Making it right for your fishing!

The Casting Connection

May 2025

By Capt. Scott Swartz

Scott Swartz founded the Atlanta Fly Fishing School, which began in 1999. It is the largest such operation in the Southeast and the only Trout Unlimited “Gold Endorsed” school in the United States. His Florida Fly Fishing Schools started in 2008, helping anglers learn to successfully fly fish in saltwater

Q. I just got a new reel and I’m shopping lines. How do I choose the best one?

A. Carefully!

Marketing promotes lines by the fish we seek. There are trout lines, steelhead lines, bass lines, pike lines, and saltwater has its tarpon, permit and bonefish lines too. Many choose “species” lines for convenience and do not search deeper, but there are things to consider.

First, do you already have rods set up for the fishing you do most frequently? Are you duplicating efforts or can you create a rig for alternative fishing?

Over 85 percent of fly lines sold today are weight-forward, floating. If those lines are on your other rods, perhaps you can change things up with a shooting-head, a double-taper, an intermediate or a sinking line. Even if you choose another weight-forward, floating line, there are vast differences in head lengths and taper designs to choose from.

Here are some things to consider in choosing your new line:

(1) The length of casts and how much line you carry. For short to medium casts most any line will work. For longer casts a DT (double-taper) or a WF (weight forward) with a long belly and a long rear taper can help carry a long loop.

(2) The flies you typically throw. A long, fine, front taper works for delicate presentations and smaller flies, but a short heavier head will carry big wind-resistant bugs better.

(3) Water temperature. Cold, hot or just right? The stiffness or limpness of a line greatly affects performance. Tropic lines with braided monofilament cores handle warm waters, but take it to your trout stream and it will be too stiff to cast well. Likewise, braided-multifilament cold water line will wilt in the summer on a southern pond.

(4) Depth to fish. A line for every depth and every sink rate is available, and there are a lot of fish deep in the water column.

(5) How stealthy. Do you fish educated, catch-and-release waters, or stalk skinny flats? A single-strand, monofilament core, “clear” tip line, might help.

(6) Distance mending or roll casting. Distance mending and distance roll casting benefit from double-taper or a long, weight-forward head just as long casts do . It is difficult to get the small running line behind the fly line’s head to effectively transfer energy to the heavier belly of the line.

(7) Quick casts. Do you sight fish to cruising fish or fish that break the surface and go back down quickly? A one-half heavy, short-head, quick shooter line can load your rod faster with less false casts.

There are a lot of variables to consider. Purchase your first line for the fishing you do most often. For all the rest of your fishing, choose carefully. That’s why reel manufacturers sell extra spools!