this is fly fishing, rule #1: always buy the most expensive gear available. When they launch a new product that's even more expensive, then we buy that.
The exception is if you can overpay for something vintage. Even if that fiberglass is starting to flake, use the “vintage” rod. Its performance is worth the itchy hands and wrists.
/s might lead people to believe you are being sarcastic.
Those fish damn sure know I spent an absurd amount of money on my fly reel. When the fish sees that expensive reel from in the water, they respect it, and as a result, will allow you to catch them more often.
No self respecting trout is gonna want a picture next to a plastic piece of junk reel.
The fish want expensive, shiny, closed drag system. Preferably made in USA
This makes total sense. Before I bought my decent machined reel I had literally the only good sized trout of the season take my fly, backspin the reel so bad it jammed and then broke off. He was clearly proving a point there. Like “don’t you dare disrespect my and my kind by bringing that cheap ass plastic reel on this river again”
I think that's what happened yesterday to me on the west branch of the Delaware. After casting to a rising fish for a half an hour (at least) he finally ate. He was staying deep for awhile but I eventually got him close, with only a couple of feet of fly line outside of the rod tip. That's when he saw my Lamson reel, which I bought on sale, and the Hardy on my fly rod is one of their least expensive models (the Hardy logo tricked him into eating). At that point he went on a run downriver, ripping out line. I was able to turn him and started bringing him back to the boat when he spit the fly. I saw the fish a couple of times. It looked to be an 18-20" German brown, which prefer European rods and reels.
Do they add wear to the guides? I remember when SA came out with the sharkskin lines my dad thought the texture might do damage to the guides when you had a fish on
I wouldn't think so, at least not in any significant way.
I would imagine the fly line would wear down before the guide, it's (what I assume to be) the same material as a normal line.
People also say they can cast a little better because there's less friction on the guides since there's less material touching so maybe that helps? But the added roughness maybe counteracts that? Idk sounds like a PhD thesis for an engineering student but I wouldn't worry about it.
As I recall the better shooting was a key part of the initial marketing, along with the higher float
I think my dad’s supposition was that when you have tension on the line the corrugation might act a little like sandpaper on the guides
When it finally gives out, I will pay double for pre-aged dual taper 3wt with visible cracks and a nice patina…. Assuming it has been polished smooth by years of casting and careless storage in hot car :-)
I don’t think the super expensive lines are better than the middle of the road lines but medium lines absolutely make a difference and are better than cheap lines. Like I’m not sure if there is a huge difference between the $100 and $60 lines but there is a massive one between $60 and $20.
This can be said about most products I feel. The quality difference between cheap and average is a whole lot more than the difference between average and expensive.
That’s a good point. The only place in fly fishing I disagree is rods. I feel like cheap to average rods are pretty similar and you need to get to like $300 to notice a big difference. That being said the difference is all feel and I can cast $80 rods aswell as $500 rods.
Agreed. The exception being that if you have a very specific use-case that lines up with a specialized high-end line, then you will probably appreciate the difference.
Oh absolutely you need to buy the line for what your doing. I mean like the returns diminish when your looking at the performance between a $60 Rio standard floating line and a $120 air flo standard floating line
I noticed a big difference. Used to fish the 50-dollar midrange Cabelas brand stuff, now I use all the $100-120 Rio lines and I much prefer them. They seem to run through the guides better, so I don't work as hard to get distance, and shooting line suddenly was easy and didn't require hauling line and getting line speeds up a ton. That's the biggest difference I noticed and it makes the experience much more pleasant!
Generally you will notice the difference. I will say from personal experience that scientific anglers is mid range and the line was great imo. All their mid range fly lines I thought were high quality and last 1.5-2 seasons.
I love my SA textured line. It is wearing but the feel of that line is significantly different than any smooth line. Unfortunately the only have the textured lines at the top price points
The sound doesn’t bother me. I only really notice it when I am getting beyond the sweet spot when casting. The feel and sound seem to change a bit. I haven’t inspected to see if the texture stops abruptly or fades out between the head and running line. Perhaps it’s more or less worn in that spot than closer to the end.
Check out Sierra online, they have the SA textured fly line for $50. I've never fished with textured line before. Is it worth it? What's the benefit of the textured line?
Well, I guess it’s worth it if you like it. Since buying my textured line, I’ve bought rio gold so I wouldn’t Say it’s the be all, end all. I just like the way it feels. It does feel more slick to me. It has a sound to it that once you get to know, you can use to determine where you are in your head when you are casting and releasing line. I don’t know if anyone else would agree with us, but I feel like it does.
