate for pulling lures the one i use only cost about 14 quid and is available on the fishtek website next time you go out fishing try fishing with a bite indicator varying the depths of your lure untill you find the fish hope this will help you out a bit m8

 

[mick dunn]

Bought some today-Fish Pimp strike indicator.6 for £3:99.
Feels like i,m cheating.

 

[oldessox]

Lol , it's not cheating using indicators, and you'll be surprised how many takes you get with them.
Floating lines will let you fish your fly at any depth you need to be at on most of our waters , as folk have said , just use a longer leader and a sinking fly , but if the fish are in a chasing mood and want the fly pulled fast it's hard to do with a floating line if the fish are 4 or 5 feet down , the fly (even a weighted one) rises to the surface as you pull the line. That's when a sinking line is best , the whole line sinks parallel to the surface and you can count the seconds it has been sinking before pulling it back.
So, if you cast out your sinking line and count to 5 and the line sinks to 2ft then start pulling , the fly will come back to you 2ft down all the way , if you count down to ten it will come back at 4ft and so on.
There are different sinking lines though , some sink very slowly and some sink very fast , unless you want to fish 30ft down don't bother with a fast one , get an intermediate or a very slow sinker , it just means you have to wait a little longer for it to sink deeper.
You aren't wasting your time fishing just with a floating line, even if the fish aren't rising they are rarely very deep , try weighted lures or flies with different lengths of leader , fish with just one fly on the end of a ten foot leader and pull it back at different speeds , very slowly (and I mean VERY slowly) for a few casts and gradually get faster every few casts till you get a take , then remember how fast you were pulling and keep it at that for a while. Or try a slowly sinking fly on a ten foot leader and cast it out , straighten the line up and just let it sit there till you see a pull on the line , SEE a pull , don't wait till you feel it. Or put an indicator on the leader about 4ft from the fly (preferably a flexi bloodworm)and cast it out and just wait , if you are patient enough this virtually guarantees a fish. try different depths if 4ft fails to get a take.
Whatever you do ....... have fun

Ray

 

[NUFC09]

thanks for the replies...

sorry to sound a bit dumb, but what do you mean by bite indicators? i googled it and could only find this..

Fishtec Fly Fishing

what is the difference between these and normal flies?

cheers

 

[Beachlover]

Everyone please remember this - if you are set on buying an intermediate line don't fall into the trap of thinking that it can be used as a floater and a sinker, some people I have spoken to in the past have tried using this for both types of fishing, they use the intermediate as a sinker but just wait longer for it to sink, the thing is it doesn't, it will sink to a depth of maybe two feet and that is it, you can cast out, have some bait, go the the loo, have a kip then check your line and it will still be at the same depth, it's density dictates how far it can sink then it stops there, so it can't be used as a true sinker.

Also people think it can be used as a floater, well I suppose it can, right up until a point when you are pulling in, you still have about 10 yards of line out and a fish rises, you immediately raise your rod to get the line airborn to cover the fish and end up making a huge splosh and the line ends up round the back of your ears, done it dozens of times. If you were fishing with a true floater though you would get the line airborn immediately, one false cast to get the direction on the line right, second false cast to get a bit more line out and then a third cast to cover the fish.

My opinion is this: -

Floaters are floaters
Sinkers are sinkers
Intermediates are a line that you don't really need but somehow just seem to want to buy one, you don't need one...........

 

[FluffChucker]

Intermediate lines...

Intermediate lines...

...and your opinion is WRONG

 

[Beachlover]

...and your opinion is WRONG

I'ts an opinion, how can it be wrong.

My opinion is you don't need an intermediate line.

Your opinion is you do need an intermediate line.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and that's what these forums are for aren't they? for people to pass on their opinions????

 

[YoursTruly]

I'ts an opinion, how can it be wrong.

My opinion is you don't need an intermediate line.

Your opinion is you do need an intermediate line.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and that's what these forums are for aren't they? for people to pass on their opinions????

Beachlover, i agree you are entitled to your opinion as is everyone else and yes thats what forums are for,however when someone is specifically asking for advice and not an opinion then advice is what should be given.
Intermediate lines are an essential part of your equipment, your theory on the intermediate line not sinking is not correct, in fact if you leave an intermediate line long enough to sink it will get to the bottom.
I think you are getting slightly confused with a neutral density line, now this line will sink very very slowly and will allow you to fish just subsurface and deeper if you let it sink, it will also reach the bottom given a longer time.

 

[Beachlover]

Beachlover, i agree you are entitled to your opinion as is everyone else and yes thats what forums are for,however when someone is specifically asking for advice and not an opinion then advice is what should be given.
Intermediate lines are an essential part of your equipment, your theory on the intermediate line not sinking is not correct, in fact if you leave an intermediate line long enough to sink it will get to the bottom.
I think you are getting slightly confused with a neutral density line, now this line will sink very very slowly and will allow you to fish just subsurface and deeper if you let it sink, it will also reach the bottom given a longer time.

The intermediate I had years ago must have been faulty then because it definitely would not sink beloow a couple of feet.

As far as advice is concerned is telling a novice that they must have all three types of fly lines correct, no. Once they become more expert then they may benefit from all three but not when they are new it's just more cost and more confusion. Remember it's advice for a novice and the initial outlay for anyone first setting up is high enough without people telling them they need everything at once. One step at a time and a few quid at a time EH.

So if I were to give someone advice on buying lines I would say a floater followed by a sinker and then if you can afford it, and you believe it would benefit you, an intermediate, this advice is based on what I have learned, some people may say it's wrong, but advice like this is based on peoples own opinions and their opinions follow what they have learned themselves.

 

[hardy man]

Bought some today-Fish Pimp strike indicator.6 for £3:99.
Feels like i,m cheating.

i wouldnt worry two much about that m8 catching fish is what counts if you want to cheet throw some trout pellets next to your bite indicator !mind if its the fish pimps you have bought read the instructions b4 you use them i didnt and ended up decorating the lake personally i prefer the ones terry woods sells at reelsport i find that they r easier to use m8

 

[hardy man]

the website is fishtec and the line is called airflo truecast its a belting line for the price

 

[YoursTruly]

The intermediate I had years ago must have been faulty then because it definitely would not sink beloow a couple of feet.

As far as advice is concerned is telling a novice that they must have all three types of fly lines correct, no. Once they become more expert then they may benefit from all three but not when they are new it's just more cost and more confusion. Remember it's advice for a novice and the initial outlay for anyone first setting up is high enough without people telling them they need everything at once. One step at a time and a few quid at a time EH.

So if I were to give someone advice on buying lines I would say a floater followed by a sinker and then if you can afford it, and you believe it would benefit you, an intermediate, this advice is based on what I have learned, some people may say it's wrong, but advice like this is based on peoples own opinions and their opinions follow what they have learned themselves.

I have to disagree with you on the choice of lines, first and foremost a novice will definately need a floating line (which you have stated). In days gone by (Many years ago) the novice's second line would have been a sinker however with so many small fisheries popping up which most are not that deep then an Intermediate will serve the novice much better than an outright sinker.
And as far as cost goes, he/she has just spent money on tackle to catch fish, for an extra £10 they will use the intermediate to good effect and catch far more fish than they would if they simply owned a floating line.