Greased line
Also called grease line, greased-line swing
A swinging method where a floating line is dressed with grease so it rides high and stays easy to mend, keeping a wet fly or soft hackle in the film or just under it.
- Group
- Swinging & wet fly
- Category
- Technique & presentation
- Level
- Advanced
- Water
- Freshwater
Last updated
What Greased line means
Greased line is a wet-fly swing done with a floating line that has been treated with floatant so it rides high and sheds water. The fly swings slowly and broadside to the current, but the line stays on top, which keeps the presentation light and controllable.
The usual setup is a floating line, a tapered leader, and an unweighted wet fly or soft hackle. The cast is commonly across-stream, or slightly up or down, then the line gets managed with mends to control speed.
Why it matters on the water
Line height changes everything about the swing. A line that floats cleanly mends with less effort, holds a better angle, and avoids the “sunken belly” that speeds the fly up and pulls it off track.
Greased line also gives a clear depth ceiling. With an unweighted fly and a floating line, depth comes mostly from leader length, fly weight, and current speed, not from the line digging in. That makes it a good tool in low water, where a deeper swing would hang up or move too fast.
Read next
- Floating lineA floating line is a fly line designed to ride on top of the water. It is the standard choice for dry flies, indicators, and many shallow nymph and streamer setups.
- LeaderThe leader is the clear, tapered line between the fly line and the fly. It turns the fly over and gives you a clean, controlled presentation.
- MendingMending is repositioning fly line on the water during a drift to reduce drag and keep the fly moving naturally.
- Soft hackleA soft hackle is a lightly dressed wet fly with a soft, swept-back feather collar that pulses in the current. It’s fished under the surface to suggest an emerging insect or a small drifting bug.