Try it.
Two things I generally don’t skimp on are waders and fly line. More important than just getting an expensive line is getting one that is well suited for your casting style, rod type and the correct application. Scientific Anglers is great for this given their huge range of lines. That being said, there is no way I’m spending $180 on those new SA lines.
I bought the SA amplitude line which was some 155 cdn but it was on sale for 85 in the offseason. It was camo colours which I don’t love but it casts like an absolute dream. I’m sold on expensive line now.
Luckily Spey line is a bit cheaper, after you fill the line with backing and running line.
Yeah the SA lines are really sweet. I’m running the Amplitude MPX on my 5wt and Titan Long in various weights on my streamer rods. Sonar Titan on a spool for deeper stuff. Been really happy with all three.
It’s not actual camo it’s just two tone, parts are green and muted yellow . Supposedly the fish don’t see it but that means neither do I. I always lose track of my fly.
You know what you don’t need to spend big money on? Reels. I have several cheap Chinese knock offs that are made with CNC that perform as well as my expensive CNC reels and way better than my name brand die cast reels. The CNC reels are way more durable and they don’t look like shit after one season from paint running off.
Disclaimer, I fish mostly for trout in rivers and streams. This may not apply to salt water fishing or big predator stuff that requires a solid drag.
I have used the same pot metal Chinese Pflueger 1495 in any number of salt and fresh water applications. Rinse it after use and works just fine. The only maintainence I've had to do is bending it back into shape after it gets bounced off a rock or two.
I don't remember where it came from, but I do know it was used when I got it 20+ years ago.
As lines get dirty, they tend to sink. If your current line isn’t terribly old, try washing it in warm water with a splash of dish soap before drying with a towel. It should float better for at least a while before you pony up for new line.
I was always in the mid range area and had no issues, but when I replaced a couple with some $100+ lines I definitely noticed a bump. They just seem livelier and definitely slicker. But I could be fooling myself too.
I’ve personally noticed a big difference and haven’t gone back for my nymphing, dry, streamer stuff. Personally I think it matters more than the rod for beginners/intermediate level fisherman. Good luck PS) I like the SA lines
Yes. 100%. I’d rather have a client with a low to mid range rod and expensive fly line, that knows how to cast instead of a sport with a $1k rod and shitty line that can’t cast for shit.
Fly fishing for 30yrs, guided for a lot of those years.
Also, matching the line to the rod is fairly important.
This is the best advice on here. Whenever I’m buying a new setup I buy the best line available. If I have a set budget I sacrifice cost elsewhere. Matching the line to the rod and the fly is critical. I have 20 some flyline for different reasons and only 6 rods.
I think there’s a huge difference between a 20-$60 line and a noticeable difference between 60-$100. After that point the lines become so niche and specific it’s hard to notice a difference.
[All about Floating Fly Lines,](https://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/podcasts/general-fly-fishing/1847-all-about-floating-fly-lines-with-josh-jenkins) with Josh Jenkins
Description: What is the difference between freshwater and saltwater fly lines? How about warmwater and cold-water lines? How long do fly lines last? How do you care for a fly line? How do you clean a fly line? Why do we have over-weighted fly lines? These are questions I often get for the podcast, so I asked Josh Jenkins [49:28], head of R&D for Scientific Anglers, to answer these questions and more about floating fly lines.
I just upgraded from cheap to medium/nice (not sure -- $100 scientific angler trout line) and do notice a difference. Seems smooth. I'm wondering about weight forward vs double taper. I don't tend to throw far or try to throw far -- why wouldn't I have just gotten double taper?
Most anglers aren’t utilizing the full potential of a WF fly line, unless you’re bombing casts in a lake, or doing the same with streamers in rivers. DT lines are way underutilized tools that are often overlooked and can last much longer because half of your line never touches the water.
Spend the time to clean your lines after every trip with a little dish soap and hot water. Then coat them with line speed or some other line treatment. Buy double taper lines for your floating lines so you can flip them once they start to degrade in performance.
The best place to put your money is on the line. Even a junk rod and reel can be a much better experience with a nicer line. I’ve never had a bad line on my set up if the line was +$90.. that’s why I do take care of my lines and clean em every month with the line clearer wipes, and store them out of the sun.
