Make mine a double
by John Gray
In recent years, the weight forward line profile has become very
popular. Indeed, it is now the line of choice for the majority of
fly fishermen, regardless of their preferred type of fishing, so much so
that many lines are now available only in weight forward profile. The
double tapered line is fast becoming a thing of the past. I must say
that, given the very obvious advantages of the double tapered line, I
find this surprising.
Now, it is undeniable that the weight forward profiles of the latest
Spey salmon lines have enabled salmon fishermen to cast farther than
ever before with double handed rods, and specific weight forward line
profiles have been of great benefit to specialists in other branches of
the sport, for example in saltwater fishing. For my purposes, however,
i.e. loch and small river fishing with a single hander, I
see no advantage in the weight forward profile. Indeed, I find the
double tapered line more flexible, more practical and more
pleasant to use than the weight forward line. I would say that the only
significant advantage that a WF line has in modern day fishing is that
you can cast it further with less effort than you can a DT line (this
advantage is less pronounced for the deep wading angler, who might find
a double tapered line more practical, for the reasons mentioned below).
For those who place importance on achieving maximum distance, the weight
forward line will, of course, hold considerable appeal. A modern weight
forward line may have other minor advantages over the double taper, e.g.
it will take up less space on the reel and therefore allow the use of a
lighter reel; weight forward lines are also available in a wider variety
of taper profiles, designed for specific applications, for example in
casting very heavy or bulky lures, such as those sometimes used for bass
or various saltwater species. In most of the fishing I do with a single
handed rod - river fishing for sea trout and salmon and casting from the
loch shore, or occasionally from a boat, for wild brownies - distance is
not normally a priority and casts of varying lengths, from fifteen yards
or so up to a maximum of around twenty three yards (reel to
fly), can be made more comfortably with a double tapered line than with a
standard weight forward line, which would normally, according to Bruce
Richards of Scientific Anglers, have a maximum head length of somewhere
in the region of thirty five to forty feet.
While I agree that casts as short as twenty yards can be made marginally
more easily with a WF line than a DT line, in that the thinner running
line of the WF line shoots more easily than the thicker running line of
the DT line, I
much prefer the double taper, for the following reasons. Firstly, I find
the thicker running line of the double taper more pleasant to handle,
more durable and less prone to tangling than the thin running line of
the weight forward. Secondly, I find the double taper more flexible in
use, in that I can more comfortably lift, and recast, varying lengths of
line from the water. It is difficult to cast a weight forward line
efficiently with much more than the belly and rear taper outside the rod
tip. The double tapered line, on the other hand, is particularly suited
to lifting line lengths of more than ten yards, to be recast without a
false cast (I very rarely use a false cast in my night sea trout
fishing).
While I would agree that this might also be possible with a weight
forward line with a long head length, it still leaves the disadvantage,
for me, of the poorer handling qualities of the thin running line of the
weight forward in fishing out the cast, in retrieving line and, should I
be fortunate, in playing a fish - although it might be said that the
thin running line of the weight forward, when under water, would provide
less resistance to a running fish. It should be added that a double
taper line is more suited to long roll casting and single Spey casting
than all but the longest belly weight forward lines. A double tapered
line also aids line control at distance, for example when line mending
is required.
I would suggest that there are pros and cons on both sides and that line
profile is very much a matter of personal preference.
Weight Forward Advantages
Can cast farther with less effort (except perhaps when wading deeply)
Takes up less room on reel
May be available in a wider variety of profiles (designed, for example,
to cast heavy lures)
Less underwater resistance when playing a fish
Double Taper Advantages
More pleasant to handle
More flexible in the length of line which can be lifted and recast
More durable and less prone to tangling
Line can be reversed when worn
More suited to long roll and single Spey casts
Better line control, for example in the mending of line, at longer
distance
For me, for use on
a single hander, there is nothing to beat the simple practicality of the
good old-fashioned double taper. Specialist weight forward profiles have
there place but, nine times out of ten, I would have to say, "Make mine
a double!"
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