Thread: New fly line

Hi guys, that is the latest and greatest in fly lines as I need to renew the old one on my Kilwel backpackers fly rod. Now as I haven't learnt yet how to cast a fly a line for a beginner would be good. Some brand names would be good so I know what to look for next I`m in Hunting and fishing and then get out there and learn how to do this.

If I could politely suggest you would be better to ask for someone with some experince in your area to show you the ropes ..even on a back lawn...Trying to teach yourself to fly fish is a prick ...well for me anyway ...better to upskill and reap the rewards than frustrat the shit out of yourself...he / she can point you in the right direction for line weights floating sinking etc for your area and skill level!

Simply differnt rods work best with differnt line weights and differnt waters require a differnt approach to fish it. I am very very very far from being anything but a keen amature, but really suggest getting...yes evening paying for half a day of tuition or guided fishing!

Yep, I think you have hit the nail on the head there, definitely have a look into that and I think there was a guy in Rotorua, the trout man at a camping ground
down there or some of the sports shops may have their resident guru.

I give free lessons for whisky

Stingray is spot on, a bit of guidance from an experienced fly fisherman, will speed you on the way for sure.

A weight forward floating line is probley the most used fly line for most NZ fly fisherman, unless fishing lots of Taupo lakes, then it would be a sink tip or sinking line.
I like the Rio line trout/gold is what I use, and the old Cortland 444 is still a heck of a good floating line, and perhaps a bit cheaper, by the best you can afford, the fly line is the most important part of casting well, outside of techanic. match line to rod weight number. A double taper can be reversed and used from other end once worn, but I find a weight forward line better, as NZ can often have a bit of wind, and its easier to cast with in windy conditions, double taper will generally be a bit better with presentation. this is important with dry fly,
I m thinking of heading to Taupo/Turangi this weekend, so if you down, I can give a few pointers, I am no expert, but catch the odd fish,
If you can find the cash, a half day with a good guide, will be well worth it.

you can buy reasonable (Im buggered if I can tell difference) priced fly lines off trademe.....well better than reasonable, really cheap. guess its like anything if you dont know better anything is ok.
tapered leader is a good investment...far easier than the multi knotted ones I learnt with...and personally 9-12 feet is as much trace/leader I can handle.

I mainly fish 6#floating for most of my lake fishing

been a fly fisher for over 40yrs and believe Cortland fly lines to be the best. If you fish a lot, cheaper lines crack and do not seem to last for me.

I picked up a new Sage weight forward floating line for $45 including shipping from Auckland. It does all my needs well.
I’d agree with the comment re getting a hand, I’ve been fly fishing since I was 5 and I’m still an unco prick.


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I'm definitely behind the times when it comes to fly fishing, but Cortland 444 has always served me well.

I have a 6 weight floating Rio Gold that I am happy to give you for free. It is a line I have used and has a few years under its belt. I think the tip may sink a little but otherwise is in OK condition. The Gold taper is nice for most rod actions and would be good to practice with at least. I think the Back Packer is a short 6 weight?
As far as casting help goes try your local clubs. Most have casting clinic days and there are usually guys willing to help. Im like a lot here. Fished since I was a nipper but still could do with assistance for better casting.
Solid brands for lines are Rio, Scientific Anglers and Airflo. A lot of current lines are quite aggressive tapers with +0.5 weights and may not suit a slower action rods.
I may also have a near new 5 weight Rio Mainstream floater up for grabs too.

Buy a Maxima chameleon tapered leader as well. They are the best there is bar - none !! Tapered to 7 pounds and get some Dragon hybrid line as tippet. Will only cost $11 for a 100mtr spool.

I've found just the run of the mill Fly line that the airflo combos have on them are super easy to cast for a cheaper option .

Otherwise it's gotta be- Rio Gold.

6wt floating she's a dream to cast.

I've had the Airflo Bandit camo fly line and found it wasn't for me so hence going to the RIO gold.

Never looked back since

@homebrew.357 - Being an ex-trout guide and Auckalnder with bit of time on my hands at the moment I'd be happy to help out and also provide a venue on the small paddock at home for a bit of casting practice to get you underway.

PM me and i'll see what i can do...
My suggestion is time at the park casting is a great investment once you have the basics - I start with usually a 2m piece of wool on the end of a 1-1.5m bamboo stick. This teaches your mind and eyes how to form and watch the loop and it just helps make the connection between the eyes, brain and body.
The rod is not a wand so you don't wave it... think of your fist and wrist as like the stroke of a piston and it needs to be in a plane parralel to the ground. Those two exercises will get you timing, coordination and distance. The three things beginners struggle with..

From there I'd try to understand do you want to dry fly or nymph fish... if the former we'd work on presentation by working with the basics above.
If Nymphing I'd steer you towards perfecting the roll cast (very helpful in tight conditions) and then to Czech of French Nymphing which for NZ rivers is ideal in outcatching your mates and finding heaps of fish you didn't even know were holding there. That then broadens your knowledge about where to fish and from there you have the skillls you need.

I used to spend the fist 1hr to 2 hours with inbound mainly US clients fist looking at what their basic skills were like then either working with them as above or knowing how to best apply them and their skill level to the rivers they wanted to fish. Pretty much am i going to be a Coach or a Spotter was where my head was. at.

As for flylines a bit like rifles theres never just one - but you can get by if you make concessions to what you are asking it to do. The Cortland lines have always provided me with longevity - I have a still perfectly functioning one thats close to 25 years old. Rio great but sometimes colours are more made for US that NZ conditions. Airflow mid range ones always good value and for NZ conditions weight forward covers 90% of our conditions. I use mainly 4 to 6 weight on North Island streams the Tongariro being the only one I'll use a 8 on a windy day.

Finally match your rod to your line... if its a broomstick or a piece of limp spagetti a good line isn't going to solve the underlying issue but theres lots of good starter rods and intermediate rods that sometimes cast better than Sage and Hardy's so follow the result and how it feels to you rather than listen to the pricetag...

my 2c.

Originally Posted by southernman

Stingray is spot on, a bit of guidance from an experienced fly fisherman, will speed you on the way for sure.

A weight forward floating line is probley the most used fly line for most NZ fly fisherman, unless fishing lots of Taupo lakes, then it would be a sink tip or sinking line.
I like the Rio line trout/gold is what I use, and the old Cortland 444 is still a heck of a good floating line, and perhaps a bit cheaper, by the best you can afford, the fly line is the most important part of casting well, outside of techanic. match line to rod weight number. A double taper can be reversed and used from other end once worn, but I find a weight forward line better, as NZ can often have a bit of wind, and its easier to cast with in windy conditions, double taper will generally be a bit better with presentation. this is important with dry fly,
I m thinking of heading to Taupo/Turangi this weekend, so if you down, I can give a few pointers, I am no expert, but catch the odd fish,
If you can find the cash, a half day with a good guide, will be well worth it.

Wow I made no sense of that...shows u how much I know about fresh water fishing...


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