Before you choose a line, you have to think about where you will be fishing.
- Do you have vast of space behind you, or do you fish in confined spaces i.e surrounded by boulders or vegitation?
- What is the water-level like? Low with lots of easily spoked fish? Or maybe high and you are fishing big flies for salmon close to the riverbank?
Find out and choose the line accordingly. However, because the situation at the river varies (with every step downstream) from beat to beat, you should also carry at least two lines (in different lengths) with you. I therefore recommend 3 lines in different lengths.
The Loading Value
The length and weight of the fly line determine ist ability to load the rod and this characteristic is defined by the loading value.
To help you out tuning the line each Straight Line Action rod is marked with a loading value (LV).
The lower value correspond to longer shooting heads up to 12.5 m and the higher to short heads down to 5 m or less.
When choosing a high loading value you have to shorten the fly line in order to compensate for weight gain and vice versa. Needless to say, when you choose a short line, you also have to compensate for the loss of resitance. You do this by lengthen the leader and choosing a running line with greater diameter.
Sounds difficult? It is not. Join one of my salmon schools and I will happily show you how this works in practice.