# FLY line total weight???



## sevenweight (Sep 3, 2015)

Weigh the first 30 feet ... that's the meaningful number for matching manufacturers' specs or making an estimate of what the manufacturer's size rating might be. At the end of the day, it's really a matter of how it performs for you.


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## Jred (Sep 22, 2013)

Why does it matter what brand it is if it casts well?


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

It's could be a Wulff line. The btt is light yellow running line with a light blue head.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Sevenweight is right that most lines have a 30 ft head and the "head" is what you are casting and should determine a lines rating. The smaller dia line following the head is the running or sometimes called shooting line.

11wt line comes in at 330 grains and that's what I use on a 11 wt St Croix Avid.

Quote:
"I'm probably not a great judge of that."

Actually I think you are the judge. If how it casts pleases you... cool, if not try something else until it does.


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## CFenton (Jul 6, 2018)

Right. I am the judge of how it feels for me. I guess I shoulda said I'm not an expert caster. Do t have alot of casting experience to judge it off of.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

You might like to see if there is a casting club in you area. You can meet some of the nicest people and they love to teach. 
I didn't start getting "scientific" about my fly gear until I got schooled on the Gualala river in 1982. I was new to shooting heads. About one out of 4 or 5 casts got into the "bucket". Long story short is that I was struggling to make the 110 ft cast to where the fish were holding and this old fart I was standing near (hip deep in the river) asked if he could try my rod. (I think he noted my frustration) With half my effort he casted all the line I had out and I heard the drag click a couple times as the shooting line came tight with the reel. Seeing how effortless he could cast my rod changed my whole outlook on casting. 

You can learn from video's etc... but having a pro demonstrate how it's done is the best.


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## Hardluk81 (Jan 3, 2016)

Strip the line all the way to the end and see if it has any numbers/letters on it. Wulff btt is that color.


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## G McC (May 16, 2018)

Could be an Airflow Tropical Punch line. If the head is fatter in the first 20 feet or so and tapers down toward the back that's probably what it is. You could also measure the head length, the Airflow TP has a 40 ft head. The Wulff line will be the opposite, fat at rear of the head and taper down toward the tip. I think the head is closer to 30 ft as well.


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## CFenton (Jul 6, 2018)

_Thanks for the help gents. I should be able to figure it out. I will weigh the line again when I get home. I am really just more concerned with the weight of it to make sure I am using the right line for my 8wt motive. My casting can use plenty of work so I am sure most bad cast I make are more me than anything else. _


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## Guest (Oct 16, 2018)

The blue section at 330 on an Umpqua line scale is #11 weight......


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## CFenton (Jul 6, 2018)

trailblazerEXT said:


> The blue section at 330 on an Umpqua line scale is #11 weight......


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

mro said:


> . Long story short is that I was struggling to make the 110 ft cast to where the fish were holding and this old fart I was standing near (hip deep in the river) asked if he could try my rod. (I think he noted my frustration) With half my effort he casted all the line I had out and I heard the drag click a couple times as the shooting line came tight with the reel. Seeing how effortless he could cast my rod changed my whole outlook on casting.


WHat are you talking about...Everyone struggles to make 110ft cast! Even I do.  I tell people it's not normal to make 90-100ft+ casts, so don't feel like you are missing something.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

CFenton said:


> Looked around couldnt find much. I bought a Tibor everglades off ebay. Has a flyline on it in great shape. I thought it was a Rio bonefish because of the colors but they are backward. The head of the line is light blue and the body or whatever it's called is sand yellow. Anyway, the total flyline weighs 602gr. The blue part weighs close to 315-320gr and the yellow part is 275-285gr. Couldnt get an exact weight it seemed.
> 
> Can anyone give some insight on this. I am thinking it's an 8wt or 9wt just because of the reel but ????? I have a sage motive I am pairing with the reel for a flooded grass redfish setup which is an 8wt, so hoping it's an 8wt line but not sure. It seems to cast decent with the rod but I'm probably not a great judge of that.


