Text: Jan Erik Granbo.
Photo: Andreas Möller.

The development as fly fishing has had in recent years within the rod actions and not least, fly casting, makes most people choose to fish with shooting heads, because this is the best lines for casting compared to techniques such as the Spey cast, and the Snake Roll. The ordinary over head cast has fallen short in recent years because of this. When it comes to fly fishing and salmon fishing it's really just talking about Spey cast and Snake Roll. But I believe that the over head cast is a very important cast in relation to "the fishing it selves" in many situations. If you has to present the fly silky soft for a shy salmon on a small and smoth river, it's absolutely best to use a over head cast. With today's modern WF lines you do the Spey and Snake Roll cast very easy and elegant if you choose the right WF fly line to your rod.

 

To avoid rate difference between the rod and line

Exactly at this point, many experience disappointment when they fish with wf lines on heavier-singlehanded rods with fast action. I think of the rods in class 7-8-9 wt., usually in 9-10 foot lengths. If you choose a WF line with a classic belly you will find that the line is calm with the energy transfer in relation to the quick stop points of the rod. This make the fly casting in wind and narrow positions difficult, because the WF belly is too long and the line goes «slow» in the air. Thus, there is a difference in pace between the rod and the line, it feels like the line is "stuck" in the rod tip when you cast. It is best to purchase a modern WF line which has a slightly different construction in relation to the length of the WF belly, and built especially with a profile that features a faster energy transfer. Then you will find that the line fits much better to the rod, so you feel that it's easier under varying conditions such as wind and narrow positions and also when you need longer casts and big flies.

In the assortment of Guideline WF lines you will find several variations that are very good for today's modern fly casting / fishing. I would like to recommend you some of those that are suitable for salmon fishing rods with fast action and for modern casting techniques.

Bullet If you fish in small to medium sized rivers , this WF line is a first choice. The belly is so short that you can cast in all difficult situations with the Bullet line. This line fits the fastest rods,and with this line you'll get control of all the techniques such as Spey and Snake Roll. Fly casting in the wind is no problem because the profile does possess a very fast energy transfer, the line design makes it very nice to combine with Polyleaders also if you want to fish the fly deeper. Note that this line comes in two-handed classes as well.

Length of the belly is from 8.1 to 8.4 meters. Delivered in the weight class 6 -11.

4cast This is my favorite WF line, the speed of this line in the air is impressively high. It fits well for long casts with large flies, and not least for all the Spey and Snake Roll varieties. Both in tight positions and on windy days. Another thing that is very exciting with 4cast lines is that you also get these as sink tip lines, it can be delivered in a float / sink 1, float / sink 3 and float / sink 5. So what is more exciting than fishing with a small fly deep into the pool, looking for shy salmon on low water conditions. These sink tip lines are the best I've tried in the WF line category, and the reason for this is that the line profile is tailored to the individual sink densities so that you almost don't feel that you fish with a heavy sinking density in front of the line. Because the WF belly is not longer you can fish with this line easy in the most narrow positions, If the place where you fish is very narrow, it is as I’ve said the Bullet line that is the best choice..

Lenght of the belly is from 10.6 to 11.7 meters. Delivered in the weight class 3 - 8

Pounch Pro This line is the most long-casting modern WF line in this range, the length of the belly is a little longer than a 4cast line so the Pounch Pro line needs more space both for over head cast / back cast and the spey cast. But if there is a normally good place to fish, and you need long casts with beautiful presentations of the fly - this is the line for you. This line is also good for trout fishing in the sea, because the line holds an incredible high energy transfer in relation to fishing on windy days.

Length of the belly is 12.2 meters. Delivered in the weight class 5 – 9.

The superiority of WF lines in relation to fishing in small rivers and shy salmon

When you fish in the small and medium-sized rivers, you often need short to medium casts with smooth presentations. The water color of this rivers are very often "clear" and this makes the fish shy and difficult to catch. In such situations, the WF fly line will present more beautiful on the water than the shooting heads does, because the shooting head has an higher energy transmission / speed in the air so many people will find that it lands a little too "hard" in the water. If you fish in rivers with narrow places the Bullet line is entirely superior. If you need the fly to fish a little deeper during flood conditions and cold water temperatures, one of the sink tip 4cast variants in the series is the best suited. Also fishing with small flies in small rivers will be more convenient with a WF line, due to a slower over roll / presentation of the leader.

The WF lines is not only for the smaller rivers My favorite river is Gaula, and you can not say that this is a small river. Gaula is known as a big river with a lot of big salmon. Many times I fish with WF lines when the river is small. Gaula is not regulated, so it «lives» with the weather, if there are a lot of rain the river goes big, and during dry periods later in the season the water flow becomes very small . And at those times I'll choose to fish with WF lines. When we start fishing in Gaula at the1. of June we usually have high rate of flow, then it is the powerful two-handed rods and sinking lines that has to be used, but during July / August the Gaula will become very small, sometimes so small that it is not a typical major salmon river. With these major changes in the conditions the salmon have changed their behavior many times and it is very important that fishermen are doing the same. First and foremost, in terms of changing the fishing strategy in relation to equipment selection and constantly adapt to conditions on the best way. When the river is small and warm and the fish are shy, I am completely dependent on the silky smooth presentation of the fly and the leader to make the fish to take. Then of course I often fish with small salmon flies, and different varieties of modern dry flies. These challenges are best to overcome with a properly chosen WF line. This will say that in the salmon rivers that are close to get "dry" throughout the season, you can with advantage fish with lighter rods and WF lines.   The WF lines, not only for surface fishing It is not just surface fishing with floating line that is relevant for the WF lines: Most people choose a floating line when the river is small and warm, and in many places in the rivers can be so shallow that it is a floating line that is best. But in many other pools and rapids areas where it is required that the fly must be fished near the bottom, it would be wise to choose a sink tip line. It's as I said the 4cast series which have different density sink tip lines, these editions can help you to fish efficiently and deeply in an easy way. I find it very exciting and very effective to fish deep with small flies for the shy salmon. And with 4cast; floating / sink 3 or float / sink 5 I can do this. When the little fly settles nicely on the water in the swing - and sinking into the depths in the direction of a salmon that you know are there, yes it is very exciting to stand at the end of a light-single handed rod. A good tip If you choose the correct WF line you can fish with lighter weight classes on the line than your rod has. Of course you will see that the cast does not go so easily, but if you adjust your movements so you can spend a longer and calmer motion technique, then a lighter line also will fly well off. If there is some wind on the day that the river is so small, you can just use the regular line because then the salmon is slightly less shy anyway. You can with a 8 weight rod, use a line of # 6, with a 7 weight rod you can use a line in # 5, and on a 6 weight rod using a line of # 4. This I have done by my self many times, and what I get from this is that under conditions of extreme low water flow, I can present the fly even more careful on the water surface. I think it's the 4cast lines that are best for this strategy. I have fished many times with the combination 8 wt rod and a #6 line, there are several advantages to this. You’ll lay the fly even prettier on the surface because the line is lighter. And when the big salmon takes you can run it on a more powerful rod and a reel that is large enough. The baddest I experienced with this strategy was with a 6 wt. rod and #4 line, when I fished with a Streaking Caddies in hook size 10 and I caught a salmon that weighed 10 kilograms. This was a very memorable fight I can tell you. Jan Erik !