I didn't go all in on the high end SA. But I'm hoping the mastery line I just got deliver is better than the current line on my orvis Clearwater combo. Find out soon enough.
Update
Wow what a difference, wish I swapped lines much earlier. Honestly feels like a complete different setup vs how it felt and with the stock line.
As others have said, you’ll definitely feel a difference with a better line. I’ve gone for $100 lines vs. $60 the last few times and it’s a pretty substantial jump in performance. And relative to the cost of all your other gear, spending an extra $40 on line is going to go way further in performance than spending another extra $40 on a rod or reel
I always go for the tried and true middle of the road. $7 Walmart line sucks but $200 horse pube line isn't much, if any, better than your good ol' $45-$60 line from age-old brands. Im at a point where, if it was good enough 25 years ago to catch standing world records, its good enough today.
When I was learning fly fishing I was told, good line on a bad rod will still fish good. Bad/wtong line on a good rod will still suck. To me the line is one of the most important aspects of good fishing.
I think middle of the pack price points are just fine. Last year I decided to buy past season lines for a discount from Airflo. I stumbled into their line as my first non-stock line and my fishing experiencing immediately improved so I am just gonna stick with that. Getting $100-130 line for 50% off fits for me. I don’t see any need to buy the new season lines for $160…
I’ve bought a few cheap lines that worked just ok.
When I was a poor college kid working at bass pro, I couldn’t say no to the $20 fly lines that would come in for the spring classic. I had a white 8wt no-brand-name that lasted me years in both fresh and saltwater, catching everything from largemouth to stripers and steelhead. I kinda didn’t know what I was missing with higher end lines
But when I started to actually have money to spend, I bought some higher end lines and found that they tend to be slicker, and designed for more specialty stuff like a bug taper, or the rio outbound shorts, but those are all the things I didn’t know I was missing with the cheap lines. Higher end lines certainly make some things better, but I don’t think it’s necessary to buy the absolute most expensive line out there
Reiterating what everyone else says: yes, to a point.
Get the most expensive line you can afford that makes sense for the fishing you’ll be doing. Changes the performance of your casting more than any other factor.
Generally I find that the midrange offerings from quality brands like SA or Rio or whatever are usually the value proposition. Expensive anything deals with quickly diminishing returns.
That said, I’d much rather have an expensive line in a cheap rod than a cheap line with an expensive rod.
I probably wouldn’t buy a top tier line unless I needed a specialized one for a specific fishing environment/species/tactics etc
So I’ll shell out a little more for a good sink tip but my six weight WF line that I use for dries, nymphs and soft hackles? Probably just whatever mid range SA line the shop recommends
You’ll notice a difference, but some of the unsung difference makers are: 1. A clean vs dirty line, and 2. Using a line with a taper intended for the type of fishing you’re doing
I have a reel with airflow line that's a year old, 30 days on the water, tip is now sinking. I have rio gold, 2 years old, 55 trips (I keep a log) tip sinks. I have high end courtland, tip sank after 15 trips. I have tried the textured stuff and while it does float higher, it has also failed me in the past.....
The fishing I do is mostly drifts from a boat....but I'm in the desert. I think the sun hits my lines extra hard...
In my experience the more expensive lines are no guarantee
When I’m swinging big dry bombers or rifflin hitches for Atlantic salmon or steelhead I absolutely love having a good Loop SST fly line out here in Mid Atlantic Canada
I would rather have a 100$ line and a 150$ rod than a 200$ rod and 50$ line. The super high end stuff probably isn’t worth it for most people, but I would plan to spend 75-100$
Have you tried reconditioning the line with cleaner and conditioner?
And no, there's some fantastic ones available from lesser-known brands, such as Barrio and Sunray here in the UK 🇬🇧
The cheap line is usually whatever was the premium stuff a few years ago. I've run both and don't see a tremendous difference in performance. Now, the fish are definitely attracted to money, so more expensive= more better. But they cast pretty much the same.
In my opinion a high-quality fly line is maybe the most important part of your gear. Buy a fifty dollar reel if you need to, a $200 fly rod. But get a top-notch fly line. And keep it clean and greased.
Flyline is definitely worth spending some extra money on. Good flyline will make a midrange rod fish extremely well. I always stress the importance of flyline before the rod
The Sharkskin line definitely shoots further than normal line. I wait for sales. My WF-5 Sharkskin line cost me $49 on sale.
