Taper Talk

When you were new to fly fishing, your first fly line was likely a cheap, general-purpose floating line—maybe even a level floating line. After you became a proficient caster, you quickly realized that your fly line was at least as important as the rod you use.

To get the most out of your fishing experience you should use the right line weight for the rod (see sidebar), match the taper for the flies and type of fishing, and make sure you use a new or at least a clean fly line. An old, cracked, weathered, or dirty line will not cast, float, or otherwise perform well.

Once you are past the basics—right line weight, and line in good condition—you must address the subtle, technical, yet oh-so-important subject of line tapers.

The core (monofilament or multifilament?), the coating (polyvinylchloride or polyurethane?), the surface design (Airflo Ridge or SA Sharkskin?), and the floating and sinking characteristics are all also critically important questions you should address, but a fly line’s taper directly affects the way it shoots, turns over a heavy fly, presents a small fly delicately, or casts efficiently at long or short distances. The line’s taper (its outside dimension) is the result of varying thicknesses of the line coating—some parts are thicker and have greater mass, other parts are thin and have less mass. This distribution of mass along the length of the line determines how it performs in a variety of conditions.

For instance, if you want a line to easily cast a large, wind-resistant bass popper, you need one with a great deal of the weight as close to the fly as possible. However, this is not ideal for fishing small trout flies on flat water where you need a long, delicate tip for stealthy presentations.

There are two major groups of fly line tapers weight forward and double taper. Double-taper lines are sufficient for most short- to medium-range fishing situations and although they are economical they have fallen out of favor with most fly fishers because while they do an adequate job at many tasks, they don’t excel at anything specific such as distance casting.

Weight-forward lines have asymmetrical tapers and cannot be reversed like double-taper lines. They have a narrow, level-diameter running line at the rear that shoots through the guides easily, allowing for longer casts. The head of the fly line includes the front taper, which starts at the tip and gradually increases in diameter; the belly, where most of the weight is concentrated; and the rear taper, which decreases in diameter as it joins the rear running line.

Weight-forward tapers include nearly every specialty line on the market including those for bass, tarpon, steelhead, salmon, trout, and pike. If you want to make your casting as easy as possible and enjoy productive fishing, choose the weight-forward specialty line that matches your situation.

If you are fishing for trout, get a line advertised as a trout line. If you plan on fishing for bass, you will be frustrated with a steelhead line. It isn’t just a marketing ploy—there are significant differences between the various specialty lines. And this is where the fun starts Once you decide on the specialty taper you want—a floating trout nymph line for instance—you’ll be faced with several different brands of nymph lines, each with subtle taper differences.

Which one is best? When it comes down to a few extra feet of rear taper, or (slightly) thinner diameter running line it’s mostly a matter of personal preference. We can’t definitively say which taper is best, but we can share with you the ones we’ve tried and tell you how they perform.

Double Taper

The most frequent fly-line question we field on flyfisherman.com is “Should I buy a double-taper or weight-forward line?”

Double-taper lines were once the most popular because they work well at short to medium distances, they are easy to roll cast and mend, and most important because they are economical. Since both ends of a double-taper line are the same, you can wear out one end, then reverse it on your reel and have a “new” fly line. Most double-taper lines are 90 feet long so you have two 45-foot ends to work with. If you cast farther than that, there is some overlap.

Some fly fishers cut their double-taper lines in half right out of the box, and use only a 45-foot line. This reasoning works fine on small streams where you rarely cast more than 40 feet, but as soon as you exceed that, you are limited to where and how you can fish.

Weight Forward

Weight-forward lines include most of the specialty tapers where the line has one rear and one front end. Most of the weight is near the front of the line and the rear of the line is a thin level line called running line.

Weight-forward lines are by far the most popular lines sold today and for good reason—they allow you to cast farther with less effort, defeat wind, and carry larger flies. Their only drawback is that you cannot reverse them. When the line is worn you must replace it.

Do not believe the myth that double-taper lines somehow deliver the fly with more stealth or that they by their nature have a more delicate front taper. A weight-forward line may have a long, delicate front taper for small flies on spring creeks, or a short, severe taper to turn over large flies. The main difference is that weight-forward lines have a running line at the rear, double-taper lines do not.