I like an honest warranty that covers materials and workmanship only. The fly fishing industry sailed over the Falls when it offered "no questions asked about the dumb ass way you mishandled the rod" kind of warranty. Maybe that's why we pay top dollar for rods. Someone has to pay for that warranty and it's not going to be the rod companies. Maybe we would appreciate the craftsmanship more and take better care of rods if they were not so easily replaced! - Ken
BWO Size 22
It may be hard to believe (for me anyway) that people will fly fish for trout on rivers like the Swift and the Farmington for YEARS and never cast anything other than a weight forward line. The WF is designed for distance or better yet, designed for casting larger flies a great distance. It is my line of choice for the Millers and the EB but on the Swift it's been a double taper (DT) for years. Here's why:
1. PRESENTATION! If you cast correctly your line will gently land on the water and will not slam the water like a poorly cast WF will. If you were to lay out a DT on your lawn you will easily see that the line is thickest in the middle and then tapers to the ends. This will help insure a gentler landing for your fly.
2. A DT is a roll casting machine and you really need that to deliver unweighted nymphs and soft hackles in a tree shaded river like the Swift. (P.S.- learn to roll cast well. It will change your life!!)
3. It is two lines for the price of one. Both ends are identical so when the fishing end begins to wear out just reverse them on your reel.
4. A DT does not cast weight very well. That's what a WF is for.
5. I will mention the Wulff Triangle taper as a great Swift River fly line because of it's ability to roll cast even better than a DT. A light line, say a 3wt triangle taper, will lose some performance on a windy day.
If your game is fishing tailwaters with tiny flies for spooky trout (or you want it to be) then arm yourself with a DT or a Triangle Taper.
Flies For Sale
Thanks for the great fly orders in 2019 and thanks for the fast start to 2020. It's good to see the 22 and 24 BWO dries flying out the door. As you know, all flies are tied and/or designed by me.
The Swift
I thought that the 20 inches of snow that slammed Belchertown in December would end it all like it did a few years ago but that wasn't the case. All spots are accessible and fish are being caught.
Book for 2020
It's not too early to reserve some prime time on one of our rivers. Pick a date. No deposit required.
Ken
8 comments:
Thanks for the heads up on Swift River access after the last few storms! Time for a trip.
Thanks for the heads up! Having “whacked” my WF line a few times on the Swift yesterday (finally gave into my better instincts and made the trip) I now have a reason to line-up a spare spool I have lying around. And the Swift was noticeably empty yesterday. Only one car at the lot on Route 9 when I arrived at about 8:30 and only saw three people at the pipe until I left just before noon. Trout easy to spot but quite finicky. Fished mainly down toward Cady lane and didn’t see anyone else for 2 hours. Caught two rainbows there. Then fished my way back to the parking lot ABOVE the pipe and netted another rainbow. Missed at least three others on the take. There’s trout in some of that skinny water if you have the patience to look for them. Plus no competition. All trout on grey and yellow mop flies each with an orange collar. Only thing they seemed interested in (or agitated by). Tried 8 different flies before throwing the mops on. Not pretty but worth getting my first trout of the year!
And as I’ve said before — I wouldn’t fish as much if it wasn’t for this blog. Reading all the posts over the holidays had me tying flies and finally throwing my gear into the truck to make the trip from just outside Boston. Thanks again and Happy New Year!
Agree wholeheartedly about DTapers. Most fisherman and articles are concerned with distance. DTapers aren't slouch for that either. What do they say in golf: Putt for Dough and Drive for show.
Hi Ken, can you recommend a good value (performamce vs durability vs price) for purchase of new fly line? Thx
John,
Good start for the year and thanks for the good words about the blog.
Anonymous 1:28,
You got that right.
Bill/Tully,
Have a good Swift River trip!!
Chico,
I guided a gent last June on the EB and he wanted to have me cast this new fly line, I did and it was fine, basically indistinguishable from any other quality line. Then came the shocker. It's a floating line made in China and sold on Amazon for around $15.00!!! It casts well, it floats well and if it falls apart after one season then buy 5 of them for the cost of ONE domestic line. I've had Rio and Cortland lines fall apart.
Ken
I love the Wulff lines, I have 4,5 &6 Wulff TT lines. They do about 75% of my fishing including nymphs and streamers. There are times when I need to "turnover" a streamer and I have a 6 weight Sci Angler something or another for that...its probably a 6.5-7 weight line in reality with a short head. I use similar lines for SW. Wulff's are made by Sci Angler and I use them for several seasons on average(4-6 seasons). Just wash a couple times a year. The only lines I have had issues with are the Airflo brand but those troubles were a decade or more ago. For the DT I'd just go with a Cortland 444 Peach color...it stands the test of time.
I hear people say often that a DT is the same as WF for the first 30 feet (the length of the forward taper). If we are talking about the swift, there are very few spots to cast more than 30 feet.
Is there a reason for a dedicated DT line if the casts are all short and the end of the belly of the WF is in the guides or still on the reel?
Also - I work with plastics manufacturing overseas often. Some of the 'cheap' off brand lines from amazon and ebay are really good out of the box. Same base material as the name brands. The difference is in quality control and consistency line to line, as well as longevity. The treatment given to the PVC in the process is what will determine longevity and suppleness over time. If you are prepared to replace every year you'll probably be happy and a really great way to try out a DT or other taper line (they can be the cost of two nylon leaders !). I bought a couple casting practice on pavement.
As always, love the blog and comments section!
Mike
Mike,
Thanks for the good comment.
I find myself wanting to put down a soft cast within 30 feet on the Swift pretty often with overhanging branches and all of that. A roll cast with a DT does that better than a WF. A Triangle Taper is even better.
Ken
Post a Comment