Identifying fly line weight after the sticker falls off is a problem every serious fly angler eventually faces, and Brian Butts of 239 Flies solved it with a permanent marker. Instead of relying on stickers that peel off or color coding that fails on modern clear lines, Brian draws a simple code directly on the line: a thick mark equals five and a thin mark equals one. An 8-weight gets one thick mark and three thin marks. It is the kind of elegantly simple fix that makes you wonder why the industry has not adopted it as standard.
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Use a strong permanent marker like a Sharpie or Prismacolor to draw a code directly on the fly line. Make thick marks to represent five and thin marks to represent one, so an 8-weight gets one thick mark and three thin marks. The method requires no stickers or glue and stays visible through regular use, even on clear floating and intermediate lines.
Fly line stickers use adhesive that does not hold up well to water exposure, handling, and temperature changes. In the episode I note that the stickers fall off almost immediately after application, which leaves anglers unable to identify their line weights. That universal frustration is exactly what led Brian to develop his permanent-marker system.
No, you cannot reliably distinguish fly line weights by sight or feel. Brian compares it to trying to tell 25-pound leader from 30-pound by rolling it through your fingers, where you are never quite sure. With modern clear floating and intermediate lines, even color coding no longer works as an identification method, which makes a marking system essential.
239 Flies uses the permanent-marker system on every demo reel to prevent confusion when multiple lines are rigged for customers to test. Brian marks each line with the thick-and-thin code and also recommends keeping intermediate lines separate from floating lines in storage so you can find what you need season after season.
Brian specifically mentions using a really strong permanent marker such as a Sharpie or Prismacolor. The key is choosing a marker whose ink adheres well to the fly line coating and stays visible through water exposure and handling, because the marks need to survive multiple seasons of use to be effective.
Nothing more than a strong permanent marker. The marks go directly on the line, require no glue or adhesive on the reel, and can be applied to a line already spooled or before you spool it. For a shop juggling dozens of demo setups, or an angler switching between seasonal lines, it provides instant visual confirmation without fumbling for a faded sticker.
This is one of those How 2 Tuesday conversations that solves a problem every fly angler has lived with. You buy a line, put it on a reel, the sticker disappears, and six months later you are standing there trying to figure out what you are holding. I wanted Brian on because he manages dozens of demo reels at the shop and had to come up with a system that actually works, and his approach acknowledges reality: stickers do not last and color coding fails on clear lines.
At 239 Flies, Brian keeps numerous demo reels loaded with specific line weights for testing, and the traditional sticker system fails almost immediately. What he developed instead is a visual code using permanent markers that turns the fly line into its own label: one thick mark equals five, each thin mark equals one. The marking goes directly on the line, visible at a glance and permanent enough to survive seasons of use. Hear him walk through the full marking technique in the episode.
As you accumulate fly fishing experience, you accumulate lines, an intermediate for early season, a floater when it warms up, backups in different weights, and specialty tapers. Brian and I talked about how full clear floating and clear intermediate lines mean you can no longer rely on color, so you end up holding spools and guessing whether you have a 7 or a 10. He compares telling line weights apart to distinguishing 25-pound leader from 30-pound by feel. Listen to why identification matters.
Listen to the full episode to hear the rest.
Brian's method requires nothing more than a really strong permanent marker, and he mentions Sharpie or Prismacolor specifically. The key is marker quality, because the ink needs to adhere well enough to survive water, handling, and seasonal storage. The marks stay visible through use, require no glue on the reel, and can be applied to a line on the reel or before spooling. He covers marker selection and application in the conversation.
Beyond marking individual lines, Brian stresses physical organization: keep intermediates separated from floaters and store lines in labeled boxes or on dedicated reels by type. The marking tells you what weight you are looking at, and the storage system tells you where to find it next season. He confirms you can tell floating from sinking by sight fairly easily, but a 9 from a 10 is nearly impossible without the marks. Hear the organization breakdown.
The day after this one I kept thinking about how Brian's system is so simple it almost feels obvious once you see it, even though I had dealt with unmarked lines for years before hearing it.
If you have more than two fly lines in your arsenal, you need this. Grab a good permanent marker, mark your whole collection in about fifteen minutes, and you will save yourself frustration every time you reach for a reel. Listen to the whole thing.
Listen to the entire conversation here.
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Brian Butts runs 239 Flies, a fly fishing shop based in Southwest Florida. He manages multiple demo reels rigged with various fly lines for customer testing and developed a practical permanent-marker system for identifying line weights without stickers or glue. His shop specializes in saltwater fly fishing and helps anglers solve common gear-organization challenges. You can follow 239 Flies on Instagram at @239flies.
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