Talking Fly Lines for Fiberglass Rods with Simon Gawesworth and Tim Rajeff

See our selection of fly lines here -
bit.ly/2cMytAF
Check out the full interview with
Simon Gawesworth and Tim Rajeff here:
/ talking-fiberglass-fly...
#AskNorth40 - Episode 34
This week we talk to Simon Gawesworth from Rio and Tim Rajeff founder of Echo and Airflo about how to find the right line for your fiberglass fly rod.
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[@glenndotter5065]

Been a double taper guy all of my 70 years. I use a WF onmy high lakes reel for the pure distance. I have the same Echo 3wt glass and the Rio Light line in dt is just great her in Colorado. The only rod I overline is my 4wt Orvis 7 pc pack rod. I use Rio Gold 5 WF and finf it just helps load at the high lakes, especially with the wind we usually have to deal with.

[@borisdavidov6600]

I use Lee Wolf signature for my echo #4 river glass and it's perfect. Weight forward lines are amazing, but we fish mostly with nymphs long distances. Best!

[@chazdrumzalot]

An alternate approach: on my 3wt 8' glass rod I use an airflo 6wt river and stream line with a 20' front taper. The front 36' of the head weighs 225 grains but it doesn't matter because I don't ever use that much of the head to load the rod. Instead I measured the head in 12' increments and weighed them so I learned how the weight was distributed; knowing that I can determine the appropriate length/weight of head needed for a particular application. By employing only the first 24' or so the line works ASTONISHINGLY well for roll casts of almost any reasonable distance and is fantastic for short overhead casts with as little as 12' of line to load the rod. You can load the rod up and shoot line for quite long casts, though for situations where one uses a 3wt glass rod there's almost no practical need. I've marked the different lengths of the head clearly so I know how much line I need out of the guides to execute the most efficient casts. Because of the long front taper the line lands as delicately as you could ask for. The lesson is: before buying light lines for light rods, try all your heavier lines first, because you never know what could turn out to be a match!

[@seanearnest]

I've found that my 6'6 3/4wt Eagle Claw Featherlight favors a DT5F line. I've heard murmurings that this rod is actually more of a 4/5wt, and definitely feels a bit faster than other 3 and 4wt rods I've handled. I'm really curious about the short front taper argument - it's got me rethinking which line could work best on a new glass rod I'm considering. I THOUGHT I wanted a Cortland Spring Creek or Sylk DT, but now I'm thinking Rio LightLine DT or Rio Creek could be better. Hmmm...

[@vwnut13]

You use a 9WT fly line on your 3WT rod!?

[@johnzane3977]

I've been using SA boost line. Glides out nice but maybe not as delicate as some might prefer. I fish lakes more often so distance is necessary for my uses.

[@jaimechriswisser4281]

Good video! I have been using an airflo polyfuse xt ridge supple tactical (lot of words) WF5F on my new s-glass 5wt rod (medium fast taper). This line was given to me by a friend, as I didn't have any 5wt lines when I bought this rod. It cast beautifully! I'd tried my Cortland 444 Peach DT6F while lawn casting and didn't like it much. Last week, I grabbed the wrong reel (both lines are peach colored and both are on medalist reels) and took the 444 DT6F to the river. Glad I did, as it fishes quite well. Still like the 5wt line better, but it's good to know they both work well.

[@67polara]

Super informative and interesting thank you.

[@marksleeper3752]

thanks for the great info

[@LordDigz12]

Whats the best fly line for a graphite fly rod? This is a kind of silly question, just like asking whats the best line for a glass rod. Not every glass rod is a slow 7' 3wt.

[@North40Outfitters]

Hello LordDigz 12 - We could not agree more that there is no "one line" for a rod. There are some general considerations to think about to help give you a starting point, but like Simon and Tim say in the video, line choice involves much more than just the action (or type) of rod. Things like the casting style of the individual, the type of fishery and conditions being the angler is facing and other considerations are all important to consider when determining what line to pair with your rod. Simon and Tim do a good job of describing what some of those considerations are with regards to glass rods and offer some general advice on how to address such situations. This is a great starting point for people who are considering what line to pair with their glass rod, but of course, dialing it in to your specific needs and style is what will matter. And we are always happy to help dial in the specifics at any of fly shops.

[@tophatness5674]

That's interesting, I tend to like a long bellied WF with my glass rods. A DT would be my second choice.

[@HouseOfFly]

Chris, why do you prefer long bellied WF lines?

[@tophatness5674]

Better line control and mending. With the softer tips that glass rods have, it's much easier to mend the line on a longer cast (40-50') if the belly is longer.

[@HouseOfFly]

That's awesome you found a setup that works for you. Like Tim said, if everyone had the same cast and fishing style there would be no need for so many types of lines.

[@tylerpaquette9376]

Have you done this experiment with the new Orvis superfine glass im highly considering it but like this video states not to sure what line would best compliment the action

[@ashfaquemomin4387]

Good fishing spot e rod

[@johnpatrickrivera]

Did the Eagle Claw that was mentioned in the video have an uplocking or downlocking reel seat? I'm curious...Thanks for all your hard work...

[@johnzane3977]

John Rivera eagle claw rods usually have an unlocking reel seat.

[@audunlorentzen6980]

This beat is sick, what is it?

[@montanastrongremodelrenova1632]

What song is that. Thanks

[@alfiegee]

Where's that stream at? Heading to GF this weekend. If you let me know I'll buy ya a beer.

[@HouseOfFly]

Alfiegee - We dont usually share too many spots online but if you stop by the shop, we can get you pointed in the right direction.

[@oak8728]

Only big mistake was the view that fiberglass rods aren’t for long distance. Modern advanced, compact shooting tapers allow this old time notion to be broken. I love shooting 60ft casts on my 4wt 7.5ft fiberglass!

[@oleerprosomvanlig]

Can you give me an example? :)

[@oak8728]

@@oleerprosomvanlig sure I have two S Glass 4wts, one 7.5ft and one 8.5ft. I utilize an integrated compact Skagit head at 150gr. I can cast 60ft easily and often 80. I also have a mono setup with both a Skagit and scandi head in the 150gr window and can an extra 10-15ft with the mono.

[@oleerprosomvanlig]

@@oak8728 thank you for the answer 😁

[@denniscaton3894]

Fiberglass Fly Lines? The editor must have been out fishing.

[@HouseOfFly]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We've changed the title. Fiberglass Fly Lines probably wouldn't cast very well, lol.

[@traditionallyuntraditional2032]

So basically a RIO Line commercial........

[@KarlMySuitcase]

Yeah but there is information we can extract and apply to any other fly line manufacturer.