Dry fly line

Bruno

Bruno

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2006
Messages
2,365
I always buy cheap lines. I toasted a line at the Jam and need to get a line for my dry fly rod. What would you suggest ? Not going cheap this time is my thought. I have a gift card :) :)
 
I've been using Orvis wonder lines - finding them for half the list price - $30. They cast nice, and have been very durable for me
 
I use Scientific Anglers XPS on my #3 weight. Excellent for delicate presentations. I assume the XPS line would perform similar in other sizes. I use Ridge Airflow Tactical Trout on my #4 and #5 weight. Ridge (England) is an excellent all-purpose line, as it can throw streamers but also has good delicate touch. I just bought Wolff Triangle Taper #5 weight but haven’t used it enough to really see what it can and can’t do but initial reaction is this will be the line. These lines all go around $60.

For what it’s worth, my personal experience with Rio lines hasn’t been good.
 
My pick would be Cortland 444sl 4 weight , the reason for that pick is it can cover alot of oppurtunities , a large range of applications.
 
I have had good luck with Rio lines although I have heard different from others. My 7ft 4wt is paired up with the Rio Selective Trout line and so far so good.

Orvis wonderline has also been good line that's held up, especially for the price. I think I have an almost new DT 4 wt line laying around here collecting dust, if you're interested let me know. I probably casted it 10 or so times and I just didn't like the DT in my 9ft 4wt. It would probably do very well in a smaller rod.

I have also heard great things about the SA lines, although I have not used them, YET.

Ridgeline users seem to love that line, but that's another that I have no experience with.
 
Look here Bruno...

http://www.flyshopcloseouts.com/cpoint201/category.htm?categoryId=18098&catalogStyleId=528
 
My experience with the Rio line (Selective Trout) was it cast well but from a durability standpoint, it developed a lot of cracks within one year. I take excellent care of my lines removing, cleaning with water, drying, lightly stretching and then re-wrapping the line on the original spool after each use and still have very useable Cortland 444 lines from 30 years ago so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t due to misuse.

I’ve also used the SA General Presentation Series line on my 5 weight. The GPS is one of those ½ line size heavier lines. It works well but isn’t a delicate line by any means.

The Wolff TT line is a completely different design, as it is neither WF (short front taper, belly, running line) nor DT (short front taper, long belly, short rear taper). The Wolff TT line is a continuous front taper with the fattest part of the entire line about 35 feet from the front tip and the remaining line from this point to the tail end a running line. From 35 feet to the front tip the line is one continuous taper with the diameter continually decreasing the entire distance. The benefit of this design is heavier line is always turning over lighter line. I can say this is the best roll casting line I have ever used and it really turns over nicely.
 
I bought a Scientific Anglers Mastery GPX 4WF on clearance sale, marked down to $20. I'm sold on good line, now, and suspect that in a couple years I'll be more willing to throw down the full $60 for this stuff again.
 
I got some Orvis Wonderline at that price last year. Just started using it so don't know how it will hold up. I don't know if I'd buy it again--it comes off the reel in "coils"--maybe after some use but it roll casts real well off my little 3 wt. I got some SA Mastery Series this year that I like.
 
My problem is that I bought my line at wal-mart last year and it is supposed to be floating now this year I am getting more into it this year than last year and last year I only went out a handful of times last year and it now seems to sink onme and I switched the line around yesterday so I will find out if that worked. hopefully the water is cleared up on sunday.
 
Bruno, forgot to mention that a furled leader may also be of benefit with any reasonable type of line to add to the delicate presentation you seek. I haven't fished with them much, but I recently bought one and was impressed by how easily the fly turned and how delicate the fly was presented.

GreenWeenie, I had the same problem with the first Rio Grand line I purchased for my 5 wt but the 4 WT Rio Grand I have has held up very well and has remained in great condition for 3 years. Not sure if I got a bad line or if they have improved the line over the years.

Rio makes Sage lines so the guys in my local fly shop have told me. Confirmed through somebody at Rio, although they didn't come out and blatantly say that.
 
