[cimages11]

First off, how do most of you guys and gals load a new fly line? The lines that I have bought have come in a coil rather than on some kind of spool. I usually wind up with a bit of a tangled mess before I get it on the reel. Secound question: What weight leader and tippet is best for a particular weight fly line? I have 3 outfits, a 3,5 and 8wt.

Thanks!

[Frank Whiton]

Hi cimages11,

When I have a coiled fly line it works best for me to completely un-coil the line before I start to put it on a reel spool. In the house I take the line in my hand and start feeding one end onto the floor. I walk around the room or rooms and lay the line out on the floor until all of the line is un-coiled. Try not to stack it on top of it's self unless you keep the last loop on top of the previous loop. Most times I will take it outside on the lawn and un-coil it onto the grass. After it is all laying on the grass and you have added the backing to the spool you can tie the fly line to the backing and wind it on. Be careful not to step on the line while it is laying on the floor or grass.

Another thing you can do is coil the fly line onto a cardboard tube and then have a second person hold the tube and feed it to you while you are winding it onto your reel spool. Make sure you wind it so the casting end of the fly line goes on the tube first.

The size and weight of the fly determines what size tippet works best with that fly. Your 3wt rod is for smaller flies and the leader will have a lighter tippet. If you were fishing a size 16 fly a 5X tippet would be used. If you were fishing your 8wt rod with a size 6 fly a size 2X tippet would be called for. The companys making the leaders size the butt of the leader to match a group of fly lines it might be used on. All you have to worry about is what size tippet you will be using on a particular rod.


Leader Size
X Rating Diameter Fly Size
0X .011 2, 1/0
1X .010 4,6,8
2X .009 6, 8, 10
3X .008 10, 12, 14
4X .007 12, 14, 16
5X .006 14, 16, 18
6X .005 16, 18, 20, 22
7X .004 18, 20, 22, 24
8X .003 22, 24, 26, 28

Here is a quick way to calculate the best size tippet to use on the water. You take the fly size and divide it by 4 and then add 1. For example take a size 6 hook, divide 6 by 4 and you get one. Add one to that and you get 2. So for a size 6 hook use a 2X leader. Of course the chart says 1X or 2X will work - which is right? Well both are. The formula is a guide to get you close. A lot of people make do with a spool of 2X, 4X and 6X tippet. Check it out, 2X will do hook sizes 6, 8 and 10; 4X will do hook sizes 12, 14 and 16; and 6X does most everything else. Does it matter which tippet you use? Really? Yes it does. You might get a 2X leader through a size 16 fly eye, but you won't get much of a dead drift. The tippet will drag. Adjust your tippet to your fly and catch more fish.

[cimages11]

Thanks again Frank for your wisdom! That is in fact the way I finally did get the new line on my reel and it worked quite well. The chart for the tippet to fly size is really helpful and I am sure will help put a couple more fish on the end of my line...

Take Care..