Walter & Group...
Answers to the Fly Line quiz by Mark Milkovitch. My comments in his answer text in red italics. G. :-
Take your time with this quiz.... It is a long one (70 questions) since I wanted to cover a great deal of material.
Gordy
1.) The
fly line has been called "The heart of the system".
Why?
It is the distinguishing feature of fly fishing.
Yes
it is. Also, you can deliver a fly without a fly rod, but not
without a fly line. When fly fishing, you unroll the fly line
to carry the fly to its destination.
G.
2.) The length, core, coating, additives, stiffness, stretch potential and mass profile of a fly line are all important in
determining the way it behaves when cast. Of these,
which do you think is the most important?
Generally, the mass profile but in extreme temperatures, the core.
Yes. Best short answer: Mass Profile. G.
3.) What is the main difference between the
methods of rating fly lines during the 50's and the present?
Ratings were based on line diameter vs. the current rating based on the weight of the first 30? of line (minus the level tip section).
Agree. G.
4.) In
what year did that change occur?
1961
Yes.
5.) What
organization was responsible for advancing the new method?
AFTMA ? American Fly Tackle Manufacturers Association
Yes.
6.) What
do the letters: AFFTA stand for?
American Fly Fishing Trade Association
Yes. (This is the current organization.)
7.) BRIEFLY describe the way most fly lines used for
single handed casting are rated.
Mass Profile (taper) / Weight (Rod Designation) / Density (Floating, Sinking)
I'd put it this way: The grain weight of the firs thirty feet.
8.) One fly line designer has written about his/her recommendations for a modification of the present system of rating fly
lines. Who is
that?
Bruce Richards
Yes.
9.) You
have a WF 5 F fly line. What does this
mean?
Weight Forward 5 Weight Floating Line
Yes.
10.) What
is a fly line labeled DT 5 F?
Double Taper 5 Weight Floating
Yes.
11.) Of the two fly lines in 9.) and 10.), which makes
it easiest to present the fly delicately at 30
feet?
The DT 5 F
Not nececarily ! The forward taper which helps determine the delicacy of presentation may be exactly the same for both lines. Since you are not castin beyond 30', you are not getting beyond that forward taper.
We might even have a DT fly line with a more steep taper than that of the WF fly line in which instance, the WF line would yield a more delicate presentation than the DT.
12.)
Which of these two lines would you chose to present a fly out at 80
feet?
WF 5 F
Agree.
13.) Name
one advantage for the DT 5 F line over the WF 5 F
line.
It can be reversed
Yes.
14.) Which of these two lines would you choose for
making a long distance roll cast?
DT 5 F
Not a bad choice..... UNLESS the WF 5 F fly line has a long head in which instance you would likely get more distance bacause you wouldn't be trying to shoot that long DT. belly through the rod guides.
15.)
Why?
The large flat belly provides maximum mass for carrying the energy of the cast.
This is true. However, for maximum distance, you'll want to shoot line. This is where the WF line may excel.
16.) You are using a 6 wt. rod matched to a WF 6 F fly line with a 45' head and a short rear taper.
a. As
you make your final false cast you are carrying 40' of line out of your rod
tip. What line weight are you actually casting at this
point?
Approximately 210 grains (the same weight as the first 30? of an 8 weight line).
Yes.
b. Using the same rod and line, your buddy who is an accomplished distance caster false casts carrying 60' of line
out
of his rod tip. What wt.
line is he actually casting?
It could be as much as +240 grains, the equivalent of the first 30? of a 9 weight line.
Pretty close ! If we use the standard rough formula of one designation (weight) increase with each 5' of line carried out of
the rod tip beyond the first 30', we'd come up with a 12 wt. designation ..... HOWEVER, this line has a head of only 45'
combined with a short rear taper. so the line back beyond the firs 45' is running line which is thin and light and adds much
less to the total wt. of line carried. So we'd really be casting with a line designation of somewhere between 9 and 10.
17.) Your student is using the same outfit. She can only false cast with 25' of line out of the tip. What wt. line is she
actually casting?
Approximately 130 grains, the equivalent of the first 30?of a 5 weight line
Yes.
18.) This
student has trouble bending (loading) her rod.
Why?
The rod was designed to load fully under a heavier load.
Yes.
19.) What is the approximate specific gravity of this
WF 6 F fly line? (Fresh water has a specific gravity of
1.0)
< 1.0 (.75 to .96)
Agree. (A bit less than
1.0)
20.) Do
floating lines float better in turbulent water?
No, better in calm water
Agree.
21.)
Briefly describe this line: WF 9 F/S.
