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[ironring1]

This is probably a stupid question, but how can I tell what kind of fly line I have?  I bought a fly rod & reel & line a few years back when I was living in Alberta, but I was so busy with school and work that I never got the chance to use it.  Now, I can't for the life of me remember what kind of line it is, what weight, etc.  Is there a way to identify an unknown fly line?  When you guys change your lines for different occasions (e.g., sinking vs floating, etc), how do you identify them for later.  Is it as simple as taping them up in a loop and writing on the tape what kind of line it is?

Thanks,
-Chris

[mbowers]

You can get a handloader's scale for reloading ammo and weigh the first 30 feet of line: compare that to a table of standard fly line weights.  For density a floater is pretty simple (usually one bright color and it floats), different density sinkers are a little tougher to figure out.  You can also just cast the line with a couple of rods and see what suits you best, line weights are only a strong suggestion and not an absolute rule.  If you only have one rod and one line, the rod should list it's line weight and presumably that's the same weight as your mystery line. 

I keep all my line boxes so I can at least go back and figure everything out eventually.

Now if you can't remember what lines you have you can either use the little sticker that comes with most new fly lines and stick it to the spool with the line on it or you have to mark the line in some way.  I think Lefty Kreh recommends using one long black mark for the number 5 and shorter marks to indicate 1-4 like Roman numerals.  That doesn't address sink rates or line lengths if you're looking at tips for a combo setup.  I've gone away from just spare spools and have several different reels from different manufacturers so it's easier to remember different lines because they're also on different looking reels / spools.

[Min]

For me , I use one of those label makers.  Paste the label onto the spool.

Like mbowers, I have stopped using spare spools.  I just have different lines on different reels.  Often will load up three or four rods to go out in the boat with.  Have a versi-tip if I am walking.