Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
Thread a fly rod by folding the fly line into a doubled loop a few inches above the tippet connection and pushing that loop through each guide. The thick doubled line is easy to pinch, does not blow around in wind, and is too bulky to slide back out if you let go.
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Why is threading a fly rod tippet-first a mistake?
Threading a fly rod with the tippet is the habit most beginners pick up, and plenty of long-time anglers never drop it. Thin tippet has almost no mass, so wind moves the tag end constantly and lining up each guide becomes a small fight. The tippet is also hard to see against the rod blank and against the water behind it.
What happens when tippet slips back through the guides?
The second failure with tippet-first threading comes at the moment of the hand-off. With the rod tip pointed up, the weight of the fly line and tippet hanging below pulls the tag end back down through the guide the instant a grab is missed. That single miss can send the tippet back through six or seven guides, and the whole threading job starts over.
How do you fold the fly line to thread a rod?
Find the point where the fly line meets the leader, whether the connection is tied direct or a loop-to-loop. Go a few inches down the fly line from that connection, fold the fly line back on itself, and pinch the fold between finger and thumb. That fold creates a short, thick doubled section of fly line that is easy to hold onto and easy to push through a guide.
Why does a doubled fly line stay put in the guides?
A doubled section of fly line is several times the diameter of tippet, so it takes real force to drag that doubled section back down through a guide. Letting go of the fold mid-thread rarely costs anything, because the fold hangs where it was left instead of sliding back out. The same bulk makes the fold easy to bump from guide to guide in wind, since a short thick section does not whip around the way a long thin one does.
What should you check once the rod is threaded?
Skipped guides are the last thing to catch, and they are easiest to catch before fishing rather than after a fish is on. Run your eye from the stripping guide to the tip top and confirm the fly line passes through every guide in order before finishing the rig. A skipped guide loads the rod unevenly and is a common cause of a blank that breaks under a hard fight.
Key takeaways
- Fold the fly line back on itself a few inches above the leader connection and push that fold through the guides instead of threading with tippet.
- A doubled section of fly line is thick enough to pinch easily and heavy enough to resist blowing around in wind.
- Dropping the fold mid-thread costs nothing, because doubled fly line will not slide back down through a guide the way tippet does.
- Bump the fold guide to guide rather than trying to feed a long section of line through several guides at once.
- Check that the fly line passes through every guide, including the tip top, before you finish rigging.
