The only reference for the iLine is head-weight, in this case 13 grams. Take that to the AFFTA (AFTMA) standards and this line falls between #7 and #8 – very close to the lower end of the #8 weight range. (Details of all AFFTA standards are available from www.affta.com) Then there is the length, the AFFTA standard weighs the first 30ft of line excluding any level tip, this iLine has a 28ft head.

Think about this sensibly, when I cast a #7 rod, say I’m using a simple DT line, I may be false casting anything from a few feet up to 70 or more feet of line. Meaning, I expect that #7 rod to cope with a fraction of the weight mentioned in the line standard, and still cope comfortably with more than double the length and mass of line used to set the line standard. Oh the standard still makes sense – it’s a way of separating and standardising fly lines – but it says little about rods and even less about casting skills.

So, I fit the iLine to my current favourite 10ft #7 rod. First thing, this is a very slick line – just swishes through the guides. Hmm…actually … not the first thing I noticed, the colours of both head and running line are very bright, very visible, bright yellow head and bright orange running line.

Getting used to the iLine meant simply playing with it, making roll casts, finding where the head wants to be when I’m hauling or not hauling, just generally getting a feel for the head length and weight. Rio have clearly marked the head – the yellow bit! I don’t want the head or rear taper pulling inside the tip ring when I haul so it makes good sense that the bit I want outside the tip is so clearly marked.

I found the length of overhang (length outside the tip ring) I could use varied. Between 3ft and 9 ft seemed fine for rolls and Spey and general overhead casting, not surprisingly, less overhang when casting short and using little or no haul. Personally, I did not feel altogether comfortable trying to false cast this line with the head more than about 15ft outside the rod tip.

At 28ft the iLine head is short; the head of a typical modern WF line is more than 40ft long, the heads on the long-belly lines I use are closer to 80ft. So, adjusting took a little time. That said, I was impressed by the ease with which I could roll and Spey cast this line from the start – the head length and weight of just seemed to work. Lifting the rod and sweeping the line into a D-loop I felt completely comfortable with where the anchor would fall and the depth of the D-loop. The head seems to taper, thicker at the back of the head, so the mass seems well distributed for roll casting with thinner lighter line on the water and meatier line in the D. Overhead, adjusting took a little longer, in fact I’m probably still trying to carry far too much running line – habit, I guess.

So, a compact head which rolls and Speys exceptionally well. Lift it overhead and treat it as a shooting head to reach for quick distance. Combine Speys with overhead casts and I can change direction and reach out with a hauled overhead - fast. And of course, compared to a long-belly line, the space I need behind me is cut in half, less than half when I Spey cast. Get into a tight space, a real fishing space, with a high bank behind and that compact head comes into its own. Add a haul to a jump roll or a simple Spey cast and frankly there are things I can do, places I can fish that I can’t with my normal lines.

Oh, and high visibility makes the iLine very useful for low light fishing and as a teaching line – angling instructor Lee Cummings was responsible for the design so that did not happen by chance.

This is probably the only fly line I know of designed with the needs of single-handed roll and Spey casting clearly in mind. In that sense the iLine is a niche product, along with the presentation lines, distance lines and all the others currently on the market. However, I wonder if there is a difference, the iLine seems to me to catch the mood of modern casting and fishing where Spey and roll casts are normal everyday casts and the overhead cast is just one among many in our box of tricks.