Chetty82 wrote:
My problem is that I bought my line at wal-mart last year and it is supposed to be floating now this year I am getting more into it this year than last year and last year I only went out a handful of times last year and it now seems to sink onme and I switched the line around yesterday so I will find out if that worked. hopefully the water is cleared up on sunday.
Click to expand...

Clean it. Swish it around in warm water with a few drops of dish detergent and then dry it off by running it through some towels. When you spool it back on, use a little line conditioner, Walmart sells the Cortland stuff with the cleaning pads.

It'll put life back into the line.
 
thankx gfen I will definitely try that out.
 
gfen wrote:
Chetty82 wrote:
My problem is that I bought my line at wal-mart last year and it is supposed to be floating now this year I am getting more into it this year than last year and last year I only went out a handful of times last year and it now seems to sink onme and I switched the line around yesterday so I will find out if that worked. hopefully the water is cleared up on sunday.
Click to expand...

Clean it. Swish it around in warm water with a few drops of dish detergent and then dry it off by running it through some towels. When you spool it back on, use a little line conditioner, Walmart sells the Cortland stuff with the cleaning pads.

It'll put life back into the line.
Click to expand...

This is good advice. I will however give another bit of advice. Don't just go swishing the line around or you will end up with the knots of all knots. I 've posted about my horrible experience cleaning my line. I almost gave up fly fishing on the spot when it took me over two hours to untangle the knot that resulted from the aforementioned cleaning technique. What I do now is layout a bunch of old newspapers on my living room floor, lock the dog in the basement, and clean the line with a rag with warm water and soap as I strip the line off the reel. I make sure I lay the line in a nice wide diameter coil. Then I let it dry and put the conditioner on. I'll let the line sit with the conditioner on it for about an hour, then just reel the line in while using a shamwow to clean the conditioner off the line.
 
I've found SA lines to float better but also have more memory -- they are "stiffer" relatively and don't cast as well as Cortland.

Orvis lines are similar to SA.

IMO, Cortland lines cast better but don't float as well if you don't clean you line frequently. But for me, this is a mute point since I clean my lines after EVERY trip, they always float like a cork.

Bottom "line" -- I recommend Cortland 333, or 444 and cleaning it after every trip.
 
I primarily fish Orvis Wonderline. I have one reel with SA Mastery Trout line. I like the Wonderline slightly better, but they are both good. I have some line that is probably 4 seasons old. It is still in decent condition. I do, however, clean and condition (UV protector) my line after almost every trip. Even with the more expensive lines, I can tell that the line becomes harder to cast after a few hours of fishing. Cleaning the line after each fishing trip makes it fish much better next time. I will also second the furled leaders. They can make the presentation much softer.
 
Zipcast works great and a fly line cleaner/protector and leaves the line slick. It's sold and made by a guy from Downingtown, PA:

http://flyreeldots.com/page/p2sk/Welcome.html
 
Sharkskin is the best fly line that I have ever used. Period, end of story. It shoots great, is very supple, has no memory (even at 30 degrees f), floats better than anything anywhere. I have owned only premium lines, and this is top of the line stuff.

JG
 
JG:

How long have you had that shark line?
I'm just wondering if it tends to hold dirt in that rough finish, and maybe hard to clean it?
 
I've had my sharkskin since August. I have only 2 complaints. First it seems to tangle easier than normal line, but only in the way some stiffer sinking lines do. The other thing is that last year on the Yough, following hours of long cast and much stripping, I managed to saw about a 1/4 inch into my finger. Other than that I find it to be everything it is touted to be. Casts awesome...especially roll casting. But I did not pay $99 for mine...I got it free. So there was not risk involved and I was always going to get my money's worth.

I fish the local lake a good bit so I get my share of algae and gunk on the line. But It seems to come off fairly easily. I rarely cleaned my old lines anyway and one (cortland 333HT, yellow DT5) lasted me over 10 years.
 
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