(^64) FLYLIFE
MENDS
To overcome the affects of drag we
need to develop the ability to mend
the line. These are corrective mea-
sures to counter the unwanted effects
of forces acting on the line that result
in the fly behaving unnaturally.
But before we start mending the
line and throwing creative casts there
are measures we can take to reduce
drag. Leader construction is one —
longer finer leaders and tippet sec-
tions made from limp material can
help — and positioning ourselves in
relation to the current to avoid drag
is another. It also helps if you don’t
fish too long a line — the more line
on the water, the greater the potential
for drag, and the harder it is to know
what’s going on with the fly.
Knowing when to apply mends, and
what shape those mends should take,
is a mystery to many, but there’s a
simple rule. The mend shape we cre-
ate in the line should be the opposite,
or mirror image of whatever layout
the current or wind would otherwise
create in the line during the drift.
There are two types of mends: in-
the-air mends, and on-the-water
mends. The latter are the ones most
are familiar with. As the name sug-
gests, these are applied once the
line has touched down. The problem
with on-the-water mends is that they
frequently move (drag) the fly. To
avoid or diminish this, they need to
be applied early, from the moment
the line touches down. Some floating
lines (double tapers and Spey-type
lines in particular) mend better than
others and longer rods that can lift
more line off the water are definitely
an advantage.
But we can also apply mends to the
line before it touches down. These
are known as aerial mends. We can
determine what kind of line shape we
need by applying the mirror principle.
While the line is in the air, we need to
create the mirror image of whatever
shape the wind, water flow, or boat
movement would otherwise induce in
the line on the water.
The key to understanding the tim-
ing is ‘loop formation’. Once the loop
has formed off the tip of the rod the
line has two legs — the fly leg and the
rod leg. After loop formation we can-
not manipulate the fly leg, but once
that loop has formed we can do all
sorts of things with the rod leg to cre-
ate layout shapes. Understanding this
is the key to creating aerial mends.
A Case of the Mends... continued
With faster flowing water immediately in front of you, it pays to lift as much line off the water as you can to avoid unwanted drag.
IT ALSO HELPS IF YOU DON’T FISH
TOO LONG A LINE – THE MORE LINE
ON THE WATER THE GREATER THE
POTENTIAL FOR DRAG...
Dave Pike throws a series of stacked mends to get a nymph to
sink into a deeper slot of slack water amidst heavy flow.
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