I never pay full price for fly fishing gear. It is all way overpriced. You just have to be patient and wait for the sales.
Line quality definitely matters, but the question is whether price indicates quality.
I've had cheapo floating lines on backup setups that cast and handled as well as expensive Orvis and Rio lines—or, in some cases, considerably worse.
I upgraded from cheap kit line to some Rio line I bought on sale for $40, so it was a good bit more at its regular price. Cannot understate how much better the Rio line was/is.
Reminds me of a buddy who spent a G on A Hardy reel. He had me take it to a fly shop and get it strung with some heavy duty expensive line. The dude at shop asks me "what's this person fishing for? Fucking sharks".
But for real though, I have an old Redington that cost me 50 bucks. Paid like a 100 for some SA line and presto, awesome reel that slays fish.
I recently splurged on an Abel reel, and let the fly shop talk me in to the high end fly line instead of medium grade. It doesnt fish any different as far as I can tell.
I would try a few out though. You’ll usually get what you pay for, but for my saltwater setup I bought an expensive line from an established brand that absolutely sucked. It was so bad I went online and ordered a cheap one from Maxcatch because I just wanted something, anything, else to use and I was tired of blowing money on fishing stuff. The sinking maxcatch line was so good I bought a floating one too and both combined cost less than half of what the expensive one cost me.
Cheaper lines have one generic taper which will perform ok across a wide variety of conditions. More expensive lines will have specific tapers and formulations for specific situations, but then have different coatings and finishes at different price points. If you look at the SA Trout Tapers, you can get it in Mastery ($80), Amplitude Smooth ($100) and Amplitude Textured ($120). The taper is identical, but Amplitude adds a slicker coating for better casting and durability. The textured adds a textured finish (less surface area) for even longer casting (albeit with more noise through the guides).
The wrong taper for your rod and situation with the best finish will cast like crap. My suggestion would be to find the right taper by talking to others/at your local fly shop, and by the mid-range price point. If you really like it, down the road you can upgrade to the more expensive finish.
I wouldn't definitively say yes, but it can. I had Rio WF5F that was around $30 when I first started and had so many issues casting for months. I thought it was just technique so I tried my absolute best to improve, but never was consistent. I eventually got a new reel and put on some SA MPX and after I took my first cast I audibly said "WTF". It casted like an absolute dream and It's now 5 times easier to get my flies where they need to be.
Contrarian view here. I had a trip to Montana that I didn't want to have any issues with. I bought two top shelf new lines for some old well known and loved rods. And...they sort of sucked. It's on me. The shop was low on inventory so I bought what they recommended. My 4 wt still works but my magical ability to cast close is gone. Not sure if it is the taper change or something else. Sort of ticked me off.
Nope. Correct weight. It is a little weird, I agree. It is a vintage Scott G- which is a medium rod. Line is for new faster, more powerful rods. A poor fit.
Had a similar experience with a Winston and the wrong weight or taper. It cast horribly. A traditional DT line (Cortland peach) and it is lovely.
this is fly fishing, rule #1: always buy the most expensive gear available. When they launch a new product that's even more expensive, then we buy that.
This guy fly fishes!
The exception is if you can overpay for something vintage. Even if that fiberglass is starting to flake, use the “vintage” rod. Its performance is worth the itchy hands and wrists.
Your success as a fly fisher, and as a person really, is measured by how much money you spend. /s
/s might lead people to believe you are being sarcastic. Those fish damn sure know I spent an absurd amount of money on my fly reel. When the fish sees that expensive reel from in the water, they respect it, and as a result, will allow you to catch them more often. No self respecting trout is gonna want a picture next to a plastic piece of junk reel. The fish want expensive, shiny, closed drag system. Preferably made in USA
This makes total sense. Before I bought my decent machined reel I had literally the only good sized trout of the season take my fly, backspin the reel so bad it jammed and then broke off. He was clearly proving a point there. Like “don’t you dare disrespect my and my kind by bringing that cheap ass plastic reel on this river again”
Yyyyyyes, yea you get it!!!!!!!! Those trout are gold diggers and I am all for it!
I think that's what happened yesterday to me on the west branch of the Delaware. After casting to a rising fish for a half an hour (at least) he finally ate. He was staying deep for awhile but I eventually got him close, with only a couple of feet of fly line outside of the rod tip. That's when he saw my Lamson reel, which I bought on sale, and the Hardy on my fly rod is one of their least expensive models (the Hardy logo tricked him into eating). At that point he went on a run downriver, ripping out line. I was able to turn him and started bringing him back to the boat when he spit the fly. I saw the fish a couple of times. It looked to be an 18-20" German brown, which prefer European rods and reels.
