Hi all, I want to mark my fly line so I know when I have the correct amount of line out to load the rod properly.

I've read 2 articles, one which says that the rod makers rate the weight of the rod by weighing the 1st 10yds of the line so having 10 yards of line outside the rod tip should load the rod correctly. Then I read another article which said mark 5ft behind the head of the line which should load the rod when casting.

Which one is it!? The latter seems to make more sense to me, if you have 2 lines with 2 different taper designs then surely using a generic 10yds won't be accurate enough. Then there is WF/DT to throw a spanner in the works

Here are the articles I referred to:
AFTM
Fly Casting Tips from Instructor Bob Nasby

If anyone can give me a simple answer so I know where I should mark my line it would be greatly appreciated!

Rob.

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Started: 19/09/2010 | First fish: 11/12/2010 | Biggest fish: 8lb Brownie

Approx 10 yards, 30 feet should load it, some lines have up to 60 feet heads ,and its the same distance for double taper first 30 feet
MR nasby is quite misleading about marking after the head, as i say some lines have a huge head that are used for casting long distance no need to have all this out the rod tip just to load the rod

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GAIA INSTRUCTOR

Rookstorm is correct. However, to get the best result from a WF you should aerialise all of the head (plus a bit to accommodate your haul) and then let it fly. With lines with longer heads this will obviously mean going beyond the optimum weight as defined by the AFTM system. Buy a WF line with a head length that suits the amount of line that you can hold up easily.

Rob,

It's seldom as precise as you may think: the perfect distance will vary depending on the caster, the type of cast, the rod and the line - even the conditions. What I do is to mark my line at 10ft intervals from 35ft.

I put 1 mark at 35ft, 2 marks at 45ft, 3 at 55 etc. You can then use these marks to get the pick up length that you want.

Best Rgards
Malcolm

Yup; just don't try to translate that into 2-hander lines. There ... anything goes.

fae

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"The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a
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Thanks for the replies guys, sound like 10 yards will do the job nicely

Fred - can't see me ever using a 2 handed rod just yet so no worries there

Cheers, Rob.

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Started: 19/09/2010 | First fish: 11/12/2010 | Biggest fish: 8lb Brownie

I'll make one suggestion and that is not to mark the line at 30 ft but at the point at which the fly line will be in your line hand when 30 feet is outside the tip top guide. Better yet is is mark the line at the point YOU think is the best for you.

You can mark with a Sharpie but you cannot feel an ink mark. Some will mark with something you can feel with your line hand like a whip finish of tying thread around the line.

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Silver Creek- "Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought"....Szent-Gyorgy

That is exactly what I do when Sea Trout fishing at night. Makes it all so much easier

Some very good advice submitted

Chris

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APGAI Single Handed Casting Instructor
GAIC Double Handed Casting Instructor
GAIC Fly Dressing Instructor
ADB Level 1 Coach



http://www.gamefishinginstruction.co.uk

http://www.oakroyalgolf-countryclub.co.uk/

http://chrisaldred.blogspot.com/

Yep I shall do it that way, many thanks

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Started: 19/09/2010 | First fish: 11/12/2010 | Biggest fish: 8lb Brownie