# Intermediate fly line



## Valazybeachbum (Apr 15, 2020)

Does anyone use a intermediate fly line as a primary line in salt water.


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Valazybeachbum said:


> Does anyone use a intermediate fly line as a primary line in salt water.


Still prefer it for poons


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

That's what all of my heavier rods are rigged with (from a 10wt on up...). For 9wts on down we're set up only with floating lines in the backcountry of the Everglades...


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## eightwt (May 11, 2017)

I use a F / I, a lot and full intermediate for the surf.


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## OED (Feb 26, 2019)

My 6wt has floating and my 8wt intermediate and a spare spool of floating


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## Valazybeachbum (Apr 15, 2020)

My


OED said:


> My 6wt has floating and my 8wt intermediate and a spare spool of floating


 8 wt also has floating and spare spool intermediate. I can never decide which one to take


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

Clear head intermediate lines account for about 90% of what I do along the beaches, nearshore, inlets, and deeper creeks.

I mostly fish floaters in the marsh because we're usually stripping right over top of oysters.


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## OED (Feb 26, 2019)

@Valazybeachbum I go with the intermediate 90% of the time and change if i need to


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## wsreid (Feb 24, 2019)

I use a full intermediate line for the surf, as well. It handles the waves much better than a floating line, without sinking to the bottom in shallow water, like a full sinking line does. The intermediate line keeps you in much better contact with your streamer, while also keeping your fly off the bottom and in the feeding zone.


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## HunterOnFly (Apr 15, 2020)

I use an intermediate for snook fishing when they get less aggressive/hitting top water less in the colder months. Otherwise a fluoro leader/fly weight usually dictate depth.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

The SA intermediate clear sink tip with all fluorocarbon leader is useful when the fish are stuck to the bottom. If you use all fluorocarbon leader on floating lines the leader will pull the last couple of feet of floating fly line down which .can be effective


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## CKEAT (Aug 26, 2015)

Love it, if I had only one line it would be clear full intermediate 2-3 IPS sink rate


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Wait, didn't we just have this thread? I keep an intermediate about 80% of the time on my 9wt. I just cleared out some rods but my next 10wt will have an intermediate on it about 50-60% of the time and I usually keep one tarpon rod with one on it.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

All of my bigger sticks (10wt on up...) have a full intermediate line. All of my smaller rods (9wt on down...) are set up with floating lines... and they're never high end lines since none of my floaters get much more than a year's use before getting shredded by downed trees, mangrove roots, or other nasty sharp edged places... 

Surprisingly, the intermediates last and last even with big tarpon - until one finds a sharp corner or a downed tree... then you can not only lose a line - but 100 to 300 feet of backing. But that's what you get if you hunt big tarpon in small rivers... just nothing like the 'glades.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

Kicking around the idea of putting an intermediate on an 8wt to target trout on deeper drop offs. Fishing the marsh and small creeks I have pretty much always been floating line.

I am putting this on a backup rod that is a more moderate action and am a little concerned looking at the weight of the lines. An 8 weight is listed at 280gr while the 7 is at 240.
I am leaning to putting the 7wt on it to prevent the rod from falling apart while casting unless anyone thinks otherwise.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

BrownDog said:


> Kicking around the idea of putting an intermediate on an 8wt to target trout on deeper drop offs. Fishing the marsh and small creeks I have pretty much always been floating line.
> 
> I am putting this on a backup rod that is a more moderate action and am a little concerned looking at the weight of the lines. An 8 weight is listed at 280gr while the 7 is at 240.
> I am leaning to putting the 7wt on it to prevent the rod from falling apart while casting unless anyone thinks otherwise.


Like even with some floating lines that are a 1/2 or even 1 rod weight rating over stated rod wt (i.e. a 7wt rated line is actually the weight of an 8wt line (according to affta), such as a Wulff BTT, Rio DC Flats Pro, etc), that can happen with some intermediate lines. So with any kind of sinking line like a intermediate line, it's not the weight of the line that causes it to sink, but rather the density of the line. So a normal rated sink line will weigh the same as a floating line. If it's heavier, it's not because it causes it to sink more but rather, like a heavier weighted floating fly line over the rated line weight, it's designed to cause the rod to load up further into the blank and therefore make it load quicker or deeper into the rod so someone can feel the load more in a stiffer rod blank. I hope that makes sense to you. Below is a series of moderately priced lines from both SA and Cortland that I have used and they are good lines. But if you prefer lines to upload the rod (or cause it to bend more during your cast so you can feel it more), then there are other lines in both these and other mfgs of fly lines (like the Wulff lines, SA Titan or Grande Slam, Rio and Airflo).