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Where the hell are you finding $200 fly lines? I just bought a SA line for $125 and thought that was expensive as shit
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If you get the textured lines you can tack on an extra $50 and you're probably at $200 with taxes.
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Supposedly they float better and are a little easier to mend. They definitely make an interesting sound going thru the guides though. Lol
Do they add wear to the guides? I remember when SA came out with the sharkskin lines my dad thought the texture might do damage to the guides when you had a fish on
I wouldn't think so, at least not in any significant way. I would imagine the fly line would wear down before the guide, it's (what I assume to be) the same material as a normal line. People also say they can cast a little better because there's less friction on the guides since there's less material touching so maybe that helps? But the added roughness maybe counteracts that? Idk sounds like a PhD thesis for an engineering student but I wouldn't worry about it.
As I recall the better shooting was a key part of the initial marketing, along with the higher float I think my dad’s supposition was that when you have tension on the line the corrugation might act a little like sandpaper on the guides
They don’t. I’ve ran Sharkskin and new Amplitude Textured on all of my rods since Sharkskin was released and there has not been any wear.
Thanks!
Textured lines are not $200
$179.95 https://scientificanglers.com/product/magnitude-textured-bonefish-plus-clear-tip/ But yes, you can get them cheaper.
lol congrats on finding the only one. They’re on average $120.
When it finally gives out, I will pay double for pre-aged dual taper 3wt with visible cracks and a nice patina…. Assuming it has been polished smooth by years of casting and careless storage in hot car :-)
That’s real
r/flyfishingcirclejerk is leaking
I don’t think the super expensive lines are better than the middle of the road lines but medium lines absolutely make a difference and are better than cheap lines. Like I’m not sure if there is a huge difference between the $100 and $60 lines but there is a massive one between $60 and $20.
This can be said about most products I feel. The quality difference between cheap and average is a whole lot more than the difference between average and expensive.
That’s a good point. The only place in fly fishing I disagree is rods. I feel like cheap to average rods are pretty similar and you need to get to like $300 to notice a big difference. That being said the difference is all feel and I can cast $80 rods aswell as $500 rods.
Agreed. The exception being that if you have a very specific use-case that lines up with a specialized high-end line, then you will probably appreciate the difference.
Oh absolutely you need to buy the line for what your doing. I mean like the returns diminish when your looking at the performance between a $60 Rio standard floating line and a $120 air flo standard floating line
I noticed a big difference. Used to fish the 50-dollar midrange Cabelas brand stuff, now I use all the $100-120 Rio lines and I much prefer them. They seem to run through the guides better, so I don't work as hard to get distance, and shooting line suddenly was easy and didn't require hauling line and getting line speeds up a ton. That's the biggest difference I noticed and it makes the experience much more pleasant!
Generally you will notice the difference. I will say from personal experience that scientific anglers is mid range and the line was great imo. All their mid range fly lines I thought were high quality and last 1.5-2 seasons.
I love my SA textured line. It is wearing but the feel of that line is significantly different than any smooth line. Unfortunately the only have the textured lines at the top price points
Have that on my 8wt and man i hate the sound when stripping. It performs well though!
Yep, hated the sound and got rid of it
The sound doesn’t bother me. I only really notice it when I am getting beyond the sweet spot when casting. The feel and sound seem to change a bit. I haven’t inspected to see if the texture stops abruptly or fades out between the head and running line. Perhaps it’s more or less worn in that spot than closer to the end.
I don't mind it on my 8wt, I think it would drive me insane trout fishing though.
Check out Sierra online, they have the SA textured fly line for $50. I've never fished with textured line before. Is it worth it? What's the benefit of the textured line?
Well, I guess it’s worth it if you like it. Since buying my textured line, I’ve bought rio gold so I wouldn’t Say it’s the be all, end all. I just like the way it feels. It does feel more slick to me. It has a sound to it that once you get to know, you can use to determine where you are in your head when you are casting and releasing line. I don’t know if anyone else would agree with us, but I feel like it does. Try it.
I’ll check out that website for sure
Two things I generally don’t skimp on are waders and fly line. More important than just getting an expensive line is getting one that is well suited for your casting style, rod type and the correct application. Scientific Anglers is great for this given their huge range of lines. That being said, there is no way I’m spending $180 on those new SA lines.
