I went fishing with Dennis Vanderhowen a couple of days ago. I usually don’t pay much attention to the gear my fishing buddies use, but something caught my eye as I turned my head to see where he was upstream–his line.
Tenkara lines are notoriously difficult to see–both on the stream and on camera. But I could see Dennis’s line from many yards away. What was it?
When I met up with him, I discovered it was a line he had actually sent to me months ago–a “rainbow” colored line.
I’d tucked the line away in the coffers of stuff that I need to test but after the on-stream epiphany, I pulled the line out and did a lot of test casting as soon as I got home. The line casts surprisingly well. It’s a level line, but braided so while it turns over well, it sags like most tapered tenkara lines so you can’t really keep the line off the water and achieve a good dead drift the same way you could with a fluorocarbon level line. But… you can see it no matter what. This line is superbly visible.
The line changes colors every few inches offering a couple of advantages. One is that it doesn’t force you to choose one color over another that may or may not work against different or changing backgrounds or lighting conditions. The other is that it gives you a visual marker if you have to sink your fly deep and want to gauge depth.
Dennis found this line at a garage sale so the source is kind of mysterious. But he’s working on tracking it down (and so am I). I’ll have an update as soon as either one of us turn something up. In the meantime, if anyone out there has any leads, we’d be happy to hear about them. Let’s make this line available to people who want it.
This?
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/8-woven-500M-PE-multicolored-Dyneema-Fishing-Line-axis-line-Lure-fishing-nets-lines-fly-fishing/32264585736.html
Which is then braided/furled?
Or this!?
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/500M-PE-braided-Dyneema-lines-multicolored-Lure-fishing-line-fishing-tackle-Sea-fishing-line-diy-troll/32264559800.html
Lynn, I don’t think it’s either of those. The length of each colored section on this line is shorter. Also, Dennis mentioned something about it possibly being cord for jewelry making so I don’t think it’s a fishing-specific line.
Looks furled, not braided to my eyes.
Last summer A.N. sent me a sample length of a multi-color fluorocarbon level line and much to my surprise I found it easy to see in most conditions. Usually I see fishing line that changes color every couple of feet are marketed as a stealth or camouflage line. But with that line I found the sections that were red or orange easy to see. I think he must have decided not to carry and sell the line, I haven’t seen it at 3 Rivers, but if he had I would have ordered a spool of it. As I found it more visible than pink or green line and who knows maybe the fish had a hard time seeing it. I know I caught a lot of fish with it.
D
That’s a pretty decent idea… I’ll have to try a few… Thanks… I enjoy changing the routine from level fluoro to furled/braided lines… The latter certainly tend to cast better…
Bob
My nieces use a rainbow rattail cord for jewelry, those “friendship braids”, but it’s a satin material in 1 or 2mm diameter. I don’t know that it would make a great line, but maybe it will at least help your search?
Look to this:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/New-Product-Poseidon-Brand-Japanese-Dyneema-One-meter-one-color-Multicolor-PE-Braided-Fishing-Line-8LB/1066054_1557505974.html
This link appears to have it in stock.If this is truly “it” 🙂 The link from Bernhard above was out of stock. The copy reads that it is a floating braid. Mono or fluro. You have to read to the bottom of the page to find the size chart with lb equivalents to their number system. Their Number 2 is the 30lb size.
http://www.dhgate.com/store/product/ygk-brand-super-strong-japanese-100m-8-strands/217597771.html#sd1-8-1|3320308879
The line looks twisted to me not braided. Does it burn or melt? It looks like a synthetic material line to me.
I can find veriegated colored hemp twine but it is to dull in color. The closest I’ve found that looks nearly the same is rosary twine. But it looks to big in diameter on the webpages & if correct in diameter I would expect it to be too limp to cast well.
Several companies make deep sea braided veriegated colored lines but usually they only change color every 10 meters or may have short sections where it will change color 3 or 4 times over 1 meter before again having another run of several meters without changing color again. I’ve been aware for several years of a monofilament line, only sold in Mexico, that changes color every couple of feet, but that is not what you”re looking for. Still looking. It’s kind of a fun hunt. ; -)
Opps. Sorry for the typo – not veriegated. Rather – Variegated : exhibiting different colors, especially as irregular patches or streaks.