Weight Forward 9 Weight Floating with a Sink Tip
Yes.
22.) Your student tells you that he cannot find a sinking line for his 2 wt. fly rod. He's done some reading on fly line
ratings and is looking for a WF 2 S Class IV
line. Where can he find one?
I don?t believe any one makes one. The required coating to provide the sink rate coupled with the need for a core strong enough to
cope with bottom snags would make the line too heavy to meet the AFFTA weight standard for the #2 Rod.
Correct.
23.) What is
the approximate specific gravity of this line: WF 7
I?
Just > 1.0
Yes. (A bit denser than sg. 1.0 )
24.) Briefly
describe this line: WF 10 S Class
VI.
Weight Forward 10 weight Sinking _ Very Fast Sinking (up to 10?/second)
Yes. (Of course, the actual sink rate would depend on
whether the water is salt or fresh as well as the current, etc.
)
25.) What is
this line: TT 7 F ..
A Wulff Triangle Taper 7 Weight Floating Line
Yes.
26.) "
" " " : AHD 6 F
?
Couldn?t find this one
It is a proprietary designation meaning an ArrowHead Dryline 6 wt. Floating line. This is manufactured by Michael Evans & Co. in England. They also make other lines with labels such as: AHW 6 N (Arrow head neutral .... a line which is a bit more buoyant than an intermediate line, to remain just below the surface) and their AHW 6 FS .... an ArrowHead 6 floating line with a sink tip.)
Only two of you got this right. (I expected none would) My reason for including it is that it represents the fact that some line labels are confusing when they represent manufacturer specific descriptions.
27.) I'm confused. I was just handed a new fly
line. On the box, it says: RXS-40+WF9F-FG. Can you help
me out here?
The line is Airflo?s Forty Plus weight forward floating line in a 9 weight; the color is Fluorescent Green. The line has a 35? head and
a
ridged running line.
28.) What
is a DENSITY COMPENSATED fly line?
A fly line with a higher density tip than belly to eliminate sag in the line as it sinks.
Yes.
29.) What is the difference between a density
compensated fly line and a uniform sink fly line?
No difference
Agree.
30.) Is there any advantage to using a density compensated fly line over one of the older standard sinking fly lines of the
same
rating and sink rate?
Yes two important ones: 1. the sink rate refers to the fastest sinking part of the line and in the density compensated line that is the
tip rather than the belly and 2. the straighter line enhances strike detection.
Agree.
31.) What
is a CRT fly line?
A
Continuous
Rear
Taper
line
(e.g.
Snowbee delicate presentation line from
Yes. (Note: Jason Borger's NATURE OF FLY CASTING, p. 111.)
32.) Why
are most fly lines tapered?
Taper significantly and desirably effect line performance.
True. (Not likely you can control the delicacy of presentation or prevent "line kick" if there is no taper. You cannot cast as far when using a line with no taper, either. )
33.) Name 5
basic sections of a standard WF fly line.
1.
Tip
2.
Front
Taper
3.
Belly
4.
Rear
Taper
5. Running Line
Yes.
34.) What
is the main attribute or function of each
section?
1. Tip ? used for attaching leader without affecting the taper Yes.
2. Front Taper ? controls how a line delivers the fly Yes.
3. Belly ? carries the energy during the cast Yes
4. Rear Taper ? connects the belly to the running line Yes.
5.
Running
Line - small diameter line which connects line to reel and makes it easy to
shoot line Yes.
35.) What is the difference between a SHOOTING LINE and a RUNNING LINE? (Hint: Al Buhr pointed this out to us
in the recent past.)
Couldn?t find Al?s comment but a shooting line is designed specifically to attach to the rear of a shooting taper / shooting head.
The running line is the integrated rear portion of a weight forward line.
Correct. Al Buhr correctly pointed out that some of us had been using the terms interchangeably even though they are not
really the same. (Another difference is that the shooting lines are generally lighter and of less diameter than the integrated
running line. Lastly, shooting lines are often made of materials different from those of the fly line head.)
36.) What is
meant by the term "HEAD" of a fly line?
The section composed of the tip, front taper, belly and rear taper.
Yes.
37.) Name
3 fly line designs which have no BELLY.
The original horse hair braided fly lines, Wulff Triangle Taper
Triangle taper, to be sure. I'd also include shooting heads and level lines. Some of the later horse hair lines had hair fibers added to yield a forward taper and head. (Actually, the original horse hair lines were not braided, but twisted and tied at intervals.)
Hard to say about a CRT line, since there is no real demarkation between a rear taper and a running line..... the rear taper goes right to the end of the fly line and so serves a duel purpose as part of an expanded "head" as well as a sort of running line.
