Is a sharpie the best way to make marks on your fly line?
Thanks
Jason
I have done it in the past on an ivory Wulff TT line. Initially the colours hold up well but with use they do tend to fade somewhat and some slight “bleeding” does occur. They will still be visible though and they can be touched up as needed.
Regards
Hi JL,
I use Sharpies for most of my fly tying needs including coloring Crease Flies and marking my line. It’s not any great sense of dedication on my part but the price is right and they are easily available at most stores. Sam’s Club always has big multicolored packs at around a buck a piece. The color is permanent enough for my use. 8T 
some folks use thread bands to mark fly lines
Jason,
Depends on why you are ‘marking’ it.
If it’s to help you with casting, then absolutely use the Sharpie. It will fade overtime, but by then, you won’t need it any longer.
For a more ‘permanent’ marking, as Normand points out, a well sealed tight thread band will last the life of the line.
Buddy
i dont really believe “permanent” markers are “permanent”. over time and use the “permanent” marks will wear off one way or another.
For night fishing, I used to use shrink tube. Becareful not to get it so hot you melt the flyline pcv though. It will fuse with the shrink wrap and you’ll never get it off.
Bob
the marking i do on fly lines are done with silk thread on my silk lines… i mark them on both ends… say fer instance the line is a DT5, ill make a wide band fer the center mark, a smaller band on the sides of the middle band then a smaller band after that… another example is if its a WF2 i put a band on the line then a smaller one beside that… i mark them about 4ft from both ends so i can identify the line easily because sometimes i have 2 or 3 different silk lines at a time on my drying rack… on top of the thread bands i put a thin coat of varnish that way the bands are permanant and dont hurt the line guides…
Hhhmmm…I think I like this idea…permanent , palpable, and maybe enough of a “tick” to let you know when to quite stripping in…This may be a winter project.
Any cons to this idea.
BTW, Harbor Freight offers a whole kit of shrink tubes for peanuts at times.
I mark my fly lines with whatever ‘permanent’ marker I have available at the time. If the mark wears out, fades, etc. in a few years, simply re-mark it. I guess I don’t understand why this is much of a concern.
Dub
Another tactile option to consider. Mark your line by nail knotting a mono “bump” wherever you want the mark. You will feel it when you strip it in, as well as, here it when it ticks against the guides on it’s way in. If you use clear mono it’s a little hard to see but you can tie it with the red stuff for more visability.
Kevin
Bob…I gave this a trial on and old line I had…using an 8wt line I slipped one long and three short 5/64 diameter shrink tubes…they wouldn’t stick to the line…didn’t grip tight enough…no problem since I coated it with Plasti-dip with tolulene…[supposed to be the same as Softex]…
Anyway, do you know what size shrink tube you use…maybe mine is too big…especially since I’d use it mostly on 5wt line???
When I used (note past tense) the shrink tubing to seal the end of the “Chinese finger torture stuff” that held on the loop, I found that the hinging factor at that junction had a tendency to split the line around the tubing. Use a Sharpie or a cheap magic marker. If it wears off, do it again. It takes all of, what, three seconds to mark a line?
Betty, I gotta agree basically with you and Dub…but some things are just fun and neat to do.
I too had the hinging and splitting effect you mention but it may have been more due to the glue I used and the shrink tube seemed harder than what I’ve got now…also where the finger grips were used …those connections lent themselves to hinging…I’m thinking it’s not a problem back on the line where the marking takes place…oh, did I say I put the shrink tube right beside my Magic Marker marks:rolleyes::rolleyes:
Good points…KISS…is always good!