I have some older fly line that I was thinking about using just for practice, but I’m not sure what weight it is. Anybody have a fairly simple way of figuring out what the weight might be??
No real easy way to tell but you can get factory seconds on discount fishing inc for about $9.00…the lines fish well too.
Sorry, not so sure they are a sponsor here…hope I caused no harm.
Standard Line Weights
Grain weights are for the first 30’ of the line.
AFTMA (the former American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association- now the ASA- American Sportfishing Association) Fly Line Standards were developed to help fly fishing tackle manufacturers create a system that would match fly line weight to fly rod performance. Cortland Line Company’s Leon Chandler was instrumental in initiating and completing the project. In theory this would standardize fly tackle manufacturing across the industry and enable fly fishers to select and balance their equipment for optimum performance.[LEFT] The system uses the weight in grains (a very small weight measure) of the first 30 feet of fly line as a standard. The table below shows fly line weight designations and their grain weight. The system also established a tolerance level that is acceptable. (Copied from Cortland Line Companie’s web site).
[/LEFT]
Number Designation Standard Weight Margin For Error 1-Weight 60 54-66 2-Weight 80 74-86 3-Weight 100 94-106 4-Weight 120 114-126 5-Weight 140 134-146 6-Weight 160 152-168 7-Weight 185 177-193 8-Weight 210 202-218 9-Weight 240 230-250 10-Weight 280 270-290 11-Weight 330 318-342 12-Weight 380 368-392 13-Weight 450 14-Weight 500 15-Weight 550
The above chart, (if you have a way of measuring in grams, like a postal scale?), can get you pretty close to what weight fly line you have perhaps!?
grains, not grams…need a loading scale
1 grain = 0.06479891 grams
ughh…math
Plus the AFTMA standards are for a weight RANGE that does NOT include the front taper or tip section of the line. So if you don’t know how long the front taper is; you will only be guessing. Add to that; without cutting off the first 30 feet; it’s like weighing bologna with half of it hanging off the scale.
Do yourself a favor and buy a cheap new or used line that you know what the weight is.
exactly…simple
I don’t believe that’s exactly right. The AFTMA standard excludes the level tip section in front of the taper. The taper itself is included. The weight contributed by the short level section is probably negligible.
If don’t mind investing a couple of bucks, you can get an Umpqua fly line scale for ~ $20. Of course this is not worth it if you just need to weigh one line but once you have it you have it. If you want to do it on the cheap, check this link.
Cast it with a rod and see what happens. If it doesn’t work, try another rod. If it doesn’t work on any of your rods, throw it away, or use it for a clotheline, or something like that.
John
if you have a line that works on the rod make a balance beam out of a stick or ruler and put 30 ft of the known line on one end and 30 ft of the other line equal distance away from the fulcrum—you can get a relative idea which is heavier in relation to your known line—the only trouble you can get into is if you wail on the rod with a grossly heavy line.
i use the umpqua scale as mentioned (when i can find it).
Crikey, that means my 30-06 is shooting a 6wt. A definite “Rocket Taper” too. :shock: Not bad for a bolt action Ruger…sorry, just couldn’t resist. Well, you all know by now what a wise guy I am.;)
I ended up with fly line that I no longer could remember what weight they were and last Christmas I purchased the Umpqua Fly Line Scale from Cabela’s and now I know what weight they are. Once I knew what weight they were I marked each fly line with a permanent marker so I would always know what weight they were. I now have fly line with 4 dots, 5 dots, 6 dots, 7 dots, etc. marked on them and feel the $20 investment in the scale was well worth it.
I have always felt the relationship between a rod and line had little to do with the number used to lable the match. If a line feels good on a particular rod and casts far enough, I do not need to know the weight of either…
Couple of good and cheap ideas in there. Thanks for everybody’s input.