38.) What
is a BBT fly line?
Bass Bug Taper
Yes.
39.) The label
on this fly line box reads: WF 8 I ?SWT. What does this
mean?
Weight Forward 8 weight Intermediate sinking ? Salt Water Taper
Yes.
40.) What
does the suffix ST mean?
Shooting Taper
Yes.
41.) It is often taught that a fly line when cast
performs like a bull whip. What is meant by
that?
For both, the energy is being moved from the full moving line to an increasingly shorter and slimmer portion of the line which
causes it to accelerate until it reaches it?s full extent (unless here is something like a bushy fly to slow that acceleration)
Yes. As the taper unfurls, mass is traded for lots more speed while the energy remains the same.
( Energy = 1/2 Mass X velocity squared.)
42.) What (if any) is the difference in casting
performance between a fly line with a short steep taper and one with a longer
more gradual taper ?
The shorter steep taper transfers more energy to the tip for power, the longer taper transfers less power which facilitates greater
presentation
delicacy.
43.)
For what fishing circumstance would you choose the line with the short steep
taper?
Fishing with bushy and/or heavy flies.
Agree.
44.)
Your WF 5 F fly line has a tip diameter of .055". What is the
approximate diameter of the tip of your WF 7 F
line?
Absent a micrometer I eyeballed them, they were awfully close. I estimate + ..060.
Yes. (If from the same manufacturer, they may well be the same.)
45.) Why do
level fly lines tend to "kick"?
They do not have the taper which increase the line speed and thus the wind resistance of the fly. The drag produced by the fly
pulls energy from the line to slow it before it reaches its full extent. The level lines carry more energy into the line straightened
position
which produces the kick.
46.) Can you think of a fishing situation where that
level line "kick" could be used to advantage?
To put slack in the leader for downstream dry fly presentations.
Yes.... that's one way of doing it. A better use, I think, is for flipping heavy/bulky bass bugs under cover. Also help to make dramatic powered curve casts and hook casts.
47.)
When casting a WF 8 F line, the speed of the fly leg of the loop is measured at
89M/sec. You are not shooting any line. What is the speed of the
leading edge of your loop?
< 89 M/sec. Based on the idea that some arbitrary point on the fly leg which was trailing the leading edge and traveling at 89 M/sec.
eventually catches up to, and becomes part, of the leading edge.
With this question and question 48.) I should have said the FORWARD speed of the leading edge of the loop. With my
question corrected, the answer is:
The forward speed of the leading edge of your loop edge is 1/2
that of the fly leg, so would be 44.5
M/sec.
48.) You are
using the same line and are shooting line on your delivery cast. The speed
of your fly leg is 84M/sec. That of your rod leg is 20M/sec. What is
the speed of the leading edge of your fly line loop
now?
< 84 M/sec. Based on the same idea as above.
Same error in the wording of my question.
The forward speed of the leading edge of the loop is the speed of the fly leg (84 M/sec.) plus that of the shot rod leg (20M/sec.) divided by 2 = 52M/sec.
49.) Most fly lines are designed with which of these forward tapers: a. Straight taper, b. Concave-compound taper, c. Convex-compound taper. ?
Guessing ? straight taper for greater versatility.
Most are designed with a CONVEX-COMPOUND tapers.
50.) Describe a fishing circumstance where you would
use a fly line designed with a concave-compound forward
taper.
Spring creek small dry fly fishing.
Yes.
51.) You told your student that a long head WF fly line works better than a short head fly line for distance casting.
He wants to know why. What do you tell him?
For line control, long casting is easier when the belly, the most massive part of the line is in or near the tip top guide. For that reason
long belly/head line makes long casts easier.
True. Also, it takes longer for the long head to unroll. That unrolling loop is moving forward for a greater period of time.
This translates into greater distance.
52.) What
line would you recommend to this student for distance
roll
casting?
A floating long head line like ?Expert Distance?
A good choice.
53.) A Wulff triangle taper fly line has which taper
design: a. Straight (uniform) taper, b. Concave-compound
taper, c. Convex-compound taper
?
Convex Compound
Yes.
54.) You want to cast to striped bass in very shallow water with a minimum number of false casts. Would you choose a line
with a long head or a short one?
Short
Agree.
55.) List
some properties of a running line which is ideal for long distance
casting.
The small diameter (less friction through the guides) and light weight facilitate shooting. If it is stiff, textured and slippery it will
perform even better.
Yes.
56.) How do you
clean your fly lines?
Hand soap and water in the kitchen sink.
