Not trying to start another WF/DT debate here, honest.

I fish mostly rivers, and almost always upstream with some sort of single dry or spider.

I've always used a double taper line and done fine by it....but in the interests of continual improvement i've been thinking about a weight forward to try next season, i get worn out sometimes fighting the wind.

Question is, any double taper fanatics out there who have changed over, been pleasantly surprised at the ease of casting and still feel they get the presentation they want ?

In other words do you get benefits without any drawbacks. Or did you change back ?

Clunk

Will always happen wether w/f or d/t.
only way to defeat wind is using very heavy w/f like rio windcutter, but for upstream dry or nymphing, will defeat purpose as it can and often does, come down like the proverbial ton of bricks.
d/t is best weapon as is basically same as w/f but only twice!
one on each end!
might be an idea to use a d/t one size heavier for upstream windy days, and only put a few yards out, but side cast under wind, to shoot distance.
regards
bert

Aye Bert that's what i do.

I'm used to the wind, comes with the territory and as i said, do fine depite it always being with me.

Its just that i'm hearing more and more people say they have abandoned the DT nostalgia and going for new weight forwards like the Rio for example.

Clunk

If your not casting much more than 30' then either will do the same job. I Don't think you will notice any difference. but get above that distance and the benifits of roll casting the DT swing it for me.then again if you are in open banks territory ,the WF might have an advantage.
PS some of these long belly WF's are DT's in all but name.IMHO

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

I used to use DT lines for all my floating fly line fishing. I could cut them in half and when one end was worn out I still had another line to go at. I used to use the backing as shooting line so could cast the DT halves a long way too.

Later on, when I had more money, I started using WF lines and found them better. They were easier to cast with and seemed to land with more control. As my fishing gravitated to almost 80 or 90% dry fly fishing I found the WF lines were easier to cast the longer distances whilst sitting down surrounded by obstructions. Later on I worked out different tapers to suit dry fly fishing even more but that's another story. I wouldn't go back to double taper for dry fly fishing but might consider it if I ever go back to doing a fair bit of night time sea trout fishing.

As for presentation, you have more influence over your presentation by the design and structure of your leader and tippet than you do with the design and structure of the fly line, especially if you decide to make the cast land delicately too. WF has no disadvantages over the presentation when compared with any other line, including DT.

richard

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Who resides on the right bank of the Derbyshire Wye and is lulled to sleep each night by the mutterings of a weir, dreaming that "When the rivers and their inhabitants come first, we ALL win..."

I really don't notice much difference between WF and DT.....I'm assuming you're struggling with light line rods? If so, I'd recommend getting your hands on a silk line- provided you don't mind a bit of maintenance. The much smaller diameter for weight makes a noticeable difference when casting in to the wind IMO.

Hi,

Not really struggling as such, i can get a line out and turn a fly over well enough.

More a case of fighting the cabin fever and thinking about how i can improve next season.

For the amount of line i need to put out once, i've sneaked up a a trout, it looks like the tapers on both WF & DT are similar, so just wondering if its worth putting out a wad on a WF line if there is no tangible gain.

I've used WF lines on lochs and ressies but there is no finesse in that type of fishing is there ?

For the cost of a decent mill end from Norris's, about £4.95, it might just be worth trying one, before you lash out a lot of money.
I prefer a WF for normal use on the dry, if it's a flat calm evening I use a Cortland sylk, DT, great supple line.
S.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

As said earlier in this thread, any cast up to about 30 feet, or 10 meters, is not going to make any difference. There are advantages and disadvantages to both lines, but if you are looking for distance, with shootabilty of the line, the WF is better designed to do the job, but presentation at distance will be compromised. (If presentation is ever a factor at distance) The advantages of the DT line, come into play with shorter casts, accuracy, presentation, and line managment.
I agree that presentation is more a function of the leader setup, but, you cant get a decent presentation, even with a perfect leader, if you are unable to get the line working for you in the manner so as to get the leader working properly. Don't lose sight of the fact that the successfull operation of the leader is strongly influsenced by the behaviour of the line, which is dictated by the behaviour of the rod, which in turn, is dictated by the behaviour of the hand holding the rod. So, in short, my suggestion before you start to throw money at the problem, is get someone to have a look at your cast, and perhaps a minor adjustment in technique will be the answer. If a particular line in a particular situation, works quite well for thousands of other people, but doeasn't work for you, think about why this could be.