Preferred fly lines?

[Drew9870]

Black Friday is approaching, and I plan on getting fly line whether on sale or not, just got a new 5wt and I don't feel like ruining the top guide with the old gritty line, my last rod had a gnarly gash sanded down in the tip guide, the tip ring was paper thin and ready to snap off where it was sanded. Rod is retired due to major splitting below the male ferrule, hasn't gave way yet.

Out of the well known brands, what would you prefer to live with, most of my fly fishing consists of roll casting since a lot of places I fish are brushy and surrounded by trees, a couple brands I have in mind are Rio and Cortland Classic, anything $50 and under, are any of the Scientific Anglers line any good? I won't buy anything from the brand Scientific Anglers unless I get a good review from an experienced reliable fly fisher.

I've never casted line in new/near new condition on one of my own setups, Cortland almost seemed too lightweight, but it is also the only line I've ever casted brand new (on mrlindemans setup), but maybe I'm just used to casting saturated line.

I don't want a review from someone who has only bought a box of line or two and has no experience with other lines, taking advice from someone with little/no experience, can only make a person dumber. I'm talking a person who has gone through 6-8+ boxes of fly line

 

[Sinkline]

Drew, I can't give ya the comparison you are looking for as I haven't cast much of anything but Rio in decades now. I fish all Rio now, including replacing my old Cortland ClearCamo Int. with a new Rio Camolux Int.

I would recommend you go to the manufactuer web sites and make some comparisons to the head and taper designs. I would "guess" that all the top brands are good lines in their top end models. Choose a head & taper design that fits most closely to what you think your majority use will be. Like cars or boats, there is no one line that is perfect for all applications, but you can get one that works well for the majority of your needs.

Good luck.


Randy

 

[Drew9870]

Do you have experience with the Rio Mainstream? It looks to be one of their lower end lines by the package, but I've heard of people who prefer Rio, seems like Bigsteel is a Rio fan, I'll be making a trip to Wholesale Sports in about 20 mins to check out the selection.

I was leaning towards a Rio brand, so your input is very well appreciated, I only saw the Mainstream on Wholesales website, I believe they have a few other choices of Rio in store, plus, a couple of the workers are VERY knowledgable on fly gear, one in particular probably forgot how to even cast a spinning rod. I won't be making the purchase today, so any more input will be considered and appreciated.

Thank you Randy.

 

[mrlindeman]

Heres a tip for ya Drew. I do knowthat Double Taper lines are better for coll casting but will still haul very well. Weight forward lines dont roll cast as well but are great when it comes to hauling. I hope this helps a bit when making your decision.

 

[Sinkline]

Do you have experience with the Rio Mainstream? It looks to be one of their lower end lines by the package, but I've heard of people who prefer Rio, seems like Bigsteel is a Rio fan, I'll be making a trip to Wholesale Sports in about 20 mins to check out the selection.

I was leaning towards a Rio brand, so your input is very well appreciated, I only saw the Mainstream on Wholesales website, I believe they have a few other choices of Rio in store, plus, a couple of the workers are VERY knowledgable on fly gear, one in particular probably forgot how to even cast a spinning rod. I won't be making the purchase today, so any more input will be considered and appreciated.



Thank you Randy.

I have no experience with the Mainstream model but I have fished Gold, Grand, & Windcutter floaters. Of those, I liked the Gold the best for "my" use.


Randy

 

[Markcanby]

Drew I also like the Rio lines but I feel the matching the taper to your fishing is more important than line brand. Some of my favorite lines are cheap ebay lines 20$ an under so you might think about that. But I only have a little bit of fly gear just ask OTF.

 

[FlyBum]

Ok, here is my opinions. I've fished a lot of lines on many different setups. The only SA line i would buy is a GPX! (Shark Skin sucks!! over rated/priced) I have a GPX on my 4wt. Winston BIIx in a 5wt line and makes this rod a true cannon! Previous line that I had on that rod was a Rio Gold, in a 4wt but I wanted more. The GPX is weighted 1/2 size larger than the weight listed, as is the Rio Grand, another fantastic line with a similar taper to the GPX. Both these lines have a very similar taper but for the heavier end of the spectrum I fish the Grand. This is what I have on my 6wt. Winston BIIx. Great for turning over big hoppers and salmon flies ect. But will also fish the same line on my Cabela's 5wt LST. Although, I have the Rio Indicator line in a 7wt. that I will fish on the 6wt rod occasionally and again over lining a BIIx is the way to go. But, this line works well on my Sage LE 6wt. for streamers and equally well on my Echo Ion 7wt. nymphing for Steelhead. Just picked up a new line yesterday to try out on the Metolius that I will now be fishing exclusively on my Red Truck 10' 7wt. the Rio Salmon/Steelhead in an 8wt. This thing kills! 60' no problem. Getting the distance on any of these sticks can be easily achieved by the correct line/rod combo and ability to load (cast) a rod well. But distance isn't always everything.

Rio makes some really nice lines and some of the different lines that I've fished in the past like some Cortland's and other SA lines don't have the same "feel" and castability, and a biggy, longevity! The thing is basically comes down to is the action of the rod and your ability. I have fished my friends 8wt. TFO TiCRx, which is another really fast rod, but he had a double taper on at the time and I hated it, that line wasn't for me but, later I put a WF Grand on it and that changed everything.