Good SAFE way to do it. The soapy water should be rinsed well with plain water afterward. (Detergent may damage the line. Plasticizers such as Armoral must be used sparingly to avoid damage).
(I didn't ask about treating or lubricating the line. Some prefer the use of slippery silicone based materials. These have the advantage of being easy to repeat if needed during a day's fishing. I prefer the use of a product called "GLIDE". This works very well. One advantage is that this treatment provides a slick surface which does not tend to pick up dust and fine grit. Disadvantage is that it's best to apply it then let it "set" overnight after which the line can be buffed.)
57.) You have just joined the
What is
the best way to store your fly lines so that they will be in good condition upon
your return?
Coiled in a cool dark place ? Richards recommends the refrigerator or freezer in order to halt plasticizer migration in order to prolong
useful line life.
Yes,
58.) For what fishing would you consider using a
crystal clear, small diameter wt. forward intermediate sink
line?
Bone and tarpon fishing in windy conditions.
Yes. Also good for
fishing clear lakes.
59.) You live in the frozen North (Anything North of
about 3
months. How do you store your fly lines for that
period?
Any cool dark place away from a heat source.
Agree. Good idea to store them in long, loose coils to minimise a "set".
60.) Name
a few "SPECIALTY" fly lines now on the market.
Bonefish, tarpon, billfish, pike/musky, redfish & striped bass tapers
Yes. By doing this, it makes it easier for anglers to pick a line when they may not know the intracacies of fly line design. Also a good market ploy.
61.) What
is a "RIDGE LINE "?
An Airflo fly line with longitudinal ridges which increase surface area for floatability and reducing line surface contact/friction while passing through the guides.
Yes.
62.) List
some advantages and disadvantages of a fly line called a SHARKSKIN line.
Less guide friction enhances casting distance; the greater surface area enhances float; the line seems to cast better even when not
cleaned for extended periods. The primary disadvantages are price and noise.
Some have reported hand/finger abrasion. (My hands are rarely away from a fly line for very long and so are tough .....
maybe that is the reason I didn't have that problem.
)
63.) What
is a WELDED
A loop formed in either end of the fly line by melting the coating of two sections of the line so they fuse together as they cool.
Yes.
64.) One of the most knowledgeable men in the World when it comes to fly line design, has had a wealth of experience
designing, modifying and splicing his own lines. He wrote a book on the subject. Who is he? (Hint: He and the late
Jim Green worked together putting together and fishing their
lines.)
Based on the hint ? Don Green
Al Buhr comes to my mind.
65.) For what fishing and teaching circumstances would you use a fly line one or two designations greater than that of the
fly
rod?
To load the rod for very short casts and for teaching the double haul
Agree. Especially if you are going to need very quick casts with heavy flies.
Also helps to make it easier for early fly casting students to get
the feel of rod load.
66.) When
would you use a fly line of lower designation than that of your fly
rod?
For making extremely long casts.
Yes.
67.) Can you think of a fishing circumstance where you
would cut some of your forward taper off your fly
line?
To give the line ?more power? for casting big flies.
Yes .... when delicacy of presentation takes a back seat to the need for a quick splashy presentation to get the attention of
a bass deep in cover, etc.
68.) I have cut as much as 40' from the running line of my fly line. Can you imagine the fishing situation where I would
have
done that?
One which requires short casts but a great deal of backing for powerful fish e.g. yellow fin tuna.
Yes. Or for billfish where you rarely need much line for the cast. Any more flyline than you need for the cast is there to
provide a lot of water resistance making it more likely that the pressure on the tippet as the fish turns and runs or sounds
will pop it.
69.) Peter Hayes of
large fish. I'd already landed the fish, but tight knot remained. In the past, I'd damaged fly lines when using an ice pick,
needle or other similar device. Can you think of his trick? (Hint: Sometimes works to get "wind knots" from your
leader, too.)
Don?t know.
Place the knot in your leader, tippet or fly line onto the thick part of one hand on the palm side opposite the thumb and
repeatedly strike it with the same part of the other hand. Sometimes works just fine !
70.)
Can you think of
a reason to ever dye your fly line?
To make it more visible.
Yes. Especially to make them highly visable to you and your students.
Some anglers dye their lines to make them less visable to fish. (This is debatable with no real agreement over whether or not this really works.)
Well done, Mark !
Gordy
Many of these questions are real head scratchers. I suggest, you take your time to answer as many as you can, then go to the fly fishing literature to look up the information which will help you answer the others.
Take your time. With such a long quiz, I'll wait a few days before sending you the answers.
Gordy