He learned that if he could coat the material of the line in a substance that would stay afloat, he could then swing his fly in a subsurface and somewhat drag-free presentation.Īt the time, the best flotation materials were variations of grease – mucilin, lanolin, and animal fat were all thought to be suitable.Īs I personally own and fish a silk line on my single-hand rod, it is in my experience that silk lines cast as seamlessly and effortless as the fly lines of today.īut maintenance can take its toll on the most patient of anglers. Wood soon perfected and popularized a revolutionary change. Grease lining was a 1903 revelation that Wood stumbled upon one day while observing the behaviour of salmon and their disinterest to the deeply sunk fly.Īcross the world, anglers actively used water-absorbing lines and heavily gauged hooks with the desire to fish their flies deep in the water column.

It was with these intentions that I made mention of the late Arthur Wood of Scotland, and the greased line technique that he popularized over a century ago. In my last Fly Fusion column I expressed my determination to share the teachings, methodologies and philosophies of anglers before our time.

Flat line fishing definition