Matched line weights

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Ray, the line manufacturers are usually pretty good about listing actual weights of their line in their catalogs and are getting better at providing this information as it is not always easy to find. Note I wrote "usually" and the practice doesn't seem to be universal. And the info can sometimes difficult to interpret. So Rio often gives the weight of the total head length rather than the 30 ft length. Makes everything perfectly clear, right For example Rio indicates in their catalog that their Rio Grand lines are 1 wt heavy at 30 ft and their Outbound Short lines 2.5 weights heavy and Scientific Anglers notes their GPX lines are 1/2 wt heavy. This info may not always be clear on the box.

When you weigh a flyline you need to remember that the initial level tip section is not part of the 30 ft section that is used to base the line wt on. This tip is usually 6 to 12 inches. Though if you weight the first 30 feet starting at then end the result should be slightly less than the standard calls for because you have excluded a foot of the thicker/heavier belly portion of the line in place of the tip. So that would not account for your measurement. When you do weigh a line you do need to ensure that the section past 30 ft is exerting no pressure/tension of any type on the portion being weighed. This can be difficult to do. I find this much more difficult to do with any kind of scale that the line is rested upon the measuring surface compared to using a hanging spring scale that suspends the line like the discontinued Umpqua Line scale. How the portion beyond 30 ft is handled can dramatically effect the result of the measurement.

I have weighed lots of lines and have not yet found one that that is very far off for the manufacturers detailed specifications when I have been able to find the detailed specifications. Now I have found some lines that were heavier than listed on the box as in your example, but no detailed specs were available for the line.

Anyway I just wish each manufacturer would give us 2 pieces of data: first is the weight if the first 30 ft and second, the total head length and the weight of the head at that length.