Fly Fishing Lines - Floating, Spey, Sinking & More

Start with what you'll fish most; floating lines handle dry flies, nymphs, and streamers in rivers and lakes and cover roughly 90% of typical freshwater situations. Use 8–16 foot sink-tip lines when you need partial depth and pick full sinking lines with slow, fast, or super-fast sink rates for deep lakes or fast runs.

For streamer work, a sink-tip in the 8–16 foot range gives good subsurface presentation without losing casting control. If you need to get much deeper, choose a full sinking line with sink rates around 3–9 inches per second or super-fast options over 10 ips for quick submersion.

Match the line weight number to your rod, so a WF-5-F belongs on a 5-weight rod to ensure proper loading and turnover. Orvis lines are often dialed to rod-matched weights, and many manufacturers aim for AFFTA accuracy within one to two grains to improve feel and consistency.

If you need distance and tight loops for longer casts, a weight-forward taper is the best choice; double taper offers delicate, balanced presentations for dries and mends. Level lines are uniform thickness and can be harder to cast, while specialized tapers like Skagit and Scandi serve two-handed rods; models like Rio Technical Trout pair aggressive WF tapers with MaxCast hydrophobic coatings for added performance.

Materials like PVC or similar coatings over a braided nylon or monofilament core control buoyancy and sink, while hydrophobic coatings improve float and reduce water pickup. Durable touches such as welded loops, abrasion-resistant finishes, and dual-color heads for depth gauging are common—brands like 406 Fly Lines offer welded-loop, camo olive finishes for rugged use.