Which would cast better and easier in windy conditions, a DT line or a WF?
Going this morning, winds predicted 10-25mph.
Looking for fast answer.
full sinking
Actually, with that much wind, I’d be going to an intermediate sinking line for two reasons: 1) the smaller diameter, denser line will cut the wind better, and 2) it will get your fly below the wave action whereas the wave action on a floating line will keep the fly on the surface even if the fly is weighted.
If you don’t have the sinking line, I’d go the WF route since the running line is also thinner and will cuy the wind better.
I use what ever I have on my reel at the time. I don’t think it matters much. Shorter casts on side arm instead of overhead work fine for me. This time of year, streamers with a sink tip gets by the wind better than anything. It’s like the difference between throwing a shuttlecock and a hockey puck in the wind. If I’m steelhead fishing in water where I want to be using an indicator to dead drift…I only have one line and I believe its a DT.
Thanks guys.
I got it.
I have all the lines. I just haven’t put them on reels yet. Fellow wants to come in about an hour and a half and go fishing. He lives 3.5 hours away…and comes up on weekends to work on his future retirement home. Wants me to go fish with him. Am doing so to help him. If were me and windy and saturday…I would stay home and do something else. He doesn’t have the luxury of fishing during the week as he still works. I don’t normally fish on sat and sun. Season just opened on stream and just stocked. There will be a lot of people on the stream that is only 1.25 miles long.
I just don’t have all my reels and lines set up yet. I still have to put lines on reels. Soooo…I was wondering what two lines to put on spools. WF, DT, Int Sink, Sink Tip, or Fast Sink.
Appreciate the help. I want to take a floater and one sink line of some type. Sounds like intermediate sink will work. I still don’t understand in my mind how to fish with a sink tip.
Do you only use a float indicator on a floating line?
Jim
Well, I am a terrible fisherman, but I am one heck of a guide!
The friend arrived with his son and we got to the creek short one rod. Son forgot his rod. Dad loaned him his rod…and I let dad use my home made 4wt rod. The son already new how to fly fish, but Dad was new to the game.
He didn’t know how to attach his leader…which in his case was just a loop to loop. He didn’t know how to attach tippet…which I showed him how to do. He didn’t know which fly to use or how to tie it on…which I showed him how to do. I selected the BH Prince Nymph for the first fly and something else for the dropper…and showed him how to tie the knots and I tied them on for him. He was going to tie the second fly in at the eye of the first and I said no, and tied it onto the hook like most do.
Fish had lock jaw. I saw no one even get a hit. In fact a guide up here who has been at it so long he is retiring after this season. He said he didn’t get any. After fishing awhile I told my friend to go above me and fish. WOW! He gets a BEAUTIFUL five pound rainbow!
I netted it for him. On my home made 4wt rod, that I rigged up for him to fish on. So cool.
I guess I can’t fish… but I am a heck of a guide. <grin>
Very cool!
Back to your original question… When I need to cast far in wind I will use a shooting head to reduce line resistance as much as possible and still get all the distance I can use. Last week I was showing a friend how that works and easily cast over 80’ cross-wind (9’ 12wt two-handed Penn Int’l and 30’, 11wt, slow-sinking shooting head) while regular lines were dying well short of the underlined head on the same rod.
art
In Florida the winds almost always seems to be 10 - 25 mph except very early in the morning, and for those conditions WF flylines work better than DT at just about any distance; except if the flyrod isn’t good for casts over 35’ ( mostly very small stream rods ) 
Thanks for the info. I have been wondering for a while now what type of rig would work best in windy conditions. I am talking 1wt to 6wt now. I am not in an area where bigger rods are used. So wondering what rig set up would work best in wind…in rods between say 3wt to 6 wt. I have been told heavier line to throw against the wind…then I have been told lighter line…like a 3wt…because the line is smaller and will slice through the wind better and not be affected by the wind as much. I am thinking a short rod with a light line. So…maybe a 6’ fast tip 3wt? Only fish for trout here. Well, that’s not totally true. There are bass, northern pike, and walleye up here…but none of my peers fish for them. I intend to attempt to get some of them on a fly rod. Oh…and carp. So then I will be into a bigger rod and wind…and I think then the shooting heads will do the trick.
hmmm…I wonder about a short two handed 8wt?
Any 3wt will not be a good choice in windy conditions. For trout fishing in the wind, chose a 5 or 6wt with either a DT or WF line.
If it’s windy…and I’m fishing a trout stream, I usually up my rod. I like fishing with a 3wt on the AuSable in Michigan. (Holy Water section) On really windy days, I’ll pull out my 4 or 5 wt. This time of year, it’s mostly streamers , I use my 5 or 6wt and leave the light stuff at home.
Congrats on getting your friend into a fish like that. So he never fished with a fly rod before??? I think you just hooked yourself a life time flyfishing buddy. 
Depends on just how windy we’re talking…I was out yesterday fishing caddis on top. It was a breezy, gusty afternoon, but between gusts it was relatively calm, and I was amongst a bunch of trees to break up the head-on force of the wind.
Used my moderate-fast 7’-9" 3wt with no (wind-related) problems whatsoever.
My answer depends on your casting style, your lines, your rods, and the casting distances.
If you can shoot line well, go with the DT and shoot line in the wind. The less line you carry/aerialize, the less wind exposure you will have to deal with. And the DT will give you good performance with less line beyond the rod tip at the rull range of distances from your max IN. This works best with a medium action and/or fuller flexing rod. It’s “old school.” It’s sort of out of vogue, but it’s a heck of a lot less work and just as effective at long distance when you become proficient. Roll cast whenever possible.
If you have to carry more line to achieve desired distances (say you can only shoot 50% or less of the line beyond the rod tip), then go with the most compact tapered WF line you have and still concentrate on aerializing as little line as possible or play the wind to your favor: put it over your off-hand shoulder as much as possible and elevate your forward cast for distance. Keep your casting plane low for shorter casts and better accuracy. Wind speed is slower the closer you get to the surface due to uneven surface contour and wind-breaking obstacles such as trees, high banks, etc.