As more fly rodders become more adept in their skills, they begin to demand more from their tackle. New rods and reels tend to make the bigger splash at shows and across the pages of magazines, but one segment of the fly tackle market has been growing steadily, expanding into highly specific areas, and reaching what some may consider mind-boggling proportions -- Fly Lines.

The Teeny Nymph Co. that started with a small, but unique line of fly lines now sells fourteen different types, including two different shooting lines. The two largest manufacturers, Cortland and 3M Scientific Anglers, combine for a whopping total of more than sixty-five different freshwater and saltwater fly lines. Add Wulff, Air-Flo, and a host of smaller outfits, such as Monic, to the mix, and you have more fly lines than you can shake a 10-weight at.

Many of the newer lines on the market are designed to suit a particular fly fishing situation. In addition to the basics, the foremost distinction these days seems to be temperature that pretty much breaks the newer fly lines down to Tropical, Warm and Cold water environments.

It was early this spring when several Nor'east Saltwater fly rodders were eager to try 3m Scientific Angler's new Striper Line. Most were disappointed at best, but after several weeks, others were raving about the line.

Cortland's XRL saltwater line had its proponents and opponents from spring to summer as well, and more recently, we've heard similar pros and cons about Air-Flo, and SciAngler's new Mastery Series Striper IV sinking line. Whether or not the fly rodders realized it, all of their comments essentially came down to water temperature.

For example, Monic fly lines come with a caution that they're designed for water temperatures greater than 60 degrees. In other words, they're Tropic lines meant for tarpon, bonefish, and the like.

SciAngler Mastery Striper lines don't come with a water temperature advisory, but Ken Kuhner at the Cold Spring Fly Shop (a Mastery dealership) recommends not using Mastery Striper below 50 degrees. "It will coil on you," he said. "Remember, that's water temperature, not air temperature, so it won't be too good if you're fishing the in the winter or early spring."

Mastery Striper lines are what might called warm water lines and should work well for most of our Nor'east striper season. Other lines, such as Air-Flo's new entry and SciAngler Stillwater are designed for colder waters. Cortland's XRL, which combines an exposed braided monofilament shooting line with a shooting head, bridges the gap between cold and warm.

Striper and the new Striper IV Sink lines from 3M Scientific Angler have a similar design, but are coated from tip to tail. The biggest complaint most fly rodders have about them is that they hold too much memory, due in large part to a stiff, braided monofilament core. It increases the chances of seeing tight coils pile in your stripping basket, but many of the anglers were using the line in the early spring when Nor'east water temperatures were barely topping the 50-degree mark.

Ken Kuhner further recommends that you stretch and clean the line before you make your first cast. If you can find it, U-40's Fast Cast line cleaner works well, and some fly rodders still swear by the old Armor-All treatment. Whatever your choice, make sure your cleaner doesn't also contain a floatant. That would sort of defeat the purpose of an Intermediate or sinking line.

After you've installed your tip loop and put the line on the reel, hook it around a firmly driven nail, walk the line out, and apply gentle, steady pressure. Due to their braided cores, you'll find that the Striper and XRL lines don't stretch as much as other fly lines. Keep that in mind when your fishing. Ken also periodically tugs on the line between his hands when he's on the water to make sure twists don't take a set.

Is it worth the effort? I had the opportunity to test a Striper IV line last week, and while I'm a confirmed shooting head shore angler, its small diameter was able to cut a fairly large pattern through the wind and give me an admirable cast, even with coils that I didn't stretch out all the way. The line has the same taper design (a 6-foot front, 26-foot belly, and 6-foot rear) that Bruce Richards developed for SciAngler's Wet Cel Saltwater Intermediate full line and which happens to be the only other full fly line I can get any distance out of in the salt.

Remember that some of this also has to do with my casting style. Don't take another's word. Try the line, or any other fly tackle, for yourself.

The Striper IV with a sink rate of 3.75 to 6.5 inches per second also paid off for Capt. Ken last Thursday off Cranes Neck on the North Shore where his charter for Bill Laraia found no surface activity, but over one dozen school stripers lurking well below.

"For cold waters, I recommend Mastery Stillwater line," Kuhner added. "It has an extruded monofilament core, just like mono line, that's more limp than the braid. It was originally designed for cold, clear fresh water, but it now comes in saltwater line weights."

The new Air-Flo line follows a similar monofilament core design, so it's little wonder that much of the recent accolades it has received originated among northern New England fly rodders.

Whether or not you need different summer, fall, winter, and spring lines or a line for all seasons is your choice, but line manufacturers are offering us more options than ever before, and the possibilities cannot be ignored.