Fly Lines DT vs WF

Double Taper Versus Weight Forward: Which is Really Better?

By Bruce Richards, fly line product engineer for 3M Scientific Anglers.

Few fly line subjects have been discussed more than which is the better taper ? double taper (DT) or weight forward (WF). The answer, according to Richards, "is neither is inherently better, but one may be better than the other for you.

Richards has designed fly line tapers for Scientific Anglers for more than 20 years. There are not many in the fly fishing industry that possess Richard's knowledge on fly lines ? and he shares the following on the DT vs. WF question.

A lot of generalizations are made about these two tapers based on outdated or incorrect information. All fly anglers have heard that double taper lines are more delicate, give better control, roll cast better, etc. In some cases, these performance features of double taper fly lines are true, but not always.

Delicacy of delivery is determined by the mass of the front part of a fly line. This is determined by line diameter (which relates directly to mass), and taper length. A line with a small diameter tip and a long taper has much less mass up front than a line with a large tip and short taper. Don't be mislead by taper length alone ? a line with a long front taper but a large tip diameter will not deliver delicately. A DT and a WF line with the same taper and tip diameter will deliver the same.

For many years, most DT and WF lines were made with the same tip diameter and front taper length so there was no difference in how they delivered, although many claimed there was. Today, many of the DT lines are actually designed specifically for use in spring creek-type fishing and do have longer tapers and/or smaller tips.

Anytime a fly line (or any product for that matter) is designed to do one thing very well it usually has a shortcoming somewhere else. Lines that are designed to be very delicate have little mass in the front to carry larger or heavier flies, and will not handle windy conditions well. It takes a better caster to throw the kind of loops it takes to make these lines perform their best. And no, DT lines are not a more "accurate" casting line ? that is entirely in the realm of the skill of the caster.

It is very true that DT lines are easier to control and roll cast at long distances than WF lines. At shorter distances, there is no difference. The key to line control and roll casting is to make sure the large diameter line belly is in the rod tip. If the small diameter running line is in the tip, it's nearly impossible to transmit enough energy through it to the belly to make the line do what you want. What many fly anglers don't consider is that WF lines control and roll cast as well as DT lines at the distances most of us fish.

Almost all WF lines have heads that are 35-40 feet long. Add a 9-foot leader and the distance to the fly from the end of the head is 44- to 49-feet. Up to this distance when both DT and WF lines control and roll cast the same. There are not many typical trout fishing situations that require longer casts. What this all means is that DT and WF lines work pretty much the same at the distances we fish most often. Certainly if someone fishes a big river that requires a good deal of long distance roll casting and mending, a DT or a WF line with a long head should be considered. Either a Mastery Series XPS or GPX double taper or Mastery Series XXD weight forward taper would work well. Longer rods are also a big asset.

Everybody knows that WF lines are better for distance than DT lines, but is that really true? Well, yes, but the difference isn't as big as you might think. Because of their small, light running lines, WF lines shoot better. But remember, this benefit starts at 44- to 49-feet when the running line is in the rod. If your fishing situation calls for many long casts, it is certainly a little easier to do with a WF line ? but don't think that DT lines won't shoot. They will, just not as far.

For most fly anglers in normal fly-fishing situations, it probably doesn't make a lot of difference which taper you use. Most of us fish at distances less than 50 feet, which is where weight forward lines start to shoot better, but with less line control. Most of us don't have the need, or the ability, to roll cast longer than 45 feet.

So, how do you decide which is the right taper for you? Double taper or weight forward? For short to medium casting range situations, there is no reason not to have a DT line rigged and ready. If you are consistently throwing longer casts, you can make them with fewer false casts with a WF line. But if the need arises, you lose the ability to do long roll casts and mends. For most, it doesn't make much difference which taper is used most of the time. Base your decision on DT versus WF on how much small fly, short distance fishing you do ? when a delicate DT line like a Mastery Series XPS would offer advantages, against how much fishing you do where longer casts are needed ? and the advantages of a WF line.

You can read more about 3M Scientific Anglers products at http://www.scientificanglers.com

source:FF info centre

Trout and mice

Trout that easts ...mouse

I'm not sure that torut was that hungry however here is the story from By Gavin James and Steve Fox :
"Our recent capture of a large brown trout containing mice stimulated our scientific curiosity and prompted an investigation into what is actually known of the relationship between mice and trout. We have attempted to provide some answers here to the more commonly asked questions that perplex anglers. What causes good beech tree seeding years, or "masting" years in botanical terms, and can they be predicted? What is the link between beech seeding and "mice plagues" and for that matter why do mice apparently enter the water so readily and end up becoming food for trout? Why do only some trout seem to catch on to this new food source and does this phenomenon only happen in New Zealand?
....

