As a fly fishing guide, I am able to observe a lot of fly fishers and have been able to identify certain keys to angling success. Based on my observation, some of the best anglers are those that are accomplished technicians of line control. By line control, I mean the control of the fly line when it is on the water. The basic concept is that the fly line must have enough slack in it to float drag free yet you must be able to set the hook at any time in the drift. If you have too much slack in the fly line you cannot set the hook. In this article, we are going to concentrate on line control issues for floating fly lines.
The first thing I have noticed is that a large number of anglers cast too much line. The more line you have out the more difficult it is to control. When you look at the surface of a river it does not have one consistent current all the way across it. Instead, it is made of complex currents. There is a mix of small streams within the water. Some will be faster and some will be slower. The more different currents your line crosses the more trouble you will have. There is a tendency to gain more slack with longer line which will make it more difficult to set the hook. In addition, it will be more difficult to actually see the fly or strike indicator the further it is from you. Finally, if you are casting too far, you are probably casting over fish to get to the spot you are trying to reach. I generally cast twenty to thirty feet for about ninety percent of my fishing. If you are in a boat and want to fish a spot further away, just move the boat closer. If you are wading, you can usually wade a bit closer to fish that one special spot.
Even with a reasonably short line, you will have to deal with complex currents. You will often find your line and fly in currents that have different speeds. The trick is to move your line up or down stream to compensate for the difference in velocity. This is called mending. To mend your line pick the line up and move it up or down stream preferably without moving the fly or strike indicator. If your fly is in faster water and your line is in slower water then you would mend your line down stream. If your fly is in slower water and your line is in faster water then you would mend your line up stream.
Whenever I am on stream, I observe bubbles or foam around my fly. If my fly is moving faster or slower than the bubbles, I know that there is drag on my fly and I need to mend. Some times you have to play with the situation mending up or down stream until you achieve a perfect drag free drift. There are many situations where one mend will not be enough and you will be required to mend multiple times. The river is ever changing and there will also be situations on a long drift where you may need to mend down stream at the beginning of a drift and up stream toward the end of the drift.
I have found that a longer rod aids in mending line. The increased length makes it easier to lift more line. I generally fish nine foot fly rods. There are a growing number of guides and anglers that utilize ten foot rods because they allow you to mend fly line more effectively. Another observation that I have made is that as fly lines get dirty they tend to sink particularly the front of the line. When this or any other part of the line sinks it is more difficult to mend the line.
In order to avoid this, I occasionally wash my fly line. I pull the line from the reel and put it in a sink of soapy water (dish washing liquid is fine) and gently agitate it. I then rinse it thoroughly in fresh water and dry it by drawing it through a clean folded towel. I then wind it back on the reel and I am ready to fish with it. If I find my line sinking when on the stream I will quickly clean it with a cleaning pad that I carry in my fishing vest. I use the cleaning pad supplied by the line manufacturer.
If you follow these simple suggestions you will have enhanced line control and you might just catch a few more fish.John Berry(870) 435-2169berrybrothers@infodash.com
