Floating Lines

All four taper designs: Level, Weight Forward, Double Taper, and Shooting Heads are found within Floating lines. The Weight Forward taper is by far the most common. The lines vary depending upon what type of fishing conditions and rod actions you are utilizing. The following table shows a sample of floating lines from Scientific Angler, Cortland, Rio, and Airflo. There are plenty more that are not listed as there are many floating lines specific for certain uses. These selections are based upon needs for All-Purpose, Spring Creeks, and Distance Casting situations.
The "weight" classification is one that has been established by the manufacturers. For instance a WF3F is Weight Forward, 3 weight, Floating line. This line would be used with a 3 weight rod. By examining the lengths of the various head components and the running line, you can get a good idea how these components will affect the line performance. For instance, a distance casting head will be much longer than one designed for Spring Creeks.

Floating Lines


Model Weight Color Front Taper Body Rear Taper Head Length Run Length Application
S.A. Mastery MPX WF3-WF9 Buckskin/Optic Green or Amber/Willow 5.0' 27.0' 4.0' 36.0' 54.0' All-Purpose
S.A. Mastery Trout WF2-WF7 Optic Green/Green 12.0' 31.0' 23.0' 65.0' 25.0' Spring Creeks
S.A. Mastery Ex Dist WF4-WF9 Orange 14.0' 40.0' 25.0' 72.0' 33.0' Distance Casts
S.A. Frequency Trout DT3-DT6 Mist Green 6.0' 32.0' 6.0' 75.0' None Double Taper All-purpose
S.A. Mastery Euro Nymph 0-5 Bamboo 0.0' 0.0' 0.0' 0.0' 80.0' Euro Nymphing
Cortland Trout Boss WF8-WF8 Chartreuse/Ivory 6.0' 20.0' 9.0' 35.0' 65.0' All-Purpose
Cortland 333 WF3-WF10 Yellow 11.0' 25.0' 6.0' 42.0' 48.0' All-Purpose
Cortland 444SL WF3-WF9 Mint Grn 11.0' 25.0' 6.0' 42.0' 63.0' Distance Casts
Cortland 444 Sylk WF2-WF8 Yellow 12.0' 24.0' 3.0' 39.0' 51.0' Spring Creeks-Bamboo Rods
Cortland Indicator Nymph DT3-DT10 Chartreuse/Grey 8.0' 36.0' 12.0' 56.0' 44.0' Nymphing
Rio Indicator WF5F-WF9F Orange/Moss/Yellow 3.0' 6.0' 40.0' 49.0' 51.0' Nymphing
Rio Trout LT WF1-WF6 Beige/Sage 8.0' 34.0' 5.0' 47.0' 43.0' Spring Creeks
Rio Trout LT DT1-DT6 Sage 29.0' 32.0' 29.0' 90.0' None Spring Creeks
Rio Gold WF3-WF9 Moss/Gold 5.5' 24.0' 19.0' 47.0' 43.0' All-Purpose
Rio Light Line WF2-WF6 Brown/Ivory 7.0' 31.0' 5.0' 43.0' 37.0' Bamboo and Glass Rods
Airflo Superflo Power Taper WF3-WF9 Light Blue/ Orange 6.0' 19.0' 12.0' 37.0' 41.0' All-Purpose
Airflo Superflo Tactical WF2-WF6 Buckskin/Light Blue 20.0' 16.0' 10.0' 46.0' 34.0' Spring Creeks
Airflo Universal Taper WF3-WF9 Gray/Hot Orange 8.0' 19.0' 12.0' 39.0' 39.0'

All-Purpose

Airflo Euro Nymph all weights Olive/Hi Viz Orange None None None 4.0' 78.0'

Euro Nymph

Airflo Kelly Galloup Streamer WF5-WF7 Purple/Mist Green 3.0' 18.0' 18.0' 39.0' 51.0'

Streamers

 

Links to Floating Line Manufacturers


S.A. Logo
Masstery MPX Fly Line Mastery Trout Fly Line Mastery Expert Distance Frequncy Trout Double Taper Mastery Competition Nymph
Mastery MPX Mastery Trout Mastery Expert Distance Frequency Trout Mastery Euro Nymph

For years, the gold standard in the Scientific Anglers lineup was the GPX taper. Redesigned with more mass toward the front of the head, the MPX provides the same benefits of the GPX, with an added emphasis on presentation. The power is still there, only with an added bit of finesse.The Mastery Trout line is ideally suited for chasing browns, rainbows, cutthroats, and any other trout you can imagine. Trout excels in short-to-medium distances with dry flies and smaller nymphs and streamers. Expert Distance is an amazing trout fly line masquerading as a competition line. Designed with an extra-long head and rear taper, the Mastery Expert Distance is excellent in the wind, provides smooth distance casting, and lets you throw mends you didn’t think were even possible. The Frequency Trout, a double taper line, features a versatile, mid-length head ideal for delicate dries; however, it also provides great line control for nymph rigs. If you’re a trout angler, this is your Frequency. Mastery Euro Nymph line is built to FIPS Mouche standards, but designed to simply catch fish, the Mastery Competition Nymph line is as simple as it gets: 80 feet of level line, in either a floating or an intermediate density. It doesn’t matter if you’re in an international competition, or just trying to outdo yourself, the Competition Nymph line will perform, fish after fish. Specifically designed for European-style nymphing, if you’re looking for the thinnest, most sensitive line available, look no further.

