Competition Fly Line

[Brandon Matthews]

For a Fips comp...does your FLY LINE have to be 20 meters or just your fly line AND BACKING equal to 20 meters?

Thanks guys

[Todd Oishi]

FIPS' rules state that the competition fly lines must be a minimum length of twenty-two metres (This doesn't include the backing)

Trust me, as I was disqualified from a sessions at our 2008 NFFC, after I had my reel and most of my fly line torn off my fly rod, as a result of being swept over a rapid that was strewn with jagged-edged boulders.

After regaining my composure; I tied the remaining length of my fly line to my hook keeper and continued to catch fish, but after several fish, my controller noticed the obvious lack of a reel and fly line, and disqualified the fish that I caught and scored after the incident and during the remainder of that session...  

I lost my reel only moments after this shot was captured by my controller:


Don't bother asking why I didn't have a spare reel, as it's a very long story...

[Jeremiah Hamilton]

By putting that at the end, it now made me want to know, so I'll ask why don't you have a spare reel?

Don't bother asking why I didn't have a spare reel, as it's a very long story...

[Loren Williams]

I want to know why you admitted not having a spare reel

[Janos Boda]

Thanks Todd for sharing your experience with us. Just recently in our team meeting we discussed the competition rules including the rule on the fly lines. Some of my teammates were wondering how seriously this rule would be taken.

Last year, before the Nationals I had to replace 4 of my fly lines, because they were only 17 m long, made like that by the factory. I know there are competitors out there, who will look at your fly lines, and they know exactly what you have on and how long it is, so I do not want to take any chances.

That is an interesting case when someone loses a portion of the fly line during the competition, I never thought about that, at least we know now that we should have a plan for that scenario as well .