Mice are opportunistic feeders and are quick to exploit any increases in the abundance of seeds. Not surprisingly, analyses of mice stomach contents reveal that the huge numbers of beech seeds that can fall on to the forest floor (in extreme cases up to 10,000 per m2), form an important source of food during seed years. However, recent research on food webs within beech forests indicates other food items, especially insects, may also be important. Prior to seeding, beech trees shed surprising quantities of flowers and leaves. The resulting increase in the volume and quality of leaf litter triggers a population boom of insects, particularly caterpillars that live on the forest floor. As a consequence, during seed years mice benefit from a bountiful supply of food.

Mice, of course, have been introduced into New Zealand, along with the rats, stoats, and trout that now form parts of this beech forest food web. When well fed, mice are prolific breeders and can mature as young as two months of age, with litters being produced as frequently as ever), 20 to 30 days. In non-seed years, breeding lasts from spring through to late autumn, although this changes drastically during seed years when breeding extends through winter. Under these ideal conditions population densities continue to rise and generally peak in summer. However, it seems mice numbers started to decline in late February. We suspect this because one very experienced angler, who fishes South Island high country rivers extensively, noticed a marked decline in the condition of large mice-feeding fish in January and early February.

So how do mice find their way into rivers and the stomachs of trout? It is often thought that high population densities force mice to search for new areas, much as its overseas relative - the lemming - has often been portrayed as doing. Contrary to popular opinion, however, it is now known that lemmings do not commit suicide by jumping off cliffs into the sea. Back to the mice. It is now known that mice do not appear to defend territories when living at high densities in beech forests. In spite of this, it is still possible that their drive to find a new area is so strong that when they encounter a river or lake they make a brave, but often ill-fated, attempt to swim across. An alternative and simpler explanation is that as mice numbers build up, there are simply more mice around to fall into waterways and many mice that finish up in rivers may do so inadvertently. In the latter stages of a mouse plague, they are also likely to be very hungry and to search more widely for food.

A related question is whether trout take mice that are actively swimming, or drowned individuals as well? As already mentioned, juice are primarily nocturnal and this coincides with the preferred feeding time of many large trout. Many anglers would appreciate that movement is a powerful cue that can stimulate uncooperative trout to take a fly or lure. A swimming mouse would probably be easier to locate at night and be more likely to stimulate a predatory response. Indeed, there are a number of anecdotal reports from both New Zealand and North America of trout taking swimming mice. This, of course, doesn't exclude the possibility that dead mice are also consumed. The large fish we caught was captured in the eye of a pool, above which there was several kilometres of rapids. In that position it is hard to imagine many mice successfully navigating the rapids and making it to the trout alive. This brings us to the question of trout selectivity. Why do some fish apparently relish mice, while others do not? On a recent trip into the headwaters of a large West Coast river, we landed 11 trout over two days, but judging from their condition only one of these had been feeding on mice. Several other fish landed were large enough to have been able to feed on mice, but their very average condition suggested they had not been doing so.

It seems that for larger trout, feeding on mice is a learned ability."

Source:bestofnzflyfishing.com

The Fly Fishing Rabbi...

Fly fishing and religion...

"At first glance, the name of this blog, The Fly Fishing Rabbi, is a bit strange. After all, what does Fly Fishing have to do with being Jewish? I chose this name because it reflects two of my great passions, being a rabbi and spending time on cold-water trout streams."

"I am not the only one whose two great passions are religion and fishing. As you can probably guess, one of my favorite movies is: A River Runs Through It. I remember seeing it in 1993 at the Hi-Pointe, a tiny independent movie theatre in St. Louis. Up to that point, I had never tried fly-fishing. "

The Fly Fishing Rabbi...

I like this guy. I feel pretty the same. I want to go fly fishing as much I can.
However, even more I want tell people about God, our Father.

Why man can be so passioned about God?
Lets take a look.
Who are we ? Who is the God?
God had created a man a while ago. He created us in Adam and Eve.
We have got into Sin in Adam and Eve. We lost our relationship with God and privilege to be in Heaven together with Adam and Eve.
If you will look at the 3rd chapter of Genesis you can discover that they had lost all by faith in satan words.

The God found a good faith in a man called Abraham.
By faith Abraham was called Friend of God...



Mr.B

One Nice Day on the Water

 

 

Fly fishing: rain and floods

Rain and floods put a damper on fly fishing

"While some people think that high water is only good for bait or lure fishermen, nothing could be farther than the truth, although the skill of being a good bait or lure fisherman apply to fly fishing those tough, high water periods."

