Ben Kent of San Francisco wants to know: What are theadvantages and disadvantages of fly lines that have a front sectionmade of clear monofilament?
Lefty: The obvious advantage of a clear monofilamentfront portion is that it reduces the chance a fish will see it.This is especially important when presenting a fly in very clearwater – like when tarpon and bonefishing.
There are two disadvantages: Because we monitor a fly line inflight, it helps to see it during the cast. That is one reason along-billed hat hampers your accuracy. If the first 10 to 20 feetof fly line are clear, I believe accuracy suffers. The otherdisadvantage (although it can be an advantage) is that the monoportion sinks, so the line below the surface can make it difficultto backcast quickly.