Hey CFenton, welcome to the Fly Fishing Forum! 

There was nothing in the ebay description about the fly line? On ebay, you can send a msg/ask a question, to the seller, even after the sale is over. I'm sure you even got a return address. So write to him and ask what the fly line really was.

That being said, I recommend getting a really good proper fly line for the rod and the type of fly fishing that you'll be using it for and use that. Then wait to figure out what the fly line is that came with the reel and then decide if you can use it or just re-sale it back on ebay, to help offset your new fly line you purchased.

It's my assumption that the line you have on that reel is a Tropical series Rio Redfish 9wt line. Very popular line and the Everglades had the backing capacity to handle that line.

Rio has followed suit these days to SA, where they now have a summer and winter redfish line and the older Redfish line was phased out. Their Redfish lines were always on the heavy side, which led me to do a little digging to verify my suspicions and I found out what I needed to back that up. No dummy would actually put an 11wt on a reel that was meant for more 7/8/9 line weight fishing, unless they were just dummies. 

https://www.bigyflyco.com/Rio-Redfish-Fly-Line-detail.htm

So tell me what rod you are putting the Everglades on and what type of fishing you are going to be using it for. Do you already have a line or going to be picking up something. I really don't recommend using that 9wt Rio Redfish unless you are either throwing it on a stiff 9wt or casting close-in with your 9wt to redfish near the boat or up in the mangroves. Otherwise, you may be able to use it on a very light weight 10wt rod, casting on open flats. But don't use it on an 8wt cause you will seriously overload the rod and cause your fly line loops to collapse.

Ted


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Here's one more tip for anyone just getting into fly fishing the salt... Some years ago Lefty Kreh wrote "the bible" on the topic - you might find a copy used on the 'net either on "thriftbooks.com" or on Amazon.. It was my bible all those years ago. Even though it was first printed in 1974 - the basics don't change....

The title is Fly Fishing in Salt Water... and I still have a copy somewhere... It details everything from setting up a reel (splices, loops, etc) as well as what manufacturers agreed that a given line size should weigh...(with chart showing weights...)... Almost all of it still valid all these years later... All of this back when fly rods were still fiberglass - graphite didn't show up until a year or two later...

For those who don't know - long before Lefty started writing books and teaching... he was the outdoor writer for the Miami Herald in the early seventies - that's when I was introduced to him by a young fellow named John Emery (he later invented the Emery fly reel - and was a premier guide down at Flamingo... before an early death to melanoma... but that's another story...).


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## CFenton (Jul 6, 2018)

I am putting the reel on an 8wt sage motive. I just got the reel in yesterday. I wouldn't think someone would put that big of a line on that reel either...... but they guy I bought it from had no idea what line it was and the line had at least 100 yards too much backing on it, you couldn't reel the line up without it seriously rubbing against the spool. 

like I said above I am no expert but playing with it in the yard I could really load the motive and I did notice some of my cast the loop was just collapsing. I am really thinking it is around a 10wt or 11 wt.
I fish mostly in flooded grass for redfish so I will be looking for a good line for that application to fit my rod. Thanks for all the input again.


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## CFenton (Jul 6, 2018)

Ok... I am pretty sure it is a BTT 9wt. It is definatley not the Airflo Tropical Punch. The front taper is definatley thinner at the front for a bit and thickens up as it gets into the body. 
Lime I said I noticed some of my cast collapsing yesterday. I guess that means I sick and I need to go practice more. Anyway, I think this will be a decent li e to fish with the sage motive 8wt especially as a flooded grass fly rod and the shorter cast that present themselves often in that situation. 