It basically just depends on what is right for you, but all I know is that a cheap line sucks and if you decide to go that way you will be selling your self short. For your 5wt. not knowing what make and model a good general line that I would suggest would be a Rio Gold or SA GPX WF/F 5wt. This should serve your needs well with most 5's out there but if the action on your 5 is a true fast get the Rio Grand.

 

[Drew9870]

My new 5wt has a slow action, the employee at Wholesale gave me the same recommendations on the Rio Grand and Gold (he prefers Grand), although he said to try to avoid SA since he personally hasn't had the best experience with them, but he never did say to not buy it, I was personally liking the feel of one SA line in Buckskin color, but he said the coating doesn't seem to last, think this is the line on one of my older reels. I may have to go with a Classic Cortland, Rio Mainstream, or a SA line for (give or take $10) $40, what would be the best bet for roll casting heavy Trout nymphs on my slow action 5wt?

All of this info is beyond great, thank you.

P.S. Bud, Ryan said DT probably wouldn't be a good choice since it doesn't always slip through the guides so great.

 

[eggs]

Royal Wulff Ambush Triangle Taper. http://www.royalwulff.com/products/ambush-fly-line/

Its like a mini scandi line.. you can rollcast 50-60 feet easy.. I even sold BigSteel on using the line!

 

[halibuthitman]

Triangle taper And scientific gpx are basically the only lines I cast

 

[mrlindeman]

My new 5wt has a slow action, the employee at Wholesale gave me the same recommendations on the Rio Grand and Gold (he prefers Grand), although he said to try to avoid SA since he personally hasn't had the best experience with them, but he never did say to not buy it, I was personally liking the feel of one SA line in Buckskin color, but he said the coating doesn't seem to last, think this is the line on one of my older reels. I may have to go with a Classic Cortland, Rio Mainstream, or a SA line for (give or take $10) $40, what would be the best bet for roll casting heavy Trout nymphs on my slow action 5wt?

All of this info is beyond great, thank you.

P.S. Bud, Ryan said DT probably wouldn't be a good choice since it doesn't always slip through the guides so great.

Yea, he never really has been a big fan of using DT on slower action rods. That is a good point. I did not consider that as well.

 

[skunk]

You all are have much more income to spend on lines than I do!!! I use the least expensive type I can find. Can't remember where I get them but a simple double tapper suits me fine. I get them for $22-$33. Would love to try some more expensive but since the line doesn't catch the fish I can't justify it. Except for the dang spey line I had to get, that one isn't cheap.

 

[Markcanby]

You all are have much more income to spend on lines than I do!!! I use the least expensive type I can find. Can't remember where I get them but a simple double tapper suits me fine. I get them for $22-$33. Would love to try some more expensive but since the line doesn't catch the fish I can't justify it. Except for the dang spey line I had to get, that one isn't cheap.

I can't agree with you more Skunk!! I know i the last year I have caught more fish on my 35$ 4wt with the 20$ line some people with there Sage Rod an SA Gold. But I dont want to mention any names.:lol::lol::lol:

 

[Drew9870]

Went to Sports Authority in the Lancaster Mall here in Salem, ran into the Cortland 333 Pro 5WT F WF Rocket Taper for $39.99, BUT, the fly lines were 40% off!!! They only had 3 different types of Cortland, but I went with the Pro since it seemed like the highest end line in their small selection, with the discount, I picked it up for $23 and some change.

I'll probably be looking at this Royal Wulff stuff once it fits the budget, I applied at a temp agency so now I just have to get lucky and get work, hopefully something permanent comes along, I'll need a storage unit for all the gear I see in my crystal ball :lol:.

Info is still appreciated, not only will it still be helpful for me in the future, but others may find help in this great info. Thanks again.

 

[Sinkline]

My new 5wt has a slow action, the employee at Wholesale gave me the same recommendations on the Rio Grand and Gold (he prefers Grand), although he said to try to avoid SA since he personally hasn't had the best experience with them, but he never did say to not buy it, I was personally liking the feel of one SA line in Buckskin color, but he said the coating doesn't seem to last, think this is the line on one of my older reels. I may have to go with a Classic Cortland, Rio Mainstream, or a SA line for (give or take $10) $40, what would be the best bet for roll casting heavy Trout nymphs on my slow action 5wt?

All of this info is beyond great, thank you.

P.S. Bud, Ryan said DT probably wouldn't be a good choice since it doesn't always slip through the guides so great.

I know Ryan. Him and his brother are excellent casters, and flyfishers! They use to live in Dayton which is close to me. Drew, next you see him ask him for some info. about Smallmouth fishing near Dayton. Him and his brother use to fish Smallies a lot in that area.


Randy

 

[bigsteel]

I love the royal wulff triangle taper,you can launch 60 foot roll casts without any effort,,i also like the cortland 444 DT

 

[brandon4455]

i would stick with just plain ol cortland 333+ it's a good general purpose line and casts just fine. love that stuff

 

[halibuthitman]

i would stick with just plain ol cortland 333+ it's a good general purpose line and casts just fine. love that stuff

333? I would rather cast crystal river while listening to a gospel Elvis album on my iPod in Texas. Just sayin

 

[bigsteel]

333? I would rather cast crystal river while listening to a gospel Elvis album on my iPod in Texas. Just sayin

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[brandon4455]

333? I would rather cast crystal river while listening to a gospel elvis album on my ipod in texas. Just sayin

lol