https://www.scientificanglers.com/product/frequency-intermediate/

https://www.scientificanglers.com/product/sonar-saltwater-intermediate/

https://www.cortlandline.com/collections/fly-lines/products/intermediate

https://www.cortlandline.com/collec...cts/big-game-intermediate?variant=54416911367

https://www.cortlandline.com/collections/fly-lines/products/intermediate-1

https://www.cortlandline.com/collections/fly-lines/products/full-sinking-type-3

https://www.cortlandline.com/collections/fly-lines/products/full-sinking-type-6

Notice that the last 2 lines are full sink lines (notice the sink rates), yet they weight exactly the same as a floating line. So the materials used in the outter core in floating lines has microbubbles in it or made from a different PVC outter core material that floats. Likewise, with intermediate sink lines and even full sink lines (of a variety of sink rates), You notice that the physical properties of the line are thinner (less microbubbles or a denser PVC outer material and therefore thinner). There are some fast sink lines that actually have lead particals in it or even lead cores, but still the same line weights. But in the LC (lead core) lines, some by nature can be heavier and you have to match the rod to the line weight, which is opposite to matching the line for the rod weight. Makes sense?

Below is the affta unit of measurement chart. Most all fly line mfgs and how we refer to the units of weight are measured out in "grain" weight and not grams. The grams are there for easy calculations by line mfgs or if someone owns a scale and wanted to measure the weight of the fly line head (1st 30ft of it).










One thing to note, a fly line head can be longer like 35-50ft, etc., and as you aerialize more line out of your tip top guide to shoot, keep in mind that the longer heads past 30ft will weigh more and cause the rod to load deeper. Good for some situations, but with fly casting dynamics, it could actually work against you if you are not careful and cause the rod to "overload" and therefore cause your fly line loops to start to collapse on itself. Basically, it would be like casting a line that is too heavy for the rod to handle. So its better to shoot more line than to "air" more line out of the guides before you shoot it. Makes sense?

Ted Haas


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

@Backwater nailed it, pretty much what my gut was telling me on the intermediate, stIck to the grain weight not the rating.

Along those lines I have for awhile now been underlining my freshwater rods half a weight as coming from saltwater actions and the overweighted lines on the market today make it more pleasant for my casting to put a 5.5 on a 6 for example.


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## Stormy Monday (Mar 27, 2019)

There is so much variation. I was throwing both floating and intermediate BTTs rated for 9 weight on my 9 weight rod. They were fine but when I tried the same lines on my 10 weight rod I liked them a lot better! I find the Cortland lines have always matched up with ratings, don't have a scale but the Big Game intermediate 8 weight I have feels perfect with my 8 weight rod and I had similar results with the 333 ice blue intermediate from them.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Well I must be in the minority. I like floating line on all my rods. I've used sinking line before when it was all the rage with that self promoter Jim Tiny, yes i have a tiny sink tip. It's a pain to cast
With floating and a sinking fly your fly is down 9-10 feet. I don't fish in much deeper water


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Stormy Monday said:


> There is so much variation. I was throwing both floating and intermediate BTTs rated for 9 weight on my 9 weight rod. They were fine but when I tried the same lines on my 10 weight rod I liked them a lot better! I find the Cortland lines have always matched up with ratings, don't have a scale but the Big Game intermediate 8 weight I have feels perfect with my 8 weight rod and I had similar results with the 333 ice blue intermediate from them.


That is because the Wulff BTT lines are 1 rod wt over the rated line. So your 9wt line actually weighs in at a 10wt, according to affta.

Below is a spreadsheet I made for Royal Wulff line co. about 2yrs ago. Now notice the affta chart in my previous reply here on this thread and look at the weight difference.


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## Moore Lyon and Quick (Aug 26, 2015)

Cortland Little tunny is my go-to over grass beds and flats. It isn't made anymore but cortland does sell a 444 in clear camo (mottled brown/olive color). I upline by one weight with faster rods. The line has some stretch in it, and it isn't the best casting line for me (Wulff Bermudas for that) but it is my favorite fish catching line.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

permitchaser said:


> With floating and a sinking fly your fly is down 9-10 feet. I don't fish in much deeper water


you’ve got to be just letting the fly sit in no current to get it to sink down 9ft on a floating line. Also any strip Will pull the fly up not forward.
I agree that I would MUCH rather throw a floating but when fishing deep banks for trout 7+ft deep I think an intermediate could very well offer an advantage in presentation.


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