How often do you have more than fifteen feet of fly line out of the end of your rod?
For most trout anglers, and virtually all saltwater fly fishers, the answer is always. You’re never that close to fish. Casts have to be 30 or 50 or 70 feet… if you’re lucky. After all, fly fishing is about fly casting. Right?
If you fish small streams, the answer to that “fifteen foot question” might be hardly ever. In high-gradient water, the distance between you and the fish is measured in vertical feet – you’re casting from the pool below. In small, densely vegetated waters it might be impossible to make a traditional back cast. Textbook technique gets thrown out the window. All that matters is getting the fly to where the fish are.
But how?
There are obviously a lot of variables. Skill has a lot to do with it. This includes figuring out your physical positioning in the stream or on the bank relative to where the presentation ought to be. Having the right rod counts as well. The 9-footer probably isn’t going to cut it. Conversely, the short and noodly rod will fit the stream’s dimensions and the size of the quarry… but it is going to struggle to cast a traditional trout taper.
All that to say, know-how and the right rod really help. But the right line brings it all together, because that is the piece of gear that facilitates the right cast.
On a small stream, the right cast is rarely of the 10-o’clock/2-o’clock variety. Roll casting might even be a luxury. Often times you’re shooting line that you’ve simply picked up from the previous drift. Usually this is done with a compact back cast. The result is a compact, spey-like maneuver that keeps you out of the trees while still putting the fly in the right place with some accuracy. You don’t always need the accuracy for the fish’s sake, but because the water you’re aiming for might only be a few feet wide.
This is all possible with effort and experience. This is all much more accessible and enjoyable with the right line. The right line is going to have a compact head. Thus, the bulk of the line’s weight in the fifteen feet that is fished most on small streams. That includes the front taper, belly, and the majority of the rear taper. Essentially, it is a scaled down version of a traditional line for a scaled down version of fly fishing. A shorter rod and a narrower stream might need a lighter line, but they definitely benefit from a compact taper.
Fly line might seem like the least important part of the equation when most casts are flicks or bow-and-arrow snaps. It is important to question if these casts are the best approach, or if utilizing these methods is the consequence of a line not built for the setting. Not every small stream presentation is going to involve a full cast, but a line with a compact taper does allow for short casts to load the rod. Beyond that, these lines make roll casting with a short rod easy. Every one of those small stream “casts” benefits from a line constructed for small streams. The right line helps the rod to work. As a tool, a fly rod should work for you – help you do what you want it to.
There are plenty of circumstances where you’re going to ask too much from your fly rod. You’ll contort your arm to make a cast fit some odd situation. If you fly fish on small streams all the time, you shouldn’t fish this way. The right line helps you and your rod to work – to cast. This enables you to fish without compromising on one of the essential variables in fly fishing.
Want more arguments for using good line on small streams? Check out these four reasons.
I’ve been fishing the RIO Creek, weight forward line in a 3-weight on a medium action, 7-foot rod. It has performed great for all the requisite bow-and-arrow, roll, and shoot casts. I’m also pleased that it lays down a good presentation at longer distances with a traditional overhand or sidearm cast. RIO Creek definitely gets my endorsement as another good line for use on small streams.
