The AFTMA Standard and Modern Fly Lines: Confused?

If the way modern fly lines are rated seems confusing, or the weights seem not to be right, then check out this explanation. Modern fly lines are often built overweight compared to the AFTMA standard, and sometimes this is necessary to get the job done.

[@GeorgeSemel]

Yep, you have to look at how they made rods in the 1960's, when they came up with the AFTMA, today those rods would not hold a candle to what they make today, of course getting the right line is a little more time consuming, not only to you consider the rod, but also casting skill and the size of the fly! Things tend to get a little more complicated, with all the choices but once you figuire out what works for you, its a joy! My old Sage RP-II 8'6" 5 wt to this day is my go to trout rod, and I had it since 1984! And I fish with a DT floater and a WF-Sink tip I cover 90% of my trout with it, for really fine and thin water I got a 2 wt for Steel I got an 7 and 8 for salt I got 9 and a 10 for that! The day were the only choice was a WF or DT, Full Sinking and Sink tip are over, you can now match a fly line to a rod for the specific kind of fishing you are going to do! And its a good thing thou confusing to those starting out and to some of us old guys!

[@JamesMcCutcheon]

I tend to load a rod heavier than the recommended WFT.

[@creativeflyfishing998]

Depends also on the rod. Rods in the same weight class can differ a lot in their intrinsic power (which is sometimes subjectively translated to ERN, the "effective rod number"). There is a about a two class difference between for instance a Winston and Sage and they fit with very different lines. This is all good, as long as one is aware of this, but adds even more confusion for those just getting started...

[@hooked4lifeca]

Since I am field staff for Loomis, I deliberately stayed away from this issue as I could be accused of bias. I am also a casting instructor and clients routinely bring their rods to the session. I often find that some rods are rated at least one line weight lighter than they really are. The rods won't effectively cast the line the client has bought as he followed the rod's rating number. I keep some of my accurately rated Loomis rods in my vehicle, with their accurately rated lines, as insurance. I especially have a beef with the products of one particular company that have line ratings all over the map. They're usually rated lighter, sometimes much lighter, than they actually are. I call it the women's dress size issue. Thirty years ago, a 5' 5", 150 lb. woman wore a size 14. Today she wears a size 10 and sometimes even an 8. The dress makers learned that they could get more sales by dropping the number. Same with fly rods. An angler catches a steelhead on a rod rated as a 6, but it is really an 8. He feels good about catching a big steelhead on his so-called "6 wt." I don't use acronyms like "ERN", rather I just look at a rod's fishing range. If I can put an AFTMA accurate trout line on the same line weight rated rod and cast that rod effectively from short to long, then that rod is accurately rated. That doesn't mean that it can't handle more, just rather than it can properly handle its rated weight. In my Loomis PRO4x 5 wt. shootout, I'm using an AFTMA accurate 5 wt. trout line in the test. I've also cast the same standard PRO4x 9' 5 wt. trout rod with a 450 grain Airflo Compact Scandi head on it, just to prove a point. It cast that head 90' (measured). Modern well built graphite rods should handle their rated line weight effectively, but should also be able to handle a lot more.

[@creativeflyfishing998]

I agree with the dress size analogy! Alternatively, some rods are stiff to be able to cast long belly lines that indeed do follow AFTMA, but because of the long belly, need stiffer rods. The underweighted short belly lines are then there to suit these rods, for those who can't cast a long belly lines yet...

[@kentbergstrom3020]

Fly lines and rods should be classed after ERN, then it would not be as confusing as it is today.

[@JamesMcCutcheon]

The Companies like it because we have to buy more to test what we get. Same as in all fishing sports. Buy Buy BUY LOL.