Picking the Right Floating Line for Chironomid Fishing

Fishing chironomids becomes exponentially easier with a properly tapered floating line

About nine years ago, I purchased my first high-end fly rod. I was lucky enough to get it at a good price, and couldn't wait to bring it out on the water.

Even after falling in love with the rod after grass casting it many times, I was somewhat disappointed with its performance when it came time to fish it the first time.

I was fishing a fairly long leader of about twenty feet with an indicator and chironomid pupa. I could turn the leader, but roll casting seemed more difficult than I had anticipated.

I brought the rod into the shop the next day, and began to try it out with a few different lines. As it turned out, the line taper I had originally purchased had a much longer front taper than I needed; this line was suited more towards presenting small flies than turning long leaders, swivels and strike indicators.

I swapped it for the original GPX taper floating line from Scientific Anglers, and saw immediate results. I could load the rod better, quicker, and roll cast long leaders with ease.

What to look for when purchasing a floating line for chironomid fishing

Floating lines that work well for chironomid fishing are often labeled as "nymph" tapers, catered towards throwing heavy presentations with ease. A fairly short, aggressively tapered line that doesn't hold a lot of memory is ideal.

Scientific Anglers' Titan taper, a perfect line for fishing chironomids

One could spend a thousand dollars on a new fly rod, but if it is not outfitted with the appropriate fly line you will never feel like the rod is fishing to its full potential.