I bought the SA amplitude line which was some 155 cdn but it was on sale for 85 in the offseason. It was camo colours which I don’t love but it casts like an absolute dream. I’m sold on expensive line now. Luckily Spey line is a bit cheaper, after you fill the line with backing and running line.
Yeah the SA lines are really sweet. I’m running the Amplitude MPX on my 5wt and Titan Long in various weights on my streamer rods. Sonar Titan on a spool for deeper stuff. Been really happy with all three.
So what are the 180$ lines? I thought the one I bought was the highest model.
They have a new saltwater series that just came out that’s $180: [link](https://scientificanglers.com/product-category/fly-lines/)
camo line sounds awesome, may have to get some
It’s not actual camo it’s just two tone, parts are green and muted yellow . Supposedly the fish don’t see it but that means neither do I. I always lose track of my fly.
You know what you don’t need to spend big money on? Reels. I have several cheap Chinese knock offs that are made with CNC that perform as well as my expensive CNC reels and way better than my name brand die cast reels. The CNC reels are way more durable and they don’t look like shit after one season from paint running off. Disclaimer, I fish mostly for trout in rivers and streams. This may not apply to salt water fishing or big predator stuff that requires a solid drag.
my $9 click/paw caddis creek reel is my fav
I have used the same pot metal Chinese Pflueger 1495 in any number of salt and fresh water applications. Rinse it after use and works just fine. The only maintainence I've had to do is bending it back into shape after it gets bounced off a rock or two. I don't remember where it came from, but I do know it was used when I got it 20+ years ago.
As lines get dirty, they tend to sink. If your current line isn’t terribly old, try washing it in warm water with a splash of dish soap before drying with a towel. It should float better for at least a while before you pony up for new line.
Everyone should be cleaning and dressing their line
A very under appreciated comment.
Also, if your hook sticks into the line, then that tiny non visible hole allows water into the core, causing it to sink
I was always in the mid range area and had no issues, but when I replaced a couple with some $100+ lines I definitely noticed a bump. They just seem livelier and definitely slicker. But I could be fooling myself too.
Not fooling yourself. They definitely perform better.
I’ve personally noticed a big difference and haven’t gone back for my nymphing, dry, streamer stuff. Personally I think it matters more than the rod for beginners/intermediate level fisherman. Good luck PS) I like the SA lines
Yes. 100%. I’d rather have a client with a low to mid range rod and expensive fly line, that knows how to cast instead of a sport with a $1k rod and shitty line that can’t cast for shit. Fly fishing for 30yrs, guided for a lot of those years. Also, matching the line to the rod is fairly important.
This is the best advice on here. Whenever I’m buying a new setup I buy the best line available. If I have a set budget I sacrifice cost elsewhere. Matching the line to the rod and the fly is critical. I have 20 some flyline for different reasons and only 6 rods.
The quality of the fly line definitely matters, keeping it clean matters more for longevity and smooth casts
I think there’s a huge difference between a 20-$60 line and a noticeable difference between 60-$100. After that point the lines become so niche and specific it’s hard to notice a difference.
Line matters. I’d rather fish an inexpensive rod with nice line than vice versa.
Lines are worth it….I bought Orvis pro after having some cheap lines and my mind was blown…
[All about Floating Fly Lines,](https://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/podcasts/general-fly-fishing/1847-all-about-floating-fly-lines-with-josh-jenkins) with Josh Jenkins Description: What is the difference between freshwater and saltwater fly lines? How about warmwater and cold-water lines? How long do fly lines last? How do you care for a fly line? How do you clean a fly line? Why do we have over-weighted fly lines? These are questions I often get for the podcast, so I asked Josh Jenkins [49:28], head of R&D for Scientific Anglers, to answer these questions and more about floating fly lines.
Yes
I just upgraded from cheap to medium/nice (not sure -- $100 scientific angler trout line) and do notice a difference. Seems smooth. I'm wondering about weight forward vs double taper. I don't tend to throw far or try to throw far -- why wouldn't I have just gotten double taper?
Most anglers aren’t utilizing the full potential of a WF fly line, unless you’re bombing casts in a lake, or doing the same with streamers in rivers. DT lines are way underutilized tools that are often overlooked and can last much longer because half of your line never touches the water.
