Fly Lines

Next to favorite flies, favorite lines inspire as much passion and favoritism as any other piece of fly fishing equipment. Go to the Vineyard and they will extol the virtues of floating lines which they use with sliders with a great deal of success; on the other hand, except in very, very specific circumstances, you will rarely see a floating line used from Buzzards Bay to Chatham to Provincetown, where intermediates and sinking lines rule.

Of course, brands of fly lines are very much at issue, with some folks swearing by Scientific Anglers and others Cortland, while smaller enclaves hold to their Orvis', Lee Wulffs, Teenys, Airflos, and other brands which hold a smaller market share but inspire no less loyalty.

A mistake I have been guilty of in the past is judging a line according to a few short field trials and a fishing trip or two. To really get the feel for a fly line, you have to try it in different weather conditions and with different size fly lines and leader configurations. One opinion I hold to firmly is that no matter what anyone says, there isn't any one fly line or system that does it all or does it all best.

That said, there is one fly line system that has a loyal following which I have never tried; I'm talking about the venerable shooting head system. In 1992 in his book Striper Surf, Frank Daignault writes, ``According to books, shooting heads originated in the west for steelhead fishing around 1950. Were I privileged to make an addition to what they say, I would add that New Englanders have been slow to accept them, failing to recognize the advantages in big-water fly fishing.''

While this may have been true just a few years ago, shooting heads can be seen in many venues on the Cape and islands. In fact, this summer I've had the pleasure of fishing with some pretty good fly fishermen who swear by shooting heads; they love the fact that with one spool of backing and running line, they can quickly change the head section from floating to intermediate to sinking quickly and easily. Each different type of head can be carried in a bag and attached with interlocking loops to the running line.

Shooting heads are known for another major advantage besides lower expense, however, and that is casting distance. Because of the heavy head section (which usually runs about 30 feet) and the thinner running line, a good caster with a shooting head can easily achieve 80 to 90 feet with only one false cast. While most folks know that even a conventional weight-forward fly line has a heavier section forward followed by a slightly thinner running section, the difference between the head and the running line with a shooting head is far more dramatic. With conventional lines, there is also no joint between the different sections, while with a shooting head you're not going to get anywhere unless you get the loop-to-loop connection outside the rod tip.

Folks who like to use shooting heads, like Chip Gouger from the Fly Shop in West Barnstable, emphasize that shooting heads require a new approach to casting, without which heads can actually decrease distance. Unlike conventional full fly lines, where you can easily keep 40 to 50 feet in the air before shooting any line from your basket or the deck of a boat, a shooting head limits you to the length of the head in the air and perhaps a foot or two outside the tip of the rod. Put anymore of the running line in the air and the whole thing collapses or ``hinges'', with the head falling on top of the running line which simply cannot support the heavy head section. I have observed this problem with some folks who cast shooting heads poorly; when they think they're throwing the full line, what is actually happening is that head carries only so much of the line in the air towards the target and then collapses, with the rest of the running line ending up in a heap along the way.

This can happen even when only the head and a minimal amount of running line is in the air, due to poor casting technique. Daignault adds that ``Shooting heads act differently than conventional weight-forward fly lines because they are faster in the back cast, causing a slight change in the timing.'' Another problem that some folks see with shooting heads is that in windy conditions the momentum of the cast is lost once the wind catches the thinner running line, but Daignault says ``My opinion is that a severe wind will, at worse, reduce your cast to what you would get with a regular line.''

David Churbuck, who also is a shooting head advocate especially when fishing the high surf when long casts are required to get over the crashing waves and foam, told me that Chip wouldn't even sell him a shooting head until he had worked on his casting with conventional full lines. Clearly, even though Chip likes shooting heads, he clearly recognizes the pitfalls one could encounter if they started using them before they had learned proper casting timing.

Besides the ease of interchangeability and the cost savings inherit in shooting heads, Chip also likes the way heads handle. He goes up one line size over the designated rod recommendation (the only time he does this with any line) which gives him the same loading and unloading sensation of a full line when casting a shooting head.

When asked about what he does to create loops in the end of the running line and the head section(s), Chip made it clear that he stays away from braided leader loops no matter what he is doing with his fly line, whether he needs a loop at the end of the line for adding leaders or to connect other sections of the head system. He creates a loop in the running line, which is braided, by drawing the core out of the braid and then running it back through. For the loop in the end of the heads, he simply whips a loop.

