Fly lines, price VS quality.

[BR-549]

As most know I'm green to most thing fly fishing, last Friday I bought me a cheapo Eagle Claw 3/4 wt fiber glass rod just for something to tinker with, also picked up some Rio 3wt WFF line, the store had (what I would think to be) a decent selection of lines from several brand names & prices varied quite a bit, got me to thinking (scary huh) about bang for the buck, I dont have a problem spending the extra frog skins for something thats actually of better quality and would rather buy quality products, but theres quite a price gap in some brands of fly line and for what I know most are of nearly the same material.


QUESTION : Just how much difference is there in lines, does the extra ammount spent equal better quality,durablity,casting ease...what ??


Thanks in advance. ( And now back to your regularly scheduled program...)

[sagefisher]

BR-549

In my opinion, yes. There is a difference between lines. I am sure some will say not and that is their opinion, like they say, everyone has one, an opinion that is.

Durability, casting ease, floatability (for floating lines), sinkability (for sinking lines), you name it. For a newby to fly fishing we often suggest they buy a fly rod/reel/line outfit. Those often consist of middle of the road rods/reels/lines but that is all a beginner needs to get started. Down the road as you branch out into other fly rods and reels you will want to go with other lines as well.

Rio is a very good company. As long as the line matches with the rod you can't go wrong with Rio. The majority of my fly lines are Rio brand.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[quivira kid]

Don't underestimate that Eagle Claw..... I use the 5/6 weight model 95% of the time. They're very nice! Great bang for the buck.

[anglerdave]

I agree with Larry, that there is a difference between lines. Especially when it comes to price. I have used some of the less expensive lines/cheaper lines, and have been less, pun intended, impressed. The more you pay for a fly line the more you get. Larry mentioned what those are.

I think if you stick with the well known companies such as Rio, Scientific Anglers and Cortland, you can't go too wrong. Even some of there less expensive lines perform well. An example would be SA's Headstart. I use it on my 6wt for warm water and it not only cast well, but also turns over larger flies well.

Normally, what I have found in less expensive lines is that they just don't float as well, or cast as easily as some of the more expensive fly lines. Beating around a bluegill pond may not make those qualities that big of a deal, but it does, at least to me, when I am trout fishing spring creeks, or throwing top water poppers to smallmouth bass.

Dave

[DaleW]

I've used so many fly lines over the years I've about lost tract ... and with the "new" marketing strategy, there