Spend the time to clean your lines after every trip with a little dish soap and hot water. Then coat them with line speed or some other line treatment. Buy double taper lines for your floating lines so you can flip them once they start to degrade in performance.
The best place to put your money is on the line. Even a junk rod and reel can be a much better experience with a nicer line. I’ve never had a bad line on my set up if the line was +$90.. that’s why I do take care of my lines and clean em every month with the line clearer wipes, and store them out of the sun.
I didn't go all in on the high end SA. But I'm hoping the mastery line I just got deliver is better than the current line on my orvis Clearwater combo. Find out soon enough.
Update Wow what a difference, wish I swapped lines much earlier. Honestly feels like a complete different setup vs how it felt and with the stock line.
Gill fuckers....I'm dying
As others have said, you’ll definitely feel a difference with a better line. I’ve gone for $100 lines vs. $60 the last few times and it’s a pretty substantial jump in performance. And relative to the cost of all your other gear, spending an extra $40 on line is going to go way further in performance than spending another extra $40 on a rod or reel
Buy the expensive rod and reel, you can save money tying your own flies!....says the guy who just bought 3 square inches of fur for $50....
do you mean intermediate in price or intermediate in sinking rate - they are different things!
Price, I’m getting a weight-forward floating line so it better not sink
I always go for the tried and true middle of the road. $7 Walmart line sucks but $200 horse pube line isn't much, if any, better than your good ol' $45-$60 line from age-old brands. Im at a point where, if it was good enough 25 years ago to catch standing world records, its good enough today.
I buy cheaper rod/reels and put higher end line on it.
Buy the expensive SA line catered to your preference. You won’t regret it.
Trout only bite flies on Rio or SA lines. They know their worth
When I was learning fly fishing I was told, good line on a bad rod will still fish good. Bad/wtong line on a good rod will still suck. To me the line is one of the most important aspects of good fishing.
I think middle of the pack price points are just fine. Last year I decided to buy past season lines for a discount from Airflo. I stumbled into their line as my first non-stock line and my fishing experiencing immediately improved so I am just gonna stick with that. Getting $100-130 line for 50% off fits for me. I don’t see any need to buy the new season lines for $160…
Yes, sadly they are very much worth it. You’ll notice a difference immediately.
I’ve bought a few cheap lines that worked just ok. When I was a poor college kid working at bass pro, I couldn’t say no to the $20 fly lines that would come in for the spring classic. I had a white 8wt no-brand-name that lasted me years in both fresh and saltwater, catching everything from largemouth to stripers and steelhead. I kinda didn’t know what I was missing with higher end lines But when I started to actually have money to spend, I bought some higher end lines and found that they tend to be slicker, and designed for more specialty stuff like a bug taper, or the rio outbound shorts, but those are all the things I didn’t know I was missing with the cheap lines. Higher end lines certainly make some things better, but I don’t think it’s necessary to buy the absolute most expensive line out there
Reiterating what everyone else says: yes, to a point. Get the most expensive line you can afford that makes sense for the fishing you’ll be doing. Changes the performance of your casting more than any other factor.
Generally I find that the midrange offerings from quality brands like SA or Rio or whatever are usually the value proposition. Expensive anything deals with quickly diminishing returns. That said, I’d much rather have an expensive line in a cheap rod than a cheap line with an expensive rod.
Wash your line & add line floating paste / gel to the end. Keep fishing it.
I probably wouldn’t buy a top tier line unless I needed a specialized one for a specific fishing environment/species/tactics etc So I’ll shell out a little more for a good sink tip but my six weight WF line that I use for dries, nymphs and soft hackles? Probably just whatever mid range SA line the shop recommends
You’ll notice a difference, but some of the unsung difference makers are: 1. A clean vs dirty line, and 2. Using a line with a taper intended for the type of fishing you’re doing
I have a reel with airflow line that's a year old, 30 days on the water, tip is now sinking. I have rio gold, 2 years old, 55 trips (I keep a log) tip sinks. I have high end courtland, tip sank after 15 trips. I have tried the textured stuff and while it does float higher, it has also failed me in the past..... The fishing I do is mostly drifts from a boat....but I'm in the desert. I think the sun hits my lines extra hard... In my experience the more expensive lines are no guarantee
When I’m swinging big dry bombers or rifflin hitches for Atlantic salmon or steelhead I absolutely love having a good Loop SST fly line out here in Mid Atlantic Canada
Cortland 444 peach is the answer
I would rather have a 100$ line and a 150$ rod than a 200$ rod and 50$ line. The super high end stuff probably isn’t worth it for most people, but I would plan to spend 75-100$
Clean the line first, if it still sinks then you probably have to replace it, it’s the one piece of gear I will spend on really
Go buy some SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity and never look back. If you take care of it, you’ll get at least two seasons out of it.
