Line Choice

What line does everyone use and recommend? I am looking at getting TenkaraBum's High Viz Level Line for my Amago. I have used 15# stren fluorocast, 17# carbon gold fluorocarbon, and 20# suffix fluorocarbon. The 15# seemed extremely light and hard to cast. The carbon gold was a little easier but still difficult with any wind. The suffix was easiest to cast and did okay with wind but not directly into it. All 3 of these lines are hard to see so I wanted something a little more visible. I do have a couple lines made from the running line of a 4wt wf but it is harder to hold off the water and tiring to cast all day. I was thinking of getting the size 4 and size 5 Hi-Vis Orange Fluorocarbon from TB. Also, I plan on getting Tenkara Fishing's 10' 6:4 rod. Plan on getting there 10' cutthroat furled hi-viz line to go along with it. Will the TB hi-viz 4/5 LL be good with this rod? Should I get 13' furled line for the Amago? Is there any major advantage to using a furled line over the LL. Thanks for the help.

I have never tried Stren Fluorocast. Their Clear Blue Fluorescent Fluorocarbon does seem a little less dense than the Hi-Vis line, though, so the Fluorocast, which I believe they have tried to make even limper to feel and cast more like mono (from spinning reels), might be a bit harder to cast. However, 15# test should be heavy enough, and the 17# carbon gold certainly is, and should be comparable toe the size 4 line. The 20#, which would be comparable to the size 5, is heavy enough that I would only use it in a breeze because I find it hard to hold off the water's surface. I can't even imagine using the running line from a 4wt WF line.

I would say the size 4 casts nicely with the Amago, and should also work well with the 10' Tenkara Fishing 6:4 rod. The size 5 might feel a little heavy on the 10 footer but will be fine with the Amago. (Actually, nothing is going to feel heavy compared to the running line!) Also, compared to their Cutthroat furled line, the size 5 might not feel so heavy (especially after the furled line gets waterlogged - which it eventyually will even if treated with the paste floatant).

Furled lines will almost certainly be heavier than either the 4 or the 5. That means they will be easier to cast but harder to keep off the water's surface. They will also have a thicker cross section and be more susceptible to being blown about by the wind.

If you are having trouble casting the 15# and even the 17# fluorocarbon lines, I suspect your casting form could use some adjustment. Start the cast with the forearm a little above horizontal. Bend your elbow to raise the forearm a few inches, then bend your wrist until the rod is about vertical. If you are facing 9 o'clock, the rod should not go past 12:30. Wait a moment for the line to straighten out behind you. With the 17# line you should feel it tug on the rod when it does. Start the forward cast by bring your forearm back down and then accellerating the rod as you straighten the wrist. It should feel almost like flicking a water droplet off your finger tip. The wrist accelleration loads the rod (from it's own inertial, not line weight) and when you make an abrupt stop with the rod at 10 o'clock, the rod tip springs forward, propelling the line. As the line is unrolling, raise the rod tip slightly to about 10:30.
Most casting problems, especially by new tenkara anglers, stem from stopping the forward cast with the rod much too low, and not nearly abruptly enough. That is also probably why many beginning anglers prefer furled lines, which are almost universally heavier than level lines.

If you do not stop your forward cast with the rod high, the last direction the rod tip takes is almost straight down (from 10 o'cloct to 9 o'clock). The line will try to follow the rod tip. The greater inertia of he heavier furled line will resist the downward movement of the rod tip better than a light level line. If you stop your foreward cast with the rod still high, the light level line will still travel forward rather than down. Raising the rod tip slightly as the line unrolls helps to turn over the tippet. On a still day, a good caster can easily cast 8# test fluorocarbon.

However, nothing will help you much if you are fishing in windy conditions. The main advantage of tenkara is being able to keep the line off the water's surface so drag isn't an issue. You can't do that with a heavy line, but you can't cast a very light line in the wind.

Ordered my line Early Thursday morning from Tenkara Bum and got it in the mail today. I made a 15' line for the Amago and tried casting it in the wind. The wind had the size 4 blowing all over the place when I was holding it off the water so I can't really give it a review. I can tell you I had no problem seeing the line what so ever so I am sure it will help me detect more biting fish. Thanks again for the help Chris.