DG, what if you were able to get to fish you couldn't get to before. A line that did everything you dreamed of because it is more suppler than anything else.
But you tried and didn't like, so never mind.;)
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DG, what if you were able to get to fish you couldn't get to before. A line that did everything you dreamed of because it is more suppler than anything else.
But you tried and didn't like, so never mind.;)
Sully,
The first time I used SA SS was on a 4 wt. The first thing I noticed was it shooting head like performance. Because of the textured design it has less surface area that comes in contact with the guides and less contact mean less friction so the line just slips through the guides.
I have several Rio Gold lines I paid $70.00 each for and they are the finest lines I have ever used and yes to me they are worth their price.
Lanny
First of all, thanks to everyone who has posted to this thread and to my post. I'm trying to glean all the information I can. Secondly, a couple of things about me.
1. I seem to have a distance brick wall of around 65 feet on a good day. So many of the rivers I fish have fish holding at lesser distances so that's not a problem. However, there is always the fish, foam line, pocket water or whatever that is 5 feet further than I can cast. That has me wondering about these so called performance lines. Take 5 more steps into the river you say? There in lies my dilemma.
2. My wading skills have all but disappeared. Ankle deep is about my limit these days, due to nerve damage and atrophied leg muscles. My balance to say the least is pi$$ poor. All I have to do is get my wading boots wet, and I can fall over. So, I'm pretty much stuck with fishing from shore.
I had the opportunity to fish with a SS line this last summer and found myself fishing the other side of the river. It casts that well for me. That being said, first I have to find the $100 then I need to spend the $100. That kind of rubs my fur backwards not to mention completely depleting any kind of budget I might or might not have. So, I'm kind of wondering if the Ridge Line would do the same things as a SS but for $40 less. For about 5 years now, I've been fishing as 444 Peach and really like it. But there is always the fish, foam line or pocket water 5 feet beyond. There you have it. The reasoning for my post, and I thank all who have responded.
Blessings,
Milady, I can cast as far as I can effectively fish, if not a little bit farther. Being able to cast another five or ten feet would not, on almost any water I fish, result in me catching any more fish. My inability to reach a fish now and then does not cause feelings of inadequacy which I must assuage by buying crap I don't need. My gear doesn't catch fish, *I* catch fish, and I seem to do fairly well at it. And, frankly, catching one more fish a day because I could cast another couple feet wouldn't be worth a $40 difference to me. And having cast the sharkskin, I did not see that it resulted in any improvements to my casting range or accuracy, while I DID notice that it was annoying as hell going zzzt zzzt zzzt through the guides and would be a wonderful tool for sawing off fingers while stripping line. As I have seen friends do with it (well, maybe not off) :p.
So, while these lines may be the next best thing to sliced bread for SOME people, that does not have to hold true for others. I do not like the sharkskin. My opinion is as valid as anyone else's. On the other hand, nobody has to CARE what my opinion is. Nor do I feel in any way bad about NOT giving only positive reviews of products I have used.
As for the Airflo ridgeline, I bought a couple Airflo lines several years ago, and they fell apart within the first hundred hours of use, and I never bought another one, nor do I intend to. If someone wants to change my opinion of the company by giving me a free line to try, I will give it a fair shake, but I won't shell out any more $ for one.
Lotech...."But there is always the fish, foam line or pocket water 5 feet beyond."......
There in is the rub...
I think you stated the real issue....
The other issue..... Is it worth it?
Disclaimer.....
I posted without seeing all the recent posts....I was not responding ....
This may be going in the wrong direction....
A friend of mine accompanied me into a fly shop in Colorado this past summer...
He wanted (maybe needed, his line was pretty old) a new fly line.
I'd heard some pretty nice things about the Sharkskin lines..and told him about them.
He bought one. I got to cast it ;).
I like the line, and I'll buy one when I next need to replace a floating line.
He's a better caster than I am. He was impressed with how the line casts...
But he HATES the NOISE. Nothing in anything I'd read or had been told mentioned anything about how loud these lines are.
He dislikes the sound so much I may get this line free....(the sound doesn't bother me).
Anyone else notice this...did he maybe get a 'bad' line (I know the shop would take it back and/or replace it if that's the case)?
Buddy
Buddy,
The only experience I've ever had with the SS started out with the noise of the line through the guides. However, after a half dozens casts or so, it kind of became a neutral sound to me. The sound became part of the whole experience and it never bothered me. Perhaps that was because of my elation with how far and easily I was casting. I don't know! I may have just answered my original question.
My opinoin, no it's not "worth" $100 and I haven't tried it either.
I say that's my opinion because at this point in time I imagine the early users are paying for the R&D and Marketing that goes into launching it...
If it truly is diffeerent and useful, there will soon be many similar products and the price will come down. If it remains a "fringe" type product that only a small percentage find appealing or useful, it will stay a higher priced luxery type line.
Of course, this is only my opininion and I would love to try one but for some odd reason won't bring myself to test drive things I can't justify buying at my local shop..