One of the reasons I have been turned off by shooting heads is the amount of time I have seen others spending untangling the running line, whose fine diameter and springiness has a tendency to create clumps which need to be picked out. As Chip said, ``Tangled running line is the nature of the beast.'' Of all the running lines on the market, Chip recommends Elite Products, which he describes as a coarse braid that tangles the least of any he has tried. Traditional PVC running lines are very smooth and slippery while products like Amnesia, a solid mono running line, are not high on his list. Airflo has a new running line on the market, but I haven't had the chance to try it or let a real shooting head aficionado give it a shot.

Sean Fields, from the Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans, doesn't use traditional shooting heads, but has come to rely on what he calls ``shooting tapers'' for most of his fishing. With the ever expanding use of fast sinking lines, companies like Teeny and Cortland (in their XRL and Quick Descent lines), as well as others, have come out with lines which have a heavy head section like a shooting head which is joined to a much thinner running line, most of which are braided. Unlike heads, though, you'll have to buy a new spool for each of these lines since the two sections are joined permanently at the factory.

For folks who like these one piece shooting tapers, Scientific Anglers came out with its new Striper Line, which is a clear intermediate line which has the same construction as the fast sinking lines and incorporates a 38 foot head and a total line length of 120 feet for extra long casts; Cortland makes floating and intermediate shooting tapers in their XRL line series with 35 foot head sections and over length of 105 feet, while the fast sink models head lengths range from 27 1/2 to 33 1/2 with same over length. Ruth Meyer at Larry's Tackle Shop in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard mentioned that the SciAngler Striper Line has become very popular.

I use a 325 grain Cortland XRL for the majority of my fast sinking line fishing, but I also have and use a Cortland QD 225 and 425 grain, a 350 Teeny Line, and a SA Striper Line. Let me tell you: the running lines all tangle, although I must admit they did a lot less than the running lines I saw shooting head folks use when they fished with me. Chip mentioned that the running line on the XRL's is the best he has seen. They are also coarse (especially the Striper Line) and some people who have fished with me said the noise of the running line going through the guides sounded like a file or hack saw. The principle behind these coarse running lines is that the fewer contact points of the braided lines will create less friction, but I admit that noise = friction and more wear to me. I'm interested to see what my snake guides look like in a year or two with the continued use of these shooting tapers. The coarseness of the running lines have made the use of finger guards popular, while some folks simply don't like the thinner diameter which is difficult to grasp and control.

Sean also made two other points which I feel make a whole lot of sense. One is that the shooting tapers utilize intermediate running lines while the running lines used with shooting heads are normally floating. Intermediate lines are a bit heavier, so the problem of hinging and carrying the weight of the head will be reduced. Also, I recognize that while clearly a floating line is easier to pick up and cast, I believe an intermediate line, whether running or conventional, defeats wave action and helps maintain contact with the fly.

The other issue Sean raised was the overemphasis placed on casting distance, especially on the Cape and islands. While the Cortland QD lines he prefers in the fast currents he fishes around Chatham and Orleans cast like rockets, Sean said ``I have come to target fishing spots where casts of 50 feet or less are required. I don't want to have to spend so much time whipping out extra long casts; shorter casts help me keep contact with the fly in the current better and most of the fish are in close anyways.''

Jeff Heyer from Cross Rip Outfitters on Nantucket has only used a shooting system on occasion and he calls the Cortland XRL series ``technically a shooting head.'' Again, Jeff noted that shooting heads and shooting tapers can both have the problem of ``hinging'' or collapsing if too much of the running line is put into the air. He added that the thin running line of the XRL is slick when wet and the small diameter can run through your fingers, making controlling a fish or clearing the line on a big striper or fast running bonito or little tunny a problem. In creating a shooting head system, Jeff makes a loop in the running line using 2 or 3 nail knots while in the head (if it doesn't come with a loop already from the manufacturer) he whip finished a loop and coats it with Pliobond. And for Jeff, braided leader loops are an absolute no-no.

Jack Wishart, a guide from Fishing the Cape, an Orvis fly shop located in Harwich on Cape Cod, offered the following opinion: ``It seems that where I fish, full lines seem to be the way to go. Running lines get me hot and bothered. I'm constantly untangling and cursing.The only line I fish which resembles a shooting head is our Depth Charge line. The Depth Charge has great shootability because of its weight. So, as far as I am concerned, keep with the full lines.''

