Having a couple of 3-weight build/rebuild projects well underway, it seemed like a good time to come up with a 3-weight line. As I’d had positive results making my own level lines from twisted nylon, the possibilities of making a tapered line intrigued me. Some reading had turned up information from people who had made such lines from silk thread by using the furling process.

https://www.goldenwitch.com/2016/03/22/ ... fly-lines/

http://www.reelsmithing.com/files/Three ... eaders.pdf

https://www.goldenwitch.com/2016/03/22/ ... fly-lines/

Therefore it seemed to have possibilities. One of my previous expereiments, and a successful one by the way, had been to make a # 8 twisted nylon line into a 34-grain fly line by applying 2 or 3 coats of spar varnish and dressing. So three strands of that same line could be twisted together and add up to about 100 grains, after reducing the weight by making the taper, and making it a bit denser by furling it, right? Well, maybe not, but it was at least worth a try.

Some experiments were done on a short board, using a VSR drill for the furling process and different mixtures of spar varnish, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits to “bind the twist” and keep it from unraveling.

One Sunday morning I tie-wired a board to the back fence, into which two finish nails had been driven about a half-inch apart. One strand of #8 twisted nylon line was doubled over the two nails to form a small loop, which was secured by a single surgeon’s knot, while the other end of the strands was looped over another nail some sixty feet away on the side of the house. A third strand was run up to about two and a half feet from the end loop. Now, this is a two-ply line, so the plies were separated five feet back from the end. One of the plies was run through both plies of the looped line to form a splice, which was adhered by applying a couple drops of super-glue gel.

At the other end, a piece of wire that was already bent into a hook was put into the VSR drill and inserted among the three strands of line, which had been tied off at the end with a simple overhand knot. Then the drill was used to twist the line, in the same direction as the existing twist of the line, until nearly 10% of the roughly 60 foot distance had been taken up. Of course, this was nothing exact, but it seemed like the right amount of twist. It was also checked by relaxing the line somewhat and walking up to the other end to see that there was a uniform amount of twist, but no snarling.

Then, without letting the line become untwisted, it was removed from the drill, a large loop was formed with a double surgeon’s knot, and it was put over a couple of nails to maintain tension on the line. The entire line was then coated, first with two coats (three coats at critical points) of spar varnish slightly thinned with mineral spirits and allowed to dry well between coats. It then got two more coats of a mixture consisting of equal parts of spar varnish, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits, and it was allowed to dry as much as possible. The entire line was wound onto a makeshift line holder, while still maintaining tension, and allowed to dry for some seven days.

It was then removed and weighed. The weight of the first 30 feet, not counting the level portion of the tip, came to 6.75 grams, or 104 grains. So therefore, it is indeed a 3-weight. The 52-foot single-taper line was then coated with dressing and wound onto a reel.

So far, the whole process was actually simpler than expected. The next step may be more difficult and sacrificial. I will have no other choice than to do some fishing in order to test my new DIY fly line.

I am curious how limber the line would be with layers of spar varnish on it.

Regarding how limber the line is with several coats of varnish, one more thing is worth mentioning. Three or four coats of spar varnish diluted with 10% mineral spirits would be rather stiff indeed. The mixture of 1/3 spar varnish, 1/3 boiled linseed oil, and 1/3 mineral spirits makes the line much more flexible. Mineral spirits apparently acts as a volatile solvent, by evaporating and making the mixture dry out more rapidly, and as a result leaving varnish and oil. At least that's my understanding.

Roberto,

The answer to your question is yes and no. The second and third lines that I made using the same material were 54 and 34 grains, rspectively, if memory serves me right. They act like intermediate lines, sinking when not dressed and floating when dressed. But those were level lines. I have yet to try making tapered lines that light, which is quite feasible, but would involve using industrial nylon (or polyester) sewing thread. At the time I'm not actively playing with rods that would call for those lines, but that will probably change in future, possibly during the upcoming winter in the southern hemisphere.

Roberto,

By "dressed" I mean with some dressing like Mucilin applied. I've actually been using silicone-based car wax.

My tapered leaders are monofilament of different diameters, and they work just fine, so I've never been very interested in making or fishing with furled leaders. Regarding dyneema, it's too expensive around here, but it may be an interesting choice. I've used polypropylene also, and it floats quite well.

What seems to be nice about all this is that it may eventually become possible to work out different weights and configurations that are not commercially available. Time will tell.