The 4 largest impacts of fly fishing in the last few decades are.......

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

The weight forward line made a big change in fly fishing.

Yes Terry........not sure if very many double tapers are made now?

____________________________________

Two old fishing buddies, Chuck VonGeldern (CDF&G) and Chuck Campana (CA Dept of Boat and Water Ways), both made their own

custom weight forward floating lines. They would buy a double taper 6 Cortland SL floating fly line.

They would put on a leader and small piece of yarn then cast it out till it felt the right weight.

They would drop it on the grass and go cut the line right at the tip.

Then they would splice on a small diameter Cortland SL floating running line....... 0.031"

This way they could match the line weight to each fly rod and their own casting stroke.


Both are gone now and were both top fly fishers of the Greatest Generation.

[Smitty Fish]

How about the Skagit and triple density lines.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Yes, more people today are swinging for winter Steelhead due to the Skagit and super fast tungsten sinking line.


___________________________________________

Mike McCune, Scott O'Donnell and Ed Ward of Speywater Guide Service in Oregon developed their own line system for guiding for

winter Steelhead and Rio made it publically available with the versatile MOW Tip series.


Over 20 years ago the standard Spey rod was the Sage 9140-3 two handed fly rod (14' #9/10 in 3 piece) and today the most popular

size rod is a 12' 6" #6 in 4pc. Today two-handed floating heads are maybe half the length now. Trout Spey is really taking off now too.

Top Spey caster Doug Duncan and others are using on average 14' #8/9 Spey rods on the Clearwater river in the fall for Steelhead.

American river veteran Mark Kranhold and others are using tiny Trout Spey rods that are 11' - 12' #2/3 line for Half-pounders.

Spey or two-handed fishing has changed Steelheading more than anything else.

We are so lucky to have the lower American river right here in Sacramento for teaching and practicing the two-handed style.


If you go to Kiene's on the weekend Andy Guibord is usually working and will help you enter the Two handed / Spey world.

[Rossflyguy]

Pyramid lake and the return of the pilot peak strain. How many newbies got hooked on fly fishing by going to pyramid lake? I thinks that place has had a huge impact.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Amen......it is huge.......those fish are beautiful and iconic. I guess they have caught them recently to around 30#?

~100 years ago those giant old strain Cutthroat trout got to be around 50#? and were commercially fished and shipped by train to San Francisco restaurants.

[Quinnphoto]

Up there with the indicator, Phil Rowley’s balanced flies especially the leech.

[Darian]

Development of genetic hackle to provide quality fly tying materials. Also, development of non-metal ferrules for modern rods.

[tcorfey]

I would say graphite, fiberglass, tapered fly lines and monofilament leaders are the biggest advances. I think if all rods were bamboo and we were still using silk lines and horse hair leaders there would most likely be a lot fewer people fly fishing.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I would say graphite, fiberglass, tapered fly lines and monofilament leaders are the biggest advances. I think if all rods were bamboo and we were still using silk lines and horse hair leaders there would most likely be a lot fewer people fly fishing.

During World War II they developed lots of good stuff.......


Fiberglass allowed us to make solid fiberglass rods, then came tubular hollow fiberglass rods.

Modern fly lines came along and replaced the silk lines.

Nylon replaced the "cat gut" leaders.

[Larry S]

Bill,
Regarding fly lines, I'm wondering why the prices have risen so much.
$100 and more? C'mon line makers; do we really need 50 or so
freshwater floating lines? And I'm not exaggerating by much.
I just bought a great new fly rod for less than twice the price of two
new lines.

Best to all,
Larry S
Sun Diego