Floating Fly Line

Why floating is the default

A floating line sits on the surface for its whole length. That is the point of it. Wikipedia explains that air bubbles are embedded in the coating, which keeps the line buoyant along its full length. You can see where it is, you can pick it up off the water with a short lift, and if you fish a dry fly or a nymph under an indicator, the line stays out of the way of the fly.

Sinking lines do the opposite, and they have a place when you need the fly down deep. If you are choosing your first line, though, the floating one is the answer I'd give most people. The main fly lines page covers the other densities. Behind the line on the reel sits backing, and the guide to types of fly line puts the families side by side.

What is in the table

The rule here is strict: lines their maker lists as full floating. That excludes sink-tip, intermediate and sinking lines. At our last check there were 136 of them. Several makers have large sets, and the table runs through Airflo, Aventik and Cortland and more. Lines in the broader fly line table from RIO, Royal Wulff, Scientific Anglers, Maxcatch, Moonlit Fly Fishing and Snowbee also list as floating, so use the brand filter to find them.

Variety is wide. There are trout lines, bass lines, salmon and steelhead lines, a striped bass line, a nymph indicator line, a Euro nymph level line, tenkara line and lines sold as kits. Line weights in the data run from 2 to 10 on the models I checked, and sold ranges reach 12 on the Airflo Superflo Max Flats Universal Taper.

How to read the columns

Line weight is shown as a gauge, a ruler from 1 to 12. The value comes from the Amazon listing for the variant we track. Many of these lines are sold in several weights, and where the maker states the range it is in the More specs toggle. For example, the Airflo Superflo Max Universal Taper WF4F lists a range of 3 to 8, and the Cortland 444 SL WF8F a range of 3 to 9. Match the weight to your rod. The industry standard is a number from 1 to 15 based on the weight of the first 30 feet of the line, and it is worth knowing that some lines run heavier than their label. A writer on the Sexyloops site says many do. If your rod feels sluggish with a line, that is one possible cause.

Taper says how the weight is spread. The table includes weight forward (the most common), double taper, running line and level. A weight-forward line puts its weight in front and thins behind it. A double taper is symmetrical. A running line is the thin section behind the head. A level line has the same diameter along its length. Some of these are marketed with names, such as Airflo's Tactical Taper, Power Taper and Universal Taper, or Cortland's 333 Trout, Bass and Big Shot lines. Those are the makers' descriptions of the weight distribution. I can't rank them by performance, since we don't test lines.

Floating / sinking reads floating for every row, since that is the selection rule. Where it is a listing mark, the maker's page did not confirm it.

Length is in feet, from 80 on the Cortland Headwater WF2F to 120 on the Airflo Ridge 2.0 Super Trout. The common lengths are 82, 85, 90 and 100. Length matters for two reasons: it decides how much line you can shoot, and it decides how much space is left on the reel for backing. The guide on how much backing to use shows how to work it out.

Core is the braided or monofilament strand inside the coating. The table includes braided nylon multifilament (Cortland), braid with a stated strength such as 15, 20 or 30 lb (Airflo), a monofilament core (Cortland Hi-Vis Flip), PVC-coated braided cores and low-stretch cores described in listings. Core strength is a number the maker gives, and it does not tell you how the line will cast.

Under each model name the More specs toggle shows the weight range, the welded loop (front, both ends or none) and any other known value.

What the marks under the values mean

• maker means stated on the manufacturer's own page.
• claimed means a manufacturer's claim with no independent lab or standard named.
• listing means taken from the Amazon listing and not confirmed by the maker.
• — means we could not confirm it, and we do not guess.

Airflo, Cortland and some other makers have much of their data stated on their own pages, so the table shows maker marks for taper, density and length. Smaller sellers often have listing marks. A level line with a listing mark for taper and density, such as the Aventik Floating Level Line, has only the Amazon listing behind it.

Kits, specialty lines and odd ones out

Kits. The 8 Fans Fly Fishing Line Combo lists a weight-forward floating line, 8-strand braided polyester backing and a nylon tapered leader in one product, per its listing, with weights from 3 to 8. A kit saves a step. Check what is in the box before you buy backing separately.

Nymph and Euro lines. The Airflo Superflo Max Nymph Indicator WF5 is a weight-forward line sold for nymphing. The Airflo Superflo Max Euro Nymph is a thin 0.55 mm level line with a braided core of 12 lb per its maker, and the Aventik Euro Nymphing Floating Level Line is a level line in the same family. If you are building a Euro rig, our guide to Euro nymphing and the Euro nymph rods page are the places to start.

Tenkara. The Aventik Tenkara Line, tapered floating PVC at 13 feet and 12 lb, per its listing, is for tenkara rods, which have no reel. See the tenkara rods page for what those are.

Running lines. The Airflo Superflo Max Ridge 2.0 Running Line and the Cortland Running Line are sold on their own. I read them as parts for a head-and-running-line setup, and not as a complete line for a beginner.

Salmon, steelhead, bass and striped bass. The Cortland 333 Salmon WF9F, Salmon Steelhead Olive / White WF7F and WF9F, Bass WF5F, Big Shot WF7F, and Cold Salt Striped Bass Float WF10F are named for the fish. The name tells you what the maker had in mind, not a guarantee. We only call a line saltwater when the maker states it.

How to choose

Start with your rod. Match the weight on the rod. If you do not know it, look at the blank near the handle. Our fly line weight chart guide lists common pairings.

Pick the taper for the cast. Weight forward is the usual pick. A double taper suits short, delicate presentations, and some anglers choose it for that. For a specialty job, a specialty line.

Check the length. If you want to shoot line at a distance, longer is useful, and if the reel is small, a long line leaves less room for backing.

Look at the loop and the core. A welded loop makes changing leaders and attaching backing easier. A low-stretch core is described by makers as an advantage, but we can't confirm it from the data.

Mind the budget. The table spans our lowest price tier up to the middle of the range. A lower-tier floating line is a fair first line, and a higher-tier line usually has a specific taper or coating. Check price on Amazon for the current figure.

Common mistakes

Using a floating line for everything. A floater is a fine start. If you need the fly deeper, a tip or sinking line is the tool, and the main fly lines page explains the choices.

Ignoring the rod weight. The label is the starting point. A line much heavier or lighter than the rod rating can make the rod feel dead or overloaded.

Letting the line get dirty. Dirt can make a floating line sit lower in the water. The Wet Sock Index runs from damp suspicion to being part of the river, and a floating line has its own version: the tip starts to sink, and you notice your dry fly has gone for a swim. It is a joke scale, and nobody measured these lines against it. Our guide on how to clean fly line covers the real fix.

Care in brief

Wipe or wash the line, dry it, and store it out of the sun. Our guides on cleaning and how long fly line lasts go through the detail.

Where to go next

For other densities and tapers, see the fly lines page. For what goes under the line, see backing. Match the line to a fly rod and a fly reel, and you have the core of the outfit.