I have a question about Fly lines, I bought a couple of used reels and they had unmarked fly line on the spools and they are in great shape, my question is what is the best method for finding out what weight the line is, is it WF, Floating, ETC… how can you tell.
Kevin;
You weigh the first 30 feet. Warren has a scale for this.
Umpqua fly line scale.
popperfly. I ran into the same problem as you have. What I did was remove the line from the reel & examine it to determine what the taper was. If you compare the taper of your lines to the tapers shown on the link below you should be able to determine what the taper is. The 3 most common tapers are weight forward, double taper and level.
http://quamut.com/quamut/fly_fishing/page/the_fly_line.html
As far as weight: To me it did not matter whether it was a 3, 4 or whatever weight just as long as it cast fairly well. Perhaps you could try the line on several different rods and then use the line on the rod it performs the best.
Tim
" I bought a couple of used reels and they had unmarked fly line on the spools and they are in great shape, my question is what is the best method for finding out what weight the line is, is it WF, Floating, ETC… how can you tell. "
Keven,
There are 2 things you can do:
-
You can get with me and I will weigh them and I can tell you what weight fly line they are.
-
You can contact the person you purchased the reels from and ask them what they had on the reels.
If you want me to weigh them for you, let me know. It will not take but a few minutes.
Remember it’s the first 30 feet…minus the forward taper.
Popperfly, this may seem like the really
long way around to figure out what lines
you have, but it works. Go out and buy
new rods from 2 wt to 12 wt. Try the lines
on them and judge from how the rods feel
when casting. Be sure to mark the spools
once you decide which rod wt. best matches
the lines in question.
I buy reels once in a while that have lines
on them and I have the same problem but
I just wish I had every rod weight to test
them out on. Your mileage may vary…oh
and don’t get any cheapy fly rods…get the
best you can find…they’re much more
accurate as far as trying to figure out flyline
weights.
Tongue in cheek
cheers,
MontanaMoose
Double tapers lines - fold in half and you will see that you have two equal halves. Attach either end to your backing. Some people cut a DT in half for reels with small capacity.
Weight forward lines - long running line (attaches to backing), fat belly, then the short taper to which the leader is attached.
Cast the lines with a five weight and go from there up or down.
Well I just got one part of the equation figured out thanks to WarrenP. Took all my lines over to Warren house and he pulled out this nifty scale for checking the weight of lines. Just like everyone said the first 30ft then check the weight on the scale, there you go. 
I need to get one because like I always say I can remember, well the older I get the more I forget. 
For the second part of the equation I need to process all the information you guys suggested and figure out the taper, or is it floating line…ETC. that will be another mission
Hey Kev cast the line and see if it floats or sinks that will give you some idea if it is floating or sinking LOL. Sorry about the other day my phone STB if ya know what I mean.
how is this possible when the level part may only be 1 foot long??
“minus the forward taper” implies level line
Norm, I believe you are correct…It would have been more accurate for me to say “the forward level tip”…though others seem to fall into the same trap.
Having said that the packaging on the Umpqua Fly Line Scale states “the forward tip” technically should be excluded …but they say they ignore it for practical purposes…
My understanding is that most tips are 1 foot long.
Here’s a quote from this…
http://www.flyfishinggear.info/buyers_guide/fly_lines_guide2.shtm
“For purposes of measuring a fly lines weight, only the first 30 feet of fly line is measured. The weighing of the fly line excludes any tapers (discussed later) that the fly line may have. Thus, if a fly line has a weight forward taper, the measurement begins on the first “level” 30 feet of the fly line after the taper.”
And a quote from this…
http://www.common-cents.info/part4.pdf
Those who have delved a little deeper in the subject might quote the AFTMA standard
of 1961 which states the first 30 feet of a No. 5 line (exclusive of tip), weighs 140
grains. We would like to believe that all the products fly line dealers sell meet AFTMA
standards. However, when few anglers have the means of making the measurements and
there are no penalties associated with ignoring the AFTMA standards, one might suspect
that fly line manufacturing and selling has been optimized for profits. Herein lie the
seeds of destruction for the AFTMA standards.
And another from…
http://www.flyrodreel.com/node/10539
“Remember that the line-weight standard is based on nothing more than the weight (in grains, as you pointed out) of the first 30 feet of the line, not including the level tip. Beyond–or past–that, manufacturers are free to taper the line as they wish.”
BTW…anyone want to make their own scale…
Might want to check the very tip of each flyline to see if it’s been cut to shorten it ( e.g.- attaching another leader butt ) & then if it’s been resealed with a drop of Zap-a-Gap. If there’s no sealant, a floating line can absorb water & act like a sink tip!