Again thanks for all the help and leads. Now off to bed to wake up at 2 for these 12 hr days. We are workin.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

CFenton said:


> I am putting the reel on an 8wt sage motive. I just got the reel in yesterday. I wouldn't think someone would put that big of a line on that reel either...... but they guy I bought it from had no idea what line it was and the line had at least 100 yards too much backing on it, you couldn't reel the line up without it seriously rubbing against the spool.
> 
> like I said above I am no expert but playing with it in the yard I could really load the motive and I did notice some of my cast the loop was just collapsing. I am really thinking it is around a 10wt or 11 wt.
> I fish mostly in flooded grass for redfish so I will be looking for a good line for that application to fit my rod. Thanks for all the input again.


What I was trying to point out in my last reply is that if it was a Rio fly line, then more than likely, it was a Rio Redfish 9wt line. They were purposely made heavy to throw short. So maybe around the same weight as a normal 10wt line.

I've thrown the 8wt Motive Definitely a good rod for what you are doing since it's not an ultra fast rod. It's more like a normal medium fast to fast rod with some feel to the rod. So by nature, it should load easier for you without having to overload it with a heavier line to get it to load short and quick.

How long have you've been fly casting. What area are you in and what kind of normal distance ranges are you needing to cast most of the time on those flooded grass areas??

I


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## CFenton (Jul 6, 2018)

I have tinkered around with a fly rod since I was a kid. Never really got into it to much until the last year or 2. I am definatley a novice. As of now I can cast 50-60ft pretty easy. I am trying to get my double haul down trying to get all of the fly line out of the reel but I cant do it. I'm really not even close!!! hahaha!!! 
I would say most of my cast are goin to be under 50-60 ft. I really probably need to just practice hitting exact spots out to 40-50 and quit worrying so much about distance now.


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## CFenton (Jul 6, 2018)

Backwater so you think I may be better served with an 8wt line. It can get windy here. But again my cast arent gonna be very long the way I fish around here in Eastern NC.


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2018)

CFenton said:


> I am putting the reel on an 8wt sage motive. I just got the reel in yesterday. I wouldn't think someone would put that big of a line on that reel either...... but they guy I bought it from had no idea what line it was and the line had at least 100 yards too much backing on it, you couldn't reel the line up without it seriously rubbing against the spool.
> 
> like I said above I am no expert but playing with it in the yard I could really load the motive and I did notice some of my cast the loop was just collapsing. I am really thinking it is around a 10wt or 11 wt.
> I fish mostly in flooded grass for redfish so I will be looking for a good line for that application to fit my rod. Thanks for all the input again.


Since the flyline didn't fit onto the spool with backing it's most likely a larger size fly line as some fly reels lose about 100' of backing space going up a line size, or the backing may not have been put on tight. To measure the fly line for size take only the first 30' & weigh it to get closer to a grain weight to compare to a chart.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

CFenton said:


> Backwater so you think I may be better served with an 8wt line. It can get windy here. But again my cast arent gonna be very long the way I fish around here in Eastern NC.


 Listen, for only fly casting 50-60ft in the 1st year, that's not bad and very fishable. Don't try to beat yourself up trying to shoot your entire flyline out since really only accomplished experts can do that with some consistency. Like you said, fish what you got as far as a distance between 30-60ft and you'll catch plenty of fish. Later, get with someone who can help you with refining your casting techniques and just work on improving your loops and timing. Distance will come with time. 

I'd be careful throwing flies to large or too heavy for that 8wt. Your best going to a good fly shop and getting advice on what size flies to throw. For now, I'd be throwing flies that are a little more streamline and any weighted flies, use eyes from bead chain eyes (or epoxy eyes) up to size small for the heaviest weighted flies. But if you can help it, try not to use flies with lead dumbbell eyes no bigger than size extra small (ex sm).

I wouldn't use anything heavier than a Wulff BTT (not the short) and maybe their regular Saltwater TT (Triangle Taper, non-Bermuda)) line in an 8wt for that rod. I know E NC can have some wide open casting conditions. So that last line might feel best for you. Otherwise, look into a SA Mastery Saltwater 8wt line. But for newbies, I like how those triangle taper lines completely unroll out with some forgiveness to them.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Backwater said:


> WHat are you talking about...Everyone struggles to make 110ft cast! Even I do.  I tell people it's not normal to make 90-100ft+ casts, so don't feel like you are missing something.


