[Mike Barrio]

Hi folks

Over the years I have seen loads of threads on forums discussing whether a double taper fly line has better presentation than a weight forward one

This is an interesting topic and one which often ends in heated debates with strong opinions

A lot of folk love a double taper fly line and although they never appear to know why .......... they are usually convinced that they find it easier to get better presentation with one.
Then we have the folk that feel that the only thing that a DT is good for .......... is you can turn it round once the first half has worn out, which saves money and they will put forward that it can't be better because it will have the same taper and weigh the same over the first 30ft etc etc. I'm sure you'll have read all this before.

I have a wee theory on this one, but firstly, it might be an idea to point out that there is no reason why the first 30ft of a weight forward fly line should be the same as the first 30ft of it's double taper version. ( although many lines out there might be so ) we can design them very differently if we wish to do so

Now for my wee theory:
I think many average to intermediate level casters might feel "something" helping them to get better presentation when fishing with a DT and I think the answer lies in the belly of the fly line

Once you are happy with your false casting with a weight forward line, you let go and the line shoots, it shoots well because the running line has a lower diameter and causes less friction. But once the line is shooting through the air, many average to intermediate level casters don't usually do much to control the line, if the tippet is not going to turnover with good presentation, then so be it, the cast has already been made, right? Well, not necessarily, more advanced casters will "feather" the fly line if they think they need to, feathering being applying a bit of a braking force with their hand on the fly line at the fly rod end This holds the shooting fly line back a bit, which helps keep things tight and therefore helps with better turnover and presentation.

My suggestion, or theory, is that the longer and thicker belly of a double taper fly line causes more fiction when shooting through the rings of the fly rod and although the angler might not be feathering the line, the extra friction is actually doing it for them, which leads to that "feeling" of better presentation?

Best wishes
Mike

Hmmmm ..... a bit of a long winded explanation there but hopefully, you will have caught my drift and can reply with your thoughts on my theory

[Sandy Nelson]

Hmmmm ..... a bit of a long winded explanation there but hopefully, you will have caught my drift and can reply with your thoughts on my theory

Interesting thought Mr B.
I think that because of the consistant belly with a DT, you can keep aerialising line unil you are comfortable with the mass in the air, then you will allow the line to land. Because you are not pushing the line like many do with a WF then the presentation will be nice and controlled. However as i have learned to cast properly over the years i have found that this degree of control is just as easy with a WF if not slightly better better as the line is often easier to shape in the air due to the thinner diameter.
So i suppose i believe that it is not so much the diameter of the line that is the factor but the way that it is cast.  In different hands people will cast the lines differently, which is why many of us prefer different lines for different jobs.
Not so sure about the feathering thing, i think smoothness is the key and that is easier to achieve with the DT due to consistant increase in mass with additional length.

It will be interesting to see the different takes on this.

Sandy

[Ben Dixon]

Mike,

The way I see it is this....

A DT & WF line with the same length of front taper and the same tip diameter will give the same level of presentation at the same for a non shot cast or even for a shot cast providing that there is still some of the belly of the WF line inside the tip ring, they have to as they are essentially identical lines.  At range athough I agree with your reasoning about a thin running line needing some feathering I think this is only an issue when the running line is very thin, there is a degree of friction that is reqiured to maintain tension in the loop, lack of tension will cause the line to dump at range, it will not turnover.  The top leg must be be entering the oop face faster than the running line is leaving the tip of the rod, make sense?   With a DT you need to carry more to get the same distance, many anglers cannot aerialise 50' of line with any degree of control so the presentation may actually be worse than if they carried 30' of say, a Mallard WF and shot to 50'.

You still got some old DT salmon lines?

Chers
Ben

[Mike Barrio]

Mike,

The way I see it is this....

A DT & WF line with the same length of front taper and the same tip diameter will give the same level of presentation at the same for a non shot cast or even for a shot cast providing that there is still some of the belly of the WF line inside the tip ring, they have to as they are essentially identical lines. 

Hi Ben

Yes, I agree with that

Cheers
Mike

[Rob Brownfield]

Just to add confusion I am not sure you can compare "just" the DT and WF bit.

I could be completely off track with this, but I have yet to have a DT and WF line that has the same front taper and same diameter for the same given weight. The WF line always has a thicker profile and a steeper taper. (Not sure about your lines Mike as I only have WF) So, the line being thicker, it will always fall heavier on the water.

What you said about friction Mike is, in my experience, 100% correct. As you know, I use a lot of shooting heads. At first I used 30lb Amnesia monofilament as the "shooting " line. The head went bloody miles, but never turned over without a "feathering". I also tried a braided shooting line from Airflo. This does not shoot so far, but the turn over is acceptable. The best I have found is infact a shooting line made by Hardy for salmon fishers. It is basically and extremely thin fly tine. You can hear it "dragging" on the rings as you shoot, but you can also see it allow the head to roll out neatly. So, my conclusion is not only does the friction help, but so does the weight of the line as the slightly heavier Hardy shooting line creates more of a sag between the rings, creating more drag, thus straightening the head, but reducing distance fractionally.