Ways to Fish Totally Clear Floating Fly Lines

I learned a long time ago that a fly line I could see clearly is a fly line I would cast better. I can see the bright line against the sky, allowing me to make those subtle casting changes that translate to tighter loops, and that’s a good thing.

But sometimes that opaque floating line is a detriment to your fishing if you show it to the fish too much. And that especially applies to sight fishing in clear, shallow water.

Over the past 15 years or so manufacturers developed lines with clear tips, at the “fishing end” of both slow-sinking and floating lines, and that adds to the stealthy nature of such lines.  The latest development is the totally clear floating line, and it is a different animal altogether, because it’s harder to see in the air and on the water. More about that in a bit.

A handful of companies offer them—Cortland, Scientific Anglers, Monic and Airflo at last check. I started fishing the Cortland line—called the Liquid Crystal Series Flats Taper—on the Indian River Lagoon when it first became available a few years ago. I was targeting some very wary spotted seatrout in clear water in March and April, which is prime time for the biggest specimens. The fish were parked in 3-foot-deep sandy potholes surrounded by manatee and shoal grass. These fish are consummate ambush feeders. I believe the clarity of the lines helped even when I cast more than just my fluorocarbon leader over the holes. I still got strikes. I’m convinced that while drifting and blind-fishing over grass flats, the clear line does not cast as much of a shadow over bottom as I fish the fly, though the line makes as much impact as a standard opaque line upon landing. You might assume a clear floater allows you fish a shorter leader, but I still like to distance my fly as far from my flyline tip as possible. So I stick with something in the 8-to-10-foot range, though super-calm conditions, or fish such as bonefish and tarpon call for somewhat longer leaders.

Flats and Backcountry

Islamorada Capt. Paul Tejera swears by clear floating lines, and happens to fish the Cortland Liquid Crystal Flats Taper for tarpon, bonefish, snook and redfish, on Oceanside and Florida Bay flats and in the deeper Everglades.

“Every fly rod in my skiff, 7- through 11-weight, is rigged with a clear floating line these days,” said Tejera. “But I do carry rods with standard opaque floating lines as well, particularly for bonefish because the flies are small, and in any cases, neutral colored, not big and bright. I can’t honestly tell where that fly is in relation to the fish, and that’s a problem.”

Tejera explains that the tip of a brightly coated line allows you a reference point to estimate where a fly is, knowing the length of your leader. “Though the solid colored line presents that advantage, I will still stick with the clear floater for permit fishing, reason being that spooky natured fish does not detect it in the air as the cast turns over near it,” said Tejera.

“The only drawback of a clear floater is that inexperienced casters, for instance those who book guides and don’t fish often, don’t have a good feel for what the line is doing during the cast, the loop, the turnover of that loop,” said Tejera. “So in this case it’s best for a beginner to fish the opaque floater and in time move to the clear line.”

Tejera also charters and pleasure fishes for snook “in the back,” which means backcountry Florida Bay-Everglades waters, where the clear floater is his choice.

“Even an inexperienced caster fares well with the clear line because the casts are short, whether we are blind-casting the mangroves, or even seeing stationary snook over mud bottom,” said Tejera. “And the flies are pretty big streamers, or even bugs on top, so we know exactly where the fly is at all times. And if the water is muddy, I’m fishing all-black, orange-and-black, a color that contrasts with that water.”

Night Fishing

It’s a bit trickier to track a clear line in the air and on the water at night, even around docklights and along bridge shadow lines. Again, knowing where your fly lands is important. The fact that most night fishing fly patterns are white, it’s not difficult. Inexperienced casters that I chartered for night snook did struggle at first with a clear floater, due to the relative invisibility in comparison to a bright-colored opaque line. For that reason, I always had rods rigged with standard floaters. More experienced casters can feel when the line is turning over the leader and fly, so the clear line suits them fine.

The big advantage is you can cast the clear line way up under a dock with a sidearm cast to reach fish that are not directly under a light at the edge of the dock. The clear line is stealthier in that regard, and this is one scenario where I did shorten my leader a bit—a 6-footer for example, comprised of a butt section and bite tippet.

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