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Silk Fly Line History and Care
A Short Background by Mike Brookes
The Kingfisher braided silk line was the result of a happy marriage between P D Malloch and an expert in the field of braiding. In 1908 in Leicester, (England), they designed and built the first Kingfisher silk fly line together. It was no accident, since coupled with Mr. Malloch’s vast experience in the world of fishing was his undoubted mathematical ability plus his ability to design and patent, in 1884, the Malloch casting reel, the forerunner of the present fixed spool reel. The basis for this new type of fishing line, which would replace horsehair, was set against strict criteria set out by Mr. Malloch (see below). It is this which resulted in the Kingfisher silk fly line and what made it superior to others, the weight and diameter being built into the line at the time of braiding and not by a coating added to a uniform core. Silk lines enjoyed their heyday and then fell out of favour as new materials became available and cheaper. However, quality products never entirely go away, and many silk lines remained in use. In the mid 1970s, not too far away from where the first silk line was made in Leicester, Noel Buxton took up the challenge. He was a keen and knowledgeable fisherman, with an engineering background – a combination of the original skills that produced the Kingfisher line. All the original data had been destroyed and, after many years of careful research, Noel produced the Phoenix Line. In the England, he was designated a National Treasure – and many people all over the world still believe this to be true. Phoenix silk fly lines thus continued the tradition. Co-incidentally, a similar sequence of events was taking place in Paris, France, and Michel Dubois made silk lines there. History repeated itself yet again and as Monsieur Dubois retired, the machinery was sold to Jean-Pierre Thebault, who continued to make silk lines in France. A short time after, Noel Buxton also retired and sold Phoenix to Mike Brookes who continues the same tradition. The Process The silk arrives at the workshop as 20/22 denier silk, which made up of between 7 and 8 strands of silkworm silk. The silk is first wound on to bobbins to the required number of counts – for example a DT 5 line has no less than 120 of theses “ends’ in the tip and 216 in the belly. The bobbins are then put on to braiding machines, which braid the silk into various thicknesses, tapered at either end (for a DT lines). Even the smallest imperfection in either the taper on the dressing can affect the line’s casting performance, so this braiding is done with the utmost care. After braiding the lines are either dyed green or left in their natural colour, which after dressing gives an attractive honey shade. The lines are then impregnated with an enamel oil under pressure, causing the oil to penetrate into every strand. This keeps the line both soft and supply throughout the length of its life. The braid is then coated with a second oil and the lines are then varnished and polished to the smooth and pliable finish required by the fisherman. It is the degree of hand finishing and care that ensures the quality and performance of the line.
Care of Silk Lines Silk lines, contrary to popular belief, do not require extensive amounts of care, but do require a little more than synthetic lines. A major misconception is the question of greasing. Only the lightest coat of Red Mucilin is necessary – apply the Red Mucilin with the pad provided and then wipe with a tissue to remove excess. Over-greasing attracts dirt and scum and leads to the line sinking. Only apply grease to a dry line. If one whips loops on to either end of a double taper line, it is a simple matter to reverse the line during a heavy day’s fishing (bearing in mind that 90% plus of fish are caught within 15 yards). The whole line can then be cleaned and put away at the end of the day. The most frequent problem with the use of silk lines occurs at the tip ring. Silk lines do not take kindly to being ripped through the tip ring before false casting. The fisherman arrives at the bank side, unhooks the fly from the keeper and drags the fly line through the tip ring, bending the tip of the rod almost double. The sharp bend here does not do the fly line any good at all – likewise a worn tip ring (or if agate, a cracked tip ring) will rip the coating off a silk line very quickly – most fishermen should realise that the rings on a rod are expendable – they do wear and should be replaced as often as is necessary, especially with loop tip rings and snake intermediates. The other problem is overloading the reel. All the books say fill the reel to its maximum, which is fine when winding on line in one’s living room, but when at the water with a fish on, winding in line evenly is the last thing on one’s mind and it is all to easy to have the line unevenly wound onto the reel and scrape the line on the inside of the reel cage. If the reel is overloaded, then reduce the amount of backing or use a larger reel with your rod. If one looks after one’s silk line as well as the reel and the rod are cared for, it should give many years of service. After a day’s fishing wipe the line dry with a soft cloth. If possible leave the line on a line drier or in loose coils until the next fishing trip. At the end of the season, leave it in loose coils between two sheets of paper in a drawer for example. A final word from P D Malloch These are the criteria that Malloch set for the performance of an oil-dressed, braided silk fly line.
And a word of caution from the Kingfisher booklet issued with their lines – We do recommend running a line off the reel at the end of the day – or wiping it and then running it back on the drier – but some people never have done this and it hasn’t really mattered. After all, there are lots of things we should do but don’t – so if you are the type that doesn’t bother – we won’t either, though you may have to buy another line before a fisherman in Nottingham (England) did – his lasted 42 years before being caught in the propeller of a boat at his local reservoir. Thank you Mike and Jean for taking the time to educate all of us! We appreciate your vast knowledge and consideration to detail!
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All rights reserved - This site was designed, built and is maintained by A. B. Herndon Unless otherwise noted, all photographs were taken by A. Bruce Herndon.
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