"Knowledge of what trout, salmon, or other game fish do when a river's currents and levels rise are of utmost importance. First of all, it's important to know that primarily the fish's instincts are to find shelter and comfort, and in high water, that almost always means near the shore and banks or behind some kind of natural barrier such as root balls or boulders. Another place that you'll find fish in high water is the current seams or shears, where two currents will join. There's apt to be still water in places in those seams. The back eddy caused by the current running by a point or other object will also hold fish."

"Because these fish are thinking survival first, they are not apt to zip out into the main current to feed. But, if you put a fly down at their level and it has a natural drift rate, you're probably going to get the thrill of a good take by that fish."

"Rigging for the high water fishing is important. Unless you're fishing a very small stream, chuck-and-duck type of casting will be the order. This means that you'll be casting weighted flies on short lines and working them through short drifts, prospecting for fish in those sheltered areas. A good combination for this is to use either a large, weighted fly with a smaller dropper or just a weighted fly. The Clouser bucktail or streamer is a very effective fly for this kind of fishing, as are large weighted stonefly nymphs or wooly bugger- type flies. When using a pair of flies, try two distinctly different colors—one bright and one drab or dark to try to figure out the preferred color of the day."

"Some of the best high water fly fishermen don't even cast their flies. They work with very short lines and just swing their flies out into the areas that should hold fish and let them work the six or eight feet of likely water. A few drifts through each nook and cranny as you move up or downstream is all it takes. When you catch a fish, don't just move on. Where there is one, there is apt to be several. In high water, patience and persistence pays,"

Source: Chris Henson

4 fly-fishing hot spots

Top picks from a fly-fishing legend on where to cast your line this summer.

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - There are plenty of fish in the sea - and in the rivers and lakes and streams. And you may have dusted off your fly-fishing pole recently in anticipation of catching some of them this summer.

But before you book a flight or pack your gear, you need some hard data. After all, this isn't like booking a trip to the beach.

"If you go to Alaska for king salmon in August or September, they're all gone," says legendary flyfisherman Lefty Kreh, who has taught angling techniques for the past 50 years. "What might be a very good place to fish in the morning, could be worthless in the afternoon."

And no matter where you're headed, one good way to get the inside track on fish is to contact good fly shops in the area and then hire a guide once you get there.

"A guide knows the local tides and whether bait fish are concentrated somewhere," says Kreh. To help you plan your summer getaway, we asked Kreh for his top picks on where to flyfish this summer.

Check these places:

1. Manitoba's North Seal River System

2. Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

3. Los Roques, Venezuela

4.Central Pennsylvania

Source: news.google.com

Wisdom of classic fly fishing

I read this on Fish "the outdoors" site (by Donald Berthiaume).
I sounds very cool for modern book.

Where To Find 10 Fly Fishing Tips In A Single Paragraph

"Exercising patience, he may walk slowly and quietly into the water at the tail of the stretch and as closely as possible to the bank the fish are under. Having attained the desired position, he should remain there long enough to allow all commotion made by his entry to cease, during which time no motion of the rod should be made, because the sight of any moving object will send the now alert trout scurrying, while the ripples will make him uneasy for a short time only. The horizontal cast should be used if possible. The fly should be floated down about a foot from the bank, and it should not be retrieved until it has traveled more than half the distance between the angler and the spot where it alighted....

When satisfied that no trout are within the section covered by the fly, the angler should lengthen his line and fish the fly a few feet above-always permitting the fly to travel over the water already fished. He should continue this until the maximum line that can be handled neatly without moving from the original position is being cast. When the line becomes unwieldy (in this method and position it is courting failure to attempt anything over thirty-five to forty feet, even if one is expert) an advance may be made a few yards up-stream as closely to the bank as the depth of the water and free casting space will permit. As it is quite possible-and likely, too-that a trout has been under the fly all the while, but was not interested in it, the angler's advance will drive him ahead, and indications of this should be sharply looked for. The discovery of the fish will save much valuable time, for in that case the immediate stretch may be abandoned, because any fish above the one seen will have certainly taken alarm at the actions of his ! fellow and will have lost all desire to feed for some time."

The popularity of fly-fishing is on the rise again

Fly Fishing is one of the world's fastest growing sports.

One of the world's fastest growing sports, fly-fishing, is being offered at Gonzaga next fall.

The Sport and Physical Education Department is adding a beginning course in fly-fishing.

"The purpose of this class is to provide beginning fly-fishers, or those who need some basic assistance, with a comprehensive course on the essentials of fly-fishing," Kristen Kavon, the program coordinator for the sport and physical education activity classes, said. "Intermediate students can also enroll in this class to enrich their technical skills."

Fly-fishing was once offered at Gonzaga several years ago. "In all classes and activities you see swings in trends over a period of time and eventually more focus was put onto other activities."


Source: Fly-fishing class offered - Outdoors