100' + casts using a 30' shooting head coupled with 100' of 20 pound mono shooting line is attainable by anyone who is will to put in the time to learn. (even veteran fly chuckers)

Each of the "wallets' has a minimum of 5 different shooting heads plus I have a few custom shooting heads. Of the reels, the two in the back right are set up for shooting heads. While I don't agree, some seem to think I am a little on the obsessive side with my hobbies.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

mro said:


> 100' + casts using a 30' shooting head coupled with 100' of 20 pound mono shooting line is attainable by anyone who is *willing to put in the time to learn.* (even veteran fly chuckers)


That is the key ^^^

I try to tell novice to intermediate level fly fishermen who think they need to cast 100ft proficiently otherwise think wouldn't be any good at this game, that it's really not the case to catch plenty fish and have a good time. Most fish are actually caught in the ranges of 30-60ft anyways. But like I said in my recent replies to someones reply (I can't keep up what I said to whomever), is that "Don't worry about focusing on distance casting. Instead, work on proper and efficient techniques to improve your casting and then distance will come with time," as you perfect your techniques.

Btw, nice collection. I myself have gotten away from collecting things that collect dust. 

You in Tampa?


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Backwater said:


> I myself have gotten away from collecting things that collect dust.
> 
> You in Tampa?


When I first arrived in Florida mid 70's I stopped in Tampa, cheep hotel on Kennedy mile or two west of downtown. Of all the places to meet girls I met my first Florida girl friend at a gas station. She had a place over by MacDill. When that ended about 4/5 months later I had a better understanding of my surroundings and moved over to Indian Rocks Beach, then Seminole and finally Largo for the rest of my stay in Florida. I was having so much fun that I didn't make it to the keys until the following year. 

What became my "stomping grounds" went from Clearwater Pass to Egmont including the IC and a few spots in the bay. No fishing license needed in those days.

BTW, those reels all have there place altho I've slowed down the last 5 years. Getting old sucks.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

mro said:


> When I first arrived in Florida mid 70's I stopped in Tampa, cheep hotel on Kennedy mile or two west of downtown. Of all the places to meet girls I met my first Florida girl friend at a gas station. She had a place over by MacDill. When that ended about 4/5 months later I had a better understanding of my surroundings and moved over to Indian Rocks Beach, then Seminole and finally Largo for the rest of my stay in Florida. I was having so much fun that I didn't make it to the keys until the following year.
> 
> What became my "stomping grounds" went from Clearwater Pass to Egmont including the IC and a few spots in the bay. No fishing license needed in those days.
> 
> BTW, those reels all have there place altho I've slowed down the last 5 years. Getting old sucks.


 Suncoast Fly Fishers?


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Suncoast Fly Fishers?

I left Florida December of 81. During my time there I don't think I saw more than couple dozen fly fishermen on the water and only had two friends who were fly fishermen. Except for bad weather I normally fished 2 or 3 times per week and never on weekends. Most of the time I like to fish alone with the exception of my dad but at the time I was in Florida we were kind of on the outs and I never invited him to Florida. One thing contrary to that was I liked introducing people to fly fishing that I met now and then. I had a totally cool night time lady fish hot spot.  newbe on my boat was not going to happen

Tying, casting, rod building, helping out fixing things and shooting pool I don't mind people.


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

mro said:


> 100' + casts using a 30' shooting head coupled with 100' of 20 pound mono shooting line is attainable by anyone who is will to put in the time to learn. (even veteran fly chuckers)
> 
> Each of the "wallets' has a minimum of 5 different shooting heads plus I have a few custom shooting heads. Of the reels, the two in the back right are set up for shooting heads. While I don't agree, some seem to think I am a little on the obsessive side with my hobbies.
> 
> ...


Looks “Normal”


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