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What is
the best fly line color ? DB – Sedona, AZ
PFF –
Ducks, fish, amphibians, and most water dwelling creatures are light
colored (whitish) on the bottom, which presumably is natures way of
camouflaging them from predators below. It would therefore seem that a
lighter colored fly line that blends with the skyscape or background is a
preferable choice for concealment. The stealth factor is obviously an
important consideration based on our choices of leaders, tippets, and the
trends in the development of clear fly lines. Match your line to your
given backdrop conditions.
Ho much backing do I need on my reel
? LY - Durango, CO
Remember
that backing does more than just allow a big fish to go south so you do
not have an arbor knot failure. Backing should be loaded until the fly
line is approximately
1/8 inch
from the reel frame … which will be ultimately determined by your ability
to maintain a tight spool. The largest possible circumference of the line
will enable the fastest possible retrieve / line pick-up if a fish runs
toward you. Also, the longer radius will provide better drag control and
minimize the devastating effects of an exponentially increasing drag
factor as line goes out and backing moves toward the arbor or central
axis. Another critical factor in the optimum “line circumference”
scenario, is that a “full spool” will significantly reduce the reel
“start-up inertia” (sudden rotational speed and acceleration plus the
weight of the reel spool) when a big fish explodes in a lightning fast
run. These four all-important duties of the reel clearly mandate that
the answer is …“load as much backing as you can get on the reel”!
Why do
I get so many refusals when I’m fishing dry flies ? TM – Winston
Salem, NC
Well, we
don’t know without fishing with you. But, it is definitely one of two
things.
Fly
Fishing essentially only amounts to Fly Selection and Presentation. Pretty
basic, huh? So, let’s presume you had the right fly (because sooner or
later, some dumb fish
in an
opportunistic feeding mode will eat about any fly if the presentation is
really
good). We
frequently find such weird things as sticks, leaves, feathers, and
assorted debris as well as bugs, when we pump fish. Since Fly Fishing is
so “basic” it is
therefore
a safe assumption that your “refusals” must be due to the only other thing
that could go wrong—which is “bad presentation”. Okay … don’t feel too
bad about not having “good presentations”. Only a small percentage of fly
fishers are able to offer dry flies to fish in a manner that pretty much
eliminates “micro-drag”! Most likely this is the culprit, unless you are
a victim of “macro-drag” which means that you really need help.
“Micro-drag” is undoubtedly the most common, meanest, dirty rotten problem
in all of fly fishing … and it affects everybody! There is positively
only one solution to achieving “natural drift”, and that is through
developing advanced casting techniques that sufficiently reduce this
almost undetectable phenomenon. Micro-drag causes more refusals by
far than any other factor. You too, have probably been afflicted!
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