Mill End Fly Lines - The Bargain of the Fly Fishing World

By: Mike R Hughes

When browsing through a fishing tackle website or catalog you
may well have come across 'Mill End' fly lines being sold at
very low prices. Originally, these would have been short bits of
fly lines left over at the end of a manufacturing run and sold
off cheap as they would not be the normal 30 yards in length and
might have minor defects. These mill end fly lines were often a
great bargain as you could get a slightly shorter version of an
expensive fly line at a fraction of the full lines cost.

Nowadays, the term 'mill end' is often used as a generic name
for very low cost, unbranded fly lines that are only tested to a
fairly basic quality level. There is usually no manufacturers
name given and they're normally supplied loose in tied coils
with no boxes or packaging.

The good thing about these mill end fly lines is that they turn
out to be exactly what many people who are new to fly fishing or
have a tight budget are looking for. Low cost fly lines that
have been made under tight cost control with no money spent on
expensive branding and packaging. Modern manufacturing means
they're usually well made with few, if any, defects and they can
be surprisingly good to use and cast.

Mill end fly lines do tend to be slightly shorter than full
length fly lines, typically only 27 yards instead of the usual
30 yards and won't be made from the latest durable and slick
materials that are used on the best fly lines. They also tend to
come in a variety of colours so won't be a good choice if you're
after a certain colour of high visibility fly line for example.

Mill end fly lines are an excellent choice though if you fit any
of the following descriptions:

- An angler wanting a low cost fly line for casting practice in
a field or park.

- A newcomer to fly fishing who just starting out.

- An angler on a budget who would like to add a low cost
intermediate or sinking fly line to their tackle bag.

I've been fly fishing for over 30 years and much of the advice
I've seen on mill end fly lines is along the lines of 'they're
cheap, not much good and won't last long'. Well I have to say I
disagree with this. I still use a sinking mill end fly line that
I bought over 20 years ago. It casts well and I've caught many
of my best fish on it. My son has recently started fly fishing
too and his setup includes a floating mill end fly line that has
surprised me at how good it is. I have to say that in my
experience, as long as your expectations are not too high, then
mill end fly lines truly can be the bargain of the fly fishing
world.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

Mike has been a keen fly fisherman for over 30 years. For more information on Mill End Fly Lines visit www.firsttackle.co.uk/acatalog/Fly_Lines.html

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