airflo logo
AirFlo Superflo Power Taper AirFlo Superflo Tactical AirFlo Universal Taper AirFlo Euro Nymph AirFlo Sreamer
Superflo Power Taper Superflo Tactical Universal Taper Euro Nymph Kelly Galloup Streamer
The Superflo Power Taper does exactly what is says - puts the energy in the line to turn over any big fly or rig on even the fastest of rods.The addition of the Ridge 2.0 Tech makes it even easier to cast these heavy loads, and with less resistance in the guides, casts are going to go even farther than before. The Superflo Tactical line has a special taper for improved control and accuracy. Long front taper for beautiful turn over. Longer head for control at distance. Smaller tip diameter for presenting smaller flies. Haul zone extends usable head length. Ultra-thin running line shoots like hell, takes up less spool space. With the new Ridge 2.0 treatment, this line makes it even easier to reach those fish out at distance with the utmost accuracy. The Superflo Universal taper has quickly become the go to all-rounder fly line, performing flawlessly on every rod that anglers have put it on. Its performance has been taken to the next level with the introduction of Ridge 2.0 tech: Faster shooting, increased line speed and a quiet line texture. The Euro Nymph line combines suppleness with incredibly low stretch for superb performance and strike detection. And its hi-viz orange tip ensures you'll see those strikes every bit as much as feel them. Micro loops at both ends provide easy, low-profile connections. 100% FIPS compliant. The Kelly Galloup Streamer Float line features a short, thick, aggressive front taper to turn over the bulkiest of streamers. Extended body and rear taper provide excellent line management, and low stretch Power Core ensures solid hook sets. Features Micro Loops on both ends. Ridge Tech makes this line shoot like crazy.
rio logo
 
Rio Extreme Indicator
Rio Euro Nymph Rio LightLine Rio Gold Rio Grand
  Indicator Euro Nymph Lightline Gold Grand
The Rio Indicator can be used for nymphing with indicators, high sticking, and dead drifts. It has a long back taper for rollcasting and spey casts. The Duo-tone tip acts as an indicator when High sticking or Czech Nymphing. RIO's Technical Euro Nymph line has all the assets for the modern nymph angler. Built on a monofilament core that creates a stiff, slick line for quick feeding and less line sag between the rod guides, and an ultra-thin diameter to maximize sensitivity, and for lightning-fast hook sets. In addition, the core extends past the front end of the line to become a leader—resulting in no knots to get caught in the guides. The level line can be cut to length (from the back), allowing anglers to tune the line to the perfect length. The leader is .013" in diameter, pink to be easily seen, and is level, so can also be cut and tuned for varying situations. RIO’s LightLine has been designed to load slower, more traditional action fly rods such as bamboo, glass and the more “Classic” flexing graphite rods. Built to precisely match the industry line standards, this line will not overload such rods – even at longer range. The weight distribution and short front taper ensures the line loads at close range, making it ideal for fishing on smaller creeks and streams, while the softer, supple coating ensures the line remains relaxed and easy to handle in the majority of conditions. The RIO Gold has a special taper design that gives incredible loop stability at distance, a unique profile that allows a rod to load at close range and a front taper that delivers perfect presentation of flies between sizes #22 and #2. The RIO Gold is the ultimate all round, floating line for the trout fly fisher. The RIO Grand is a full line size heavier than the industry standard, and features more weight distributed towards the front of the line to easily load faster action fly rods. The line has a short head that is easy to cast, making it the perfect choice for fast action rods, or for more novice casters that like a little extra load to help them with the cast. The RIO Grand is built with "MaxCast" Technology, RIO's ultra-sophisticated line coating that actively repels water for higher flotation, longer casts and greater durability.
Cortland Logo
Cortland Trout Boss Cortland 333 Cortland 444 Float Cortland Indicator Nymph Fly Line Cortland 444 sylk
Trout Boss 333 444SL Float Indicator Nymph 444 Sylk
The Trout Boss Features a complex new taper, thinner core and our new proprietary heat-tempered surface treatment Ultilizing a braided Nylon Multifilament core, the Boss is easy to cast with quick loading and high floatability. The 333 is a durable, high-floating, general-purpose fly line available in a weight-forward taper. Designed to perform well with modern medium- to fast-action graphite rods, the original 333 was the industry’s first modern PVC fly line and has been a popular choice among avid fly anglers for over 50 years. The 444sl is the original fast-shooting distance line and the first choice of expert fly anglers for over 30 years.The 444SL series has a little more stiffness than Cortlands other lines for increased distance. The Floating line comes in WF and DT. The Precision Trout line has a number of lines designed for trout within Springs Creeks to Big Rivers. The 333 Float has the "Rocket" taper on WF and DT lines. It is somewhat stiffer and overweighted for better use with fast action rods.