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The Holy Bible covers almost everything important, almost. It
completely fails to address some subjects which are extremely
germane in today's society. For instance, are cane rods better
than graphite? Is nymph-fishing a sign of advancing degeneracy?
Who really makes the best head-cement? And, the really big
question . . . what other/new crud/liquid/paste/goo can I put
on my fly lines to make them shoot better, float higher, sink
faster, last longer, stay clean and allow me to feel superior
to my dumb buddies who have not yet discovered said
crud/liquid/paste/goo?
Now, all of the above are indeed very serious, but for here
I will address only one, namely stuff for improving the finest
inventions of the worlds largest and most advanced fly line
manufacturers. After all, who do they think they are to tell
me how take care of my fly lines? I bought them, they are now
mine to do with what I choose. Here, of course, we start to
see how silly all this can become. They are who they are; the
smartest, most advanced chemical companies of their type in
the world, that's who.
Since the 'Good-Book' doesn't cover this, I need to give a bit
of background first. Let's imagine we are going to start a new
company to make fly lines. Number one question is an ethical
one. How long should they last? Forever? Not a good idea, no
one will need to buy any new lines, forever! Ok, but, they
should last at least what will be perceived as a normal
lifetime by the buyer. That's not too hard.
Next, (and here we will only consider making floating lines)
how will we make them float? A few things come to mind. One
outfit years ago figured that if they could trap a whole bunch
of little tiny glass beads in the plastic coating the line would
float. It did. Remember, as the tip of the line gets smaller,
not much room for as many beads, hence, the tip does not seem
to float as well. Then, an idea to have the plastic coating
form it's own tiny air bubbles when it was formed on the core
material. This too worked. A third idea was how many types of
plastic could be used to make the coating? There seems to be
no limit to this one, and the daily advances in the discovery
of newer/better stuff continue.
Alright, we decide on how to make the lines, now we need to make
them float. Oh sure, the material in them will help, but, they
need to sit on top of the water, not in the water. In other words,
they need to stay dry and not break the surface tension, which
of course, is what keeps them floating. We can do two things,
incorporate some stuff into the coating, or add something to
the line after it is made. Sounds simple, but hold on a minute.
If we add something after the line is made, will it wear off,
will it collect dirt, will it be sticky going thru the guides,
will it cause the line to dry out and crack with use, will salt
water hurt it, will sunlight cause it to break down, how about
heat?
Or, we could build something into the lines, but most of the
above would still apply. Now, consider, how do we recommend guys
maintain the lines? In other words, how do they clean them, figuring
that they will need to do so, or at least perceive they need to do
so. Let's try for the optimum. Let's make the world's best line,
the highest floating, driest riding, slickest shooting, longest
wearing, appropriate memory for the temperatures where it will
be used and impervious to any type of material that the buyer
might accidentally or on purpose get/put on it.
(This IS of course, the unattainable goal of all of the fly line
manufacturers. But, they keep trying. And as fast as they come
out with a new one, guys are right there to prove they have
failed and try to figure out something which will make them
even better.)
So, we make the lines the best we can, we recommend and perhaps
even supply/sell something which will help clean and restore the
line to it's original condition. Our goal is to make the best
lines, to make lines that will last and perform better than our
competition and we can stay in business year after year. If we
find something that will make our lines work even better we
surely will take advantage of it. Our profit is in fly lines,
our business depends on it, the lives of our employees depend
on it. We are proud of our lines, we have to be. And we have
to continue to find and attempt to improve them in any way
possible. Competition demands that. And so do we.
Who makes the lines I am talking about here? No one yet, but
they are not far from it. And I have several little bottles
of 'Fly-Line' crud/liquid/paste/goo to try on them too; can't
hardly wait. ~ LadyFisher
If you would like to comment on this or any other article please feel free to
post your views on the FAOL Bulletin Board!
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