And Captain Leslie Smith of Backlash Charters on the Vineyard offered these observations about shooting heads: ``I have never used a shooting head system, as I'm always fishing out of the boat and have rods already set up with floating lines, intermediates and full sinking. But a lot of my clients come with their own rods set up with shooting heads, and it seems to me to be a pain in the neck. The running lines, being very thin and limp, are always tangling up into God-awful rats nests, right at the moment the fish are breaking, regardless if they use a stripping basket or not. I guess if you only have one rod and reel, or if you're hiking it down a beach, it would come in handy being able to switch lines to accommodate various fishing areas and waters.''

One full line which has caught on here on the Cape is SA's Monocore, also known as a ``slime line.'' These are clear lines which are very popular in flats fishing. Steve Shiraka first turned me on to these last year and I have come to love them. Beware of one thing: they perform best when they are wet and warm. Steve has gotten into the habit of pre-stretching his lines before use and that really helps, but in the cool of the spring and fall, I have never figured out how to beat what I call ``monocore spaghetti.''

What has helped is the introduction by Airflo of their 7000Ts Cold Saltwater Intermediate line. Like the SA Monocore, these are clear lines, but there the similarity ends. While Monocores are traditional PVC lines, Airflo makes use of the SLM (Super Low Memory) Polymer Line Coating, which along with a high-tech solid core, resists capillary action and help the lines zip through the guides. They are also easier to lift out of the water, which is one of the bugaboos with an intermediate line when you see a fish and you want to get the line in the air to move your fly in a different direction.

One word of caution: Airflo Hi-Sense lines, which offer very limited stretch as opposed to their Traditional Stretch lines and those manufactured by other companies, should not be stretched in an attempt to remove any curls which might occur. In fact, trying to stretch them will put a pigtail or corkscrew set in them which cannot be removed. Ian Sorrell of Airflo recommends running the line through your hands if you want to smooth them. I really like the Hi-Sense feature because you can feel the pick-up more easily.

In all of the time I have been using Airflo's line, I have had no problem with snarls, even when fishing in 30 degree air with 20 mile-an-hour winds in 35 degree water which produced ice in the guides. What I have found, however, is there resistance to absorbing water requires that you fish them wet; Jeff was adamant about this point. Any tangles I have encountered occur when the lines sit in my stripping basket or on the deck for any length of time. Airflo lines have a ``rubbery'' feel to them and they can even seem somewhat sticky when they dry out. Jeff mentioned that he covers the casting deck with wet towels, while I have gotten into the happen of tossing handfuls of water into my stripping basket as I go along from one spot to another and I'm not wetting the lines if I'm using a basket with holes in the bottom or I put some water in the basket if it doesn't have any holes in it.

SA Wet Cel Monocores and Airflo's 7000Ts Cold Saltwater Intermediate lines are both weight forward lines which are excellent for flats fishing, although for ease of handling, I'd go with Airflo if you remember to keep it wet.

Leslie not only finished her message with her favorite line choices, but also an interesting observation about overloading or moving up a line size or two over the line rating on a rod:``At the moment, I use the Sci Angler Tarpon Taper for an intermediate line and Teeny 450 and 550 grain lines for the sinking. The Sci Angler lines cast great and make even poor casters look good. The Teeny sinking lines cast wonderfully on the big wands and you don't get that "hinge" effect as when using a shooting head system. Most of my clients come with rods that have matching line weights, i.e. a nine weight line on a nine weight rod. I've found that the high end graphite rods can almost always handle a line one weight heavier than what they're rated for, if not two. I have a Thomas and Thomas #8 rod that won't cast an eight, feels just o.k. with a nine, but casts beautifully with a #10.''

A funny story about overloading concerns an angler who came into Eastman's in Falmouth to try an eight weight Sage. He was thrilled with how it cast with a nine weight line, since he overloads all his rods. One of the staff discovered that what he had been casting was a nine weight rod which he had problems believing since he firmly believed in going up one line weight, to the point where he wasn't going to buy the rod. To each his own; Steve fishes his rods for what they're rated and I like to go up one line.

The key thing with any line is give it a chance. First impressions can be limiting and it's not a bad idea to try and borrow a model from a friend before making up your mind. Especially when it comes to specialty lines like shooting heads, shooting tapers, or ``monocore'' type lines, recognize their strengths and weaknesses and then decide if they're for you.

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