Twisted nylon, multicolor… Maybe you could look at this one :
href=”http://www.ebay.com/itm/100m-109yrd-Round-Leather-Sewing-Waxed-Polyester-Thread-Shoes-Upholstery-Repair-/261695097000″ rel=”nofollow”>http://www.ebay.com/itm/100m-109yrd-Round-Leather-Sewing-Waxed-Polyester-Thread-Shoes-Upholstery-Repair-/261695097000
And if it works well, feel free to send me a few yards to France !
Other find : nylon, twisted, multicolor… but not waxed (better I think)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Omega-Hilo-100-Nylon-Crochet-Thread-Yarn-Size-No-2-Nylon-Thread-Colors-78-88-/320845020643?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=510054580827&hash=item4ab3da7de3
Last idea, direct from china…
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Lovely-Jewelry-Cotton-Woven-Cord-Thread-Multicolor-0-6mm-1Roll-approx-180m-B25056/1713226276.html
Well without knowing more about the line Jason has :what material the line is made of, natural or synthetic, its diameter or size, etc. I think looking further is a fools errand.
About the best idea I have found is to make your own multicolor line – find a white silk line of the appropriate diameter and dye it yourself. I found a Japanese website where that was done with silk fishing line using a variation of a method called shibori or shiborizome, which basically means tie dying. But most often shibori is done to ribbon or whole fabric, not to twine, string, etc. I did not save the webpage because the google translation was unreadable. But with the pictures and a lot of effort to translate small parts of the text the idea seemed to be; Coil the string in a random way and tie the line, dye part of it,then remove some of the previous ties and dye the next section in a different color. And so on. To get color changes every few feet and at random intervals.
However, I did find a webpage in English, where the large cord being dyed was wrapped round a tube spool and the dye was hand painted on with a brush, to get a random change in color. She was making hand painted arashi shibori poles. So I think her intent was to leave the line on the tube. The author admits it is not an established shibori technique, but rather her own invention. So just an idea for the DIY types. But silk lines introduce required maintenance, drying after each use. Maybe not to bad a job given the short length of less than 20 feet (6meters)
https://shiborigirl.wordpress.com/2006/11/29/handpainting-arashi-shibori-poles/
And fwiw, of the lines Thibault linked to: the waxed line at .65 mm = 15.5号 in the Japanese line sizing system. The #2 Omega line, if it follows the same number system as silk beading cord, #2 = .45mm in diameter = 7.44号. The third line I could not find the size of the line. A Silk beading cord size chart listed the sizes this way: #2 =.45mm (= 7.44号). #3=.50mm (= 9.2号). #4 = .60mm (= 13.2号). And #6 = .70mm (=18号). And that is getting to big to cast,imo.
My experience playing around with the Calcutta braided fishing line last year is, since braided synthetic fishing lines is so strong for its diameter, you have to use 80# or 100# line for the line to have enough weight to cast. I could only cast 65# line on a flat calm day. Though it works ok as part of a tapered line with sections of 100#/80#/65#, where the line length sections were 50%/30%/20% of total length, and where the section of 65# was short ( about 20% of total line length) and it was the end attached to the tippet.
I did find a braided fishing line called Kast King Super Power Multicolor Braided line that had 5 nice colors, but my bet is each color runs for 8 to 10 meters before it changes color. And you are looking for a line where the colors change every few feet and perhaps at random intervals. Generally these kinds of lines are called “metered lines”. They were a nice shade of colors. The 80# line was .50 mm in diameter = 9.2号. Polyester, nylon, etc. line would probably work, but I think cotton or hemp lines, meant for crocheting, beading, rosary or macrame probably won’t cast very well. Though it might give you an opportunity to show off your skill at casting. And those are the kinds of twine or cord that I am mostly finding that is multicolor and changes color every few feet.
Jason, you need to supply some more details about the line you have to make the hunt for a similar line worth pursuing with a chance of success. Stone wall, head; whack, whack, whack. : – ( Is it for example the size of furled Tenkara line? Do the colors change at regular intervals or random lengths of color? etc.
It is definitely furled not braided. It could be done with different colored threads but it would be a pain in the butt to make and a lot of knots. Possible dye job after furling it woul be nice to see more pics of the color transitions as well as some hi-rez pics.