Thursday, April 19, 2012

What is Your Remedy For That Dreaded Line Twist?


Line twist is a common occurrence in fly fishing if one fly fishes enough. I have often wondered why my tippet line sometimes looks like a twisted pretzel when I have completed a cast.  It is so frustrating when you are landing fish and all of sudden you noticed your tippet is tingled into your leader and sometimes even into your fly hook. I have done a little research on the subject and found different opinions from individuals and even fly companies. One opinion is the line size itself; using a larger tippet size will cut down on the twist. The assumption here is the larger tippet size is a bit stiffer making it more difficult for the twist to occur. I was even told that the fly itself can play a part in the twist, especially if the fly has a lot of hackle. They base this assumption on too much false casting which can cause the fly to spin in mid air resulting in line twist. Another theory is having your tippet line too long, which causes the line to overlap in a series of loops which can also cause knots in the line along with twist. I have tried all these suggestions and found that the line size makes more sense and works best for me. Of course one can’t use larger tippet line all the time especially when staking trout on a clear stream. In that situation it would seem you would just have to adjust to a smaller tippet size and accept the fact that you may encounter twist. What is your remedy to alleviate line twist?  

19 comments:

  1. Hi Bill. Not knowing what length your leader is, if you're using a 9' maybe shorten it to a 7.5' leader. I know this is a stupid question, but you do straighten your leader and tippet when you start, right?

    Mark

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  2. The remedy is to catch big fish that stretch you line and keep it curl free. =) On a serious note, I don't have an answer. Even today I had a weird line twist where my ling looped inside of itself. It's super annoying. I have no answer for it. I wish I asked Lefty that question at the Fly show. I'll ask some guides next weekend at Orvis Days.

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  3. Gotta go up in tippet size if it's twisting up. Less false casting will help a little, but the bottom line is that if you're using a fly that is too large for the tippet, it will twist. A big fly like a popper will spin like a helicopter blade if the tippet is too light.

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  4. Bill, the type of fly makes a huge difference on line twist. Big poppers with long legs are pretty bad, but I've found dragonfly patterns with bug wings to be the worst. Basically, if it can become a helicopter on the end of your line it will be worst for twist. Heavier tippet does help, but I think the fly design may be the biggest factor.

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  5. Shoreman, might be on too something there. Although, I have fly fished for years and can't say I ever figured it out either.

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  6. I'm not exactly sure...good question. Looking forward to seeing what people have to say on this one.

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  7. Mark
    I always straighten my leader before I ever use it. In fact my fly rods are stored on the wall so the leaders never gets the guide bend in it. I like my leader to be as straight as possible when I am using it. I always use a 9 ft. leader becasue it cast better for me and I get more use out a long leaders as opposed to a shorter leader. Thanks for the comment

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  8. Kevin
    Yes landing a fish every once in a while actually helps keep it straight. Let all of us know if you find the answer. Thanks for the comment

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  9. Ty
    I agree the leader size does help, especially with the size 4 Boogle Bugs Poppers. Thanks for the comment

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  10. Jay
    Yes the fly is a big factor. I found that the Grasshopper Bass Pro sells is the worst fly for line twist. Thanks for the comment

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  11. Mel
    I have found that line twist will cost you a lot of time when you are trying to fly fish. Thanks for he comment

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  12. Sanders
    The two main factors in line twist, I have found from this post is line size and fly pattern. I will be aware of both next time I am on the water. Thanks for the comment

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  13. Hmmm, interesting question...was reading the comments on here too. JGR

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  14. JGR
    This is yet another aspect of fly fishing I have discovered--line twist--who beter to ask for an opinion than my bloggers. Thanks for the comment

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  15. One thing I didn't see was addressing the "Belgian Cast". Basically I cast with wide loops. Turns out that casting with wide loops contributes to line twist. I cast a lot for bass with big flies and used this more open cast to keep the fly from hitting me etc..., the result was lotsa twist. Since I stopped doing this, my twists have dropped considerably.

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  16. One thing I didn't see was addressing the "Belgian Cast". Basically I cast with wide loops. Turns out that casting with wide loops contributes to line twist. I cast a lot for bass with big flies and used this more open cast to keep the fly from hitting me etc..., the result was lotsa twist. Since I stopped doing this, my twists have dropped considerably.

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  17. Zed
    I will give this technique a try. thanks for the comment

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