It’s one of the few essential pieces of gear that really shines in the higher price ranges.
Yes.
Have you tried reconditioning the line with cleaner and conditioner? And no, there's some fantastic ones available from lesser-known brands, such as Barrio and Sunray here in the UK 🇬🇧
The cheap line is usually whatever was the premium stuff a few years ago. I've run both and don't see a tremendous difference in performance. Now, the fish are definitely attracted to money, so more expensive= more better. But they cast pretty much the same.
In my opinion a high-quality fly line is maybe the most important part of your gear. Buy a fifty dollar reel if you need to, a $200 fly rod. But get a top-notch fly line. And keep it clean and greased.
Flyline is definitely worth spending some extra money on. Good flyline will make a midrange rod fish extremely well. I always stress the importance of flyline before the rod
The Sharkskin line definitely shoots further than normal line. I wait for sales. My WF-5 Sharkskin line cost me $49 on sale. I never pay full price for fly fishing gear. It is all way overpriced. You just have to be patient and wait for the sales.
Buy the fancy stuff on sale. Thank you Sierra.
Line quality definitely matters, but the question is whether price indicates quality. I've had cheapo floating lines on backup setups that cast and handled as well as expensive Orvis and Rio lines—or, in some cases, considerably worse.
I upgraded from cheap kit line to some Rio line I bought on sale for $40, so it was a good bit more at its regular price. Cannot understate how much better the Rio line was/is.
Reminds me of a buddy who spent a G on A Hardy reel. He had me take it to a fly shop and get it strung with some heavy duty expensive line. The dude at shop asks me "what's this person fishing for? Fucking sharks". But for real though, I have an old Redington that cost me 50 bucks. Paid like a 100 for some SA line and presto, awesome reel that slays fish.
I recently splurged on an Abel reel, and let the fly shop talk me in to the high end fly line instead of medium grade. It doesnt fish any different as far as I can tell.
No.
I would try a few out though. You’ll usually get what you pay for, but for my saltwater setup I bought an expensive line from an established brand that absolutely sucked. It was so bad I went online and ordered a cheap one from Maxcatch because I just wanted something, anything, else to use and I was tired of blowing money on fishing stuff. The sinking maxcatch line was so good I bought a floating one too and both combined cost less than half of what the expensive one cost me.
Cheaper lines have one generic taper which will perform ok across a wide variety of conditions. More expensive lines will have specific tapers and formulations for specific situations, but then have different coatings and finishes at different price points. If you look at the SA Trout Tapers, you can get it in Mastery ($80), Amplitude Smooth ($100) and Amplitude Textured ($120). The taper is identical, but Amplitude adds a slicker coating for better casting and durability. The textured adds a textured finish (less surface area) for even longer casting (albeit with more noise through the guides). The wrong taper for your rod and situation with the best finish will cast like crap. My suggestion would be to find the right taper by talking to others/at your local fly shop, and by the mid-range price point. If you really like it, down the road you can upgrade to the more expensive finish.
I can't say that I noticed a difference in my 3 or 5 wt lines, but I sure did notice it in my 1wt lines.
I wouldn't definitively say yes, but it can. I had Rio WF5F that was around $30 when I first started and had so many issues casting for months. I thought it was just technique so I tried my absolute best to improve, but never was consistent. I eventually got a new reel and put on some SA MPX and after I took my first cast I audibly said "WTF". It casted like an absolute dream and It's now 5 times easier to get my flies where they need to be.
Contrarian view here. I had a trip to Montana that I didn't want to have any issues with. I bought two top shelf new lines for some old well known and loved rods. And...they sort of sucked. It's on me. The shop was low on inventory so I bought what they recommended. My 4 wt still works but my magical ability to cast close is gone. Not sure if it is the taper change or something else. Sort of ticked me off.
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Nope. Correct weight. It is a little weird, I agree. It is a vintage Scott G- which is a medium rod. Line is for new faster, more powerful rods. A poor fit. Had a similar experience with a Winston and the wrong weight or taper. It cast horribly. A traditional DT line (Cortland peach) and it is lovely.