Fly Fishing Line Weights Explained

How does fly line weight relate to the fish i chase.

Fly fishing line weights explained.

The fly line is one of the most important pieces of gear in fly fishing. 8 and 9 weight fly fishing line is used for bluefish bonefish salmon of all species and stripers. Every fly rod is rated by a weight. That means the taper is in the first 10 yards of the fly line.

4 to 5 weight fly line is best for freshwater bass and trout. That line is where the whole concept of fly casting and presenting your fly to the fish all comes together. If you ll be in montana or plan on fishing for trout there is no need for anything this high. Fly line and backing explained.

Fly line weight 8 and abov e. Let s match them up now you know why its so important to determine what you plan on fishing for before doing anything else. These line weights are used for ever larger and stronger fish particular saltwater species. The fly line weights from 8 upward are designed for very powerful very large fish saltwater and salmon species in particular.

This is a measure of the weight of the first 30 of fly line excluding the level tip which attaches to the leader. Here is a fly line wt chart that shows you the average grains of weight in the first 30 ft or head of your line. Typically the weight of the rod is determined by the line weight that is paired with the rod. 6 and 7 weight line is good for bass bonefish pike stripers and trout.

A good friend of mine capt dave chouinard showed me this chart and it is a great example of how much there is to learn about fly lines. We have listed the fly line weights as they relate to actual weight of the fly line in grains or grams. That article detailed the difference in. Understanding how the grains of wt differ from line to line can help you balance your favorite rod with your favorite line and do some damage in.

The size of the fish you are after will dictate what weight fly rod you will need. A weight forward line is a good all around line for its ability to cast and turn over a. This is the standard set by the affta american fly fishing trade association. In my previous article what is fly fishing i explained how fly casting is the process of transferring energy through the fly line to cast your fly out ahead of you.

Fly fishing line weight of 1 to 3 is used for small trout and panfish. Fly line weight 8. And since the fly line pairs with the fly rod the weight of the fly rod will then dictate what line weight you will need. Rather to what weight of fly fishing rod it is meant to be paired with.

Fly rods range from size 0 or 1 weight which is the lightest rod to about a 15 weight which is the heaviest.