Walter & Group...
Tim Rajeff called attention to the fact that several years ago, a German company made fly lines which had a fiberglass core. These lines didn't stretch out at all. He found that they were great for tournament distance casting.
The stretchability of a fly line is largely determined by the physical properties of its core material.
The average floating fly line used today, will stretch out about 20% of its total length. Of course, this is a very rough figure. Most lines made for salt water use have braided nylon monofilament rather than multifilament cores and won't stretch nearly as much.
Years ago, we tried the fly lines made on a core of Kevlar. (A Du Pont product ... same as Aramid which they named it for use in automobile tire casings.) The fly lines were made in England by the (then) Airflo company and were called, "Sue Burgess" lines. They were fine for distance casting....... HOWEVER - We could not get a twist or coil out of them no matter what we tried. They developed a mean twist if we accidentally stepped on the line and moved the foot. The most devilish fault was the fact that the core was only of 18 lb. test Kevlar, and after many casts it would suddenly fly apart in mid air whereupon the forward part of the fly line, leader and fly would be lost forever as it steamed out to Kingdom Come !
The old "slime lines" made on a soft nylon monofilament core would twist up something fierce, but the coils came out nicely when they were stretched. The coating was soft, too ..... and would strip off if one fastened the butt section of the leader to them with a nail knot. It would "inch-worm" leaving one inch segments of bare mono core exposed. We found that an Albright special knot worked OK, however. The coils of these lines on a sizzling hot skiff deck would stick together. We'd cast to a tarpon and have a basketball of tangled line slide up to the stripper guide. Now if the fish took the fly, we really had a problem.
That actually happened to us one day. I'd been fishing Jim Brady (of our Group). We were both anxious for him to catch his first tarpon ever. He hooked fish on each of 3 days and lost each one. On our last day we were at fever pitch. He made a perfect presentation and hooked a poon ...... yep .... a nasty line tangle swooped up to the the stripper guide. He used the trick of quickly turning the rod upside down. I figured that tangle had no chance of going throught he guides, but it miraculously did ! Now the tangle was half way between us and the fish. I figured I'd better keep it out of the rod guides 'til that poon died of old age, so I kept our distance. A school of fish blooped up behind me and I turned to watch them. When I turned back, I was horrified to see that Jim had actually reeled all that mess up into the guides and on to the reel !!! Now, I had to pole like a mad man to keep close to the fish. Almost wore out my arms doing that. Bottom line is that WE GOT THE CRITTER.
Gordy
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From Ally Gowans:
Hi
Gordy,
In colder climates (eg.
Scotland) carefully stretching a line before fishing not only removes the coils
it heats up the molecules inside the line a modicum and improves flexibility and
performance much faster than simply casting with it. Like us lines can be
“limbered up”! This would be good practice for anyone taking a
test.
Best
wishes,
Ally
Gowans
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Ally... Yes. As we take the word STRETCH as a noun and use it as a verb, it is certainly true that to literally stretch a line does all of these things. This is especially true of lines coiled up in cold weather. Same is true of leaders.
To take the kinks out of leaders, especially heavy nylon mono used as butt sections for salty leaders, I have a 1/2" stainless steel strap screwed to my skiff console. I hook the fly onto that, then stretch the leader by hand. Then I run my thumb and forefinger over the butt section back and forth while pinching. I can feel the heat generated by the friction. Trick is, to keep it on the stretch for about 30 sec. or so after I stop rubbing. Comes out nice and straight every time.
When trout fishing with fine tippets, some anglers use leather leader straighteners. This is NOT a good idea, as this method weakens the tippet.
When taking the MCCI exam, the candidate is alone with his examiners and perhaps one observer. It makes good sense to have him ask one of them to help stretch the line prior to casting. (Also gives the impression that the candidate knows the score.) Just a bit of psychology going on here, too as it places the examiner "on the candidates team".
As you know well, there are many ways of stretching the fly line at streamside even if you don't have a partner.
1.) Hooking your fly to a branch and stepping back while holding the line tight.
2.) Pulling line from the reel while stretching it a few feet at a time.
3.) Casting down stream, then stripping in fast against the current ( Not nearly as effective).
When fishing from a canoe, # 2.) and #3.) can be used.
The situation is a bit different when fishing from a flats skiff. While #2.) and #3) will work, there are other methods.
4.) Dragging your fly line in the wake as the skiff is moving to your fishing area. (Helps to hook the fly to a large swivel as you do this.)
5.) In the tropics, we often do it by pulling line from the reel, passing a long coil beneath a bare or stocking foot and stretching these longer coils as this is done.
6.) When fishing a grassy flat, sometimes I'll make a cast and allow the fly to literally sink into the grass. I allow the skiff to drift down weather a bit, then come tight as the fly catches. After holding it on the stretch for a few seconds, it will usually pull free without breaking the tippet.
7.) I have a friend (a skiff flats guide) who has his clients hook their flies to a weighted plastic buoy. He allows the buoy to drift from the skiff, then has the client strip line in as fast as possible. The line stretches against the resistance of the floating buoy.
All this said and done, there remains the one very best way to stretch a fly line:-
8.) HOOK A LARGE FISH !!!
Gordy
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