Teaching Tips and Tactics / Fly lines

You can dye most fly lines with RIT--use a little white vinegar with it and the color remains for a long time. The black line is often the superior color indoors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lefty... Right you are ! I dyed some black for teaching while standing on a white sandy flat with a bright sky and white clouds. Would work fine when teaching on snow, too. CONTRAST is the issue.

Some instructors teach with 4 wt. and 5 wt. outfits. No problem except that sometimes its hard to see the line as the teacher is performing demo's. For that reason, I'll often go to a 7 wt. or 8 wt. outfit for my own demo outfit becsause the thicker line is much easier for the students to see.

One warning to those dying with RIT dye: Some have tried that and ruined fly lines by using too much heat . I boiled one and you cannot imagine the mess of this tortured line ! Instead of heat, use time, warmth, and (as Lefty advises ) setting the color with white vinegar. Gordy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I learned from Bob Temper, CCI in St. Louis, a good indoor or non-rod trick. He uses a felt tip highlighter about the size of a "Sharpie" pen. He loosens the cap (dumped back casts fall to the floor) and has the student cast the cap. We have them deliver it into a hat or through a hoop. Pretty realistic stroke, all-in-all.

I have taken this indoors and have them cast into pan because it makes a good clink. I will extend the distance in a hallway to improve tracking and get the student used to controlling the lateral motions. I find this a great preliminary to using the Fly-O, Mel-O, & MPR type of devices.

Going the other way, sometimes (rarely) I will have a physically strong student who has trouble seeing what is happening overhead cast with my 14 foot rod. Just a couple of casts is all it takes. They certainly feel it, too.

Many instructors use the trick of having the student feel it better by casting with a line a couple of designations higher than that of the rod.. Tom White used a heavy monofilament line for that purpose. G.

When I have a student who seems to not value the stop as much as I prefer. I like having them use a yarn line on a mini-rod like Tim Rajeff's MPR. They certainly begin to at least see the loop formation. If they are a bit more resistant, I will break out some synthetic material gloves and have them play with hand casting a fly line. Hand casting becomes more valuable when one introduces both a rear and forward target of some sort. As they get better, distances can be increased. This is physically demanding so limit the amount of time it is done. NEVER let anyone do this bare handed - they will bleed. Tape applied to the fingers can be a substitute for the gloves. If you haven't hand cast a sinking line, It is a real eye-opener for instructors.

Some instructors have become very adept at hand casting. Trick to avoid hand problems is to use a thick line ... say a 12 wt or even 15 wt. I do that, myself.... but I have had trouble teaching it to students. Even when I do, I've not been satisfied that it transfers well to casting with the fly rod. G.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really enjoyed the Somerset Fly Fishing show this past weekend. I met some terrific folks for the first time - Bruce Richards, Ed Jaworowsky, Simon Gawesworth.

Bruce showed me the sharkskin line I've read so much about.. Seem like a fantastic line. I'm planning my first ever tarpon fishing trip this year. We are headed to Mexico for my 10year anniversary, and my wife has graciously allowed me to 'slip away' for a day for some monster tarpons. I was planning on taking a 10 weight rod with me and was wondering your thoughts on how the sharkskin would handle the job? One question I always have is when a manufacturer describes a line as 'saltwater' does that always mean for tropic climates only? I forgot to ask Bruce if the sharkskin can handle the wilting temps but I'm assuming that's what it was designed for....but does this mean it would be an inappropriate line for the stripers off the coast of Long Island up near me? Kind of a multi-faceted question I'm asking. Dan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dan... I was thinking of doing a Workshop on salt water casting and fishing for the Conclave in Loveland Co. this summer. There is an ever increasing number of fly fishers who do plan trips such as yours. These fishermen so SO MUCH BETTER when they tackle the problems of the salt after learning the tricks of casting and fishing in those venues ! Lefty and I have discussed doing something like that. Before offering it, I need to sniff out how well it would be attended.

I have used the Sharkskin lines extensively in the broiling summer head of the lower Florida Keys (where I live.) I tested the prototypes here on tarpon, bonefish and other salty species in the head of the noonday sun when the water on the flats reached 105 degrees in the late afternoons. No problem.

One real advantage was that despite the heat and salt, the coils of line on the deck of my flats skiff didn't tend to "stick together" even when we had long intervals between presentation. Under those conditions, most other lines do tend to tangle. One exception lies in the "Ridge Lines" made by Airflo.

I found that the Sharkskin lines cast well under a surprisingly great range of temperatures as I also used them up at Montauk for stripers in October.

3-M (Scientific Anglers) will be coming out with Sharkskin lines with various cores to make them even more specific for use in the tropics, etc. ..... but the first ones I've tested are fine just as they are.

Some trout fishermen have objected to the sound these lines make when cast. I have not heard a salty fly fisher take issue with that.

In answer to your last question: Most lines designated as for use in salt water have greater density (which is OK for floaters, because the greater density of salt water yielding increased buoyancy allows them to ride high anyway). Some have cores of greater tensile strength.

Of these, specialty lines are available for use in cold water and cold climates. They cast well under these conditions because they are more pliable. That is accomplished partly by using a core of braided fine multifilament nylon

Others are made specifically for hot climates with warm waters. These cast better under tropic conditions because they don't become too pliable in the heat ... ..in general they are stiffer. The manufacturer adds an effective sun screen to protect them from the ravages of the tropic sun. The core is stiffer by virtue of the use of braided monofilament in many of them.

Some use cores of nylon monofilament. These, too, can be designed for use in either cold or tropic venues, because the monofilament materials can be made in varying degrees of flexibility.

In general, the non-designated saltwater fly lines are OK for use in both climates. The problem comes when I take a line specifically designed for the tropics and try to use it in a cold climate. I can cast it OK, but the extra stiffness can cause tangles and it isn't as "user friendly" while fishing. The reverse it true in that I don't have as good control with my casting when I take a cold water "striper" line and use it in the tropics. Also, it won't last as long in the tropic sun because no sun screens have been added to the coating.

For lots of info on fly lines, one can't beat Bruce Richards' MODERN FLY LINES. As you probably know, it is out of print and hard to find. I communicated with Bruce a couple of days ago ..... he's considering writing an update. I sure hope he does since there is a demand for it as well as the fact that there have been real advancements in coatings and core materials. There have also been changes in the way manufacturers have gone a bit beyond the fly line rating designations as they "tweak the numbers" when designing lines for specific species. In general, the fly casting public isn't aware of this new trend.

Gordy