Introduction:

In this blog post, we will be looking at some of the factors a fly fisher should consider when purchasing a new fly reel and new fly line. Even though guides and shops do an excellent job of equipping people with the appropriate equipment, I believe that people should still be informed on what they are purchasing, why they are purchasing and how they plan on using it. I hope that the following is helpful information to you and as always, any questions you have, feel free to contact me. 

Fly Reel: (3 Purposes) 

When it comes to selecting your fly reel, this will three purposes. The first, and most obvious purpose, is serving as a line holder.  A fly reel does not have to be overly expensive to hold lines effectively. The second purpose is when fighting a fish and casting. This will have to do with the drag system of the reel itself and how effectively the line will be able to shoot out of it or shoot into it. This will be important when fighting larger fish such as 20"+ trout and strong fighting fish such as Smallmouth. If you are someone who fishes smaller trout water and regularly catches fish 6"-12", the idea of fighting a large fish and having your drag screaming during a run, is not very applicable to you and not something you should worry about. However, the third and final purpose of a fly reel may and that is balancing. Fly rods are long and due to their build, are not always balanced by themselves. For that reason, having the correct size reel will be critical in balancing out your rod and ensuring that it is performing at an optimal level. Reel companies will have their reels labeled and the labelings will inform you on what size the reel is. For example, the Orvis Battenkill series will have a roman numeral beside it and this will tell you how big the reel is and what it should pair with. I personally own a Battenkill III and is recommended for rods in the 5-6 weight range. As expected, a Battenkill II will pair with lower weight rods and a Battenkill IV will pair with heavier rods. This will vary slightly in Euro nymphing, but that will be discussed down the road. For the introductory fly fisher, buy a modestly priced reel that will balance out your rod effectively and hold your line sufficiently. If you plan on targeting large fish such as Musky, Bone Fish, Red Fish, and other large fish, your drag system will be very important. But for the average fly fisher, especially in the Appalachians, your reel will serve as a line holder, a rod balancer and not much else, do not overthink it. 

Types of Fly Line: (3 main types) 

When it comes to the fly line, there are three main types that I will be discussing for this post: Floating Line, Sink tip, and Sinking Line. A specific euro nymphing line also exists but for our purposes, it is not important at the moment. 

The first line, and the main line, to discuss is floating line. Floating line oftentimes has a green or yellow color and as the name suggests, it floats. The line will eventually sink with enough time or weight, but it's designed purpose is for it to float. A floating line is what the majority of fly fishermen will use and that is due to its versatility. With a floating line, you are able to successfully indicator nymph fish, dry fly only fish, dry/dropper fish, and also streamer fish. Floating line has a lot of advantages and is where the introductory fly fisher should begin. The main disadvantage of floating line is that you are unable to fish at the depths you sometimes need to be at. Due to it's floating nature, floating line will limit how quickly and how deep your flies will sink. Even with a heavy streamer, due to the nature of a floating line, the streamer itself will only go as far down as the floating line allows it. Even though a portion of the line itself will sink under enough weight, overall you are losing the depth that you would gain with one of the two lines we are about to discuss. Overall though, floating line is the most versatile and will be successful in most situations. 

The second line to discuss is sink-tip line. This type of line can be viewed as a middle ground between floating line and the line that will be discussed next. With sink-tip line, once again as the name suggests, only the tip of the line will sink. Each line will have a designated portion of it that will sink when it hits the water, above the section, the line will become floating line. These lines are useful when wanting to fish slightly deeper with a streamer, but not so deep that you are snagging the bottom. Even though it is possible to indicator fish with sink-tip lines, it may be more difficult due to the line sinking and thus bring down the indicator. The main purpose of sink-tip line is to fish a streamer at a slightly deeper depth. Another draw to fishing with a sink-tip line, is that you are able to fish slightly deeper, while still able to achieve some form of a mend. With a full sink line, mending is very difficult. They are not a personal preference of mine, but people use them and have success. 

The final line to discuss is a full sinking line. This type of line will naturally sink in the water and there will be no floating portion. How quickly the line will sink will vary depending on the grain of the line and the IPS. For example, a sinking line with 200 grain will sink faster than a line with 100 grain, it will also be heavier. The IPS stands for "Inches Per Second" and that is how quickly the fly line will sink. So 5 IPS means the fly line will sink 5 inches per second. These types of lines are used when fishing streamers and wanting to achieve maximum depth. Even though they are excellent at fishing deeper water, they have two major drawbacks, they are harder to cast and have a tendency of fishing too deep. They are harder to cast due to their added weight and will cause you to snag on the bottom if you are not fishing in deep enough water. As someone who is a big streamer fisherman and fishes deep rivers, I love having a full sink line. But if I am streamer fishing in a smaller creek, I will use floating line every time. I do not suggest the introductory fly fisher beginning with a full sinking line. 

Price:

Price is the final factor to consider when choosing a fly line. Like all things, you typically get what you pay for. When it comes to fly line, a cheaper fly line will do the job in small creeks. That is because you are not having to cast as far, not regularly fighting larger fish and in general you are not having a large amount of fly line come out of your rod. However, in larger bodies of water where casting distance is critical, having a quality line can be the difference in the few extra feet that you are needing to effectively fish a hole. High-end fly lines will be smoother, cast further, last longer, and will keep knots better. But that does not mean that your first fly reel purchase should include the most expensive line on the market. As I have mentioned before, I recommend buying a modestly priced line from a well-known brand. You do not need the most effective fly line to be good at fly fishing, but you should not make it a habit either of using the absolute bare minimum. Have pride in yourself, have pride in what you are doing, and have a fly line that reflects that. Besides, if you were wanting to save money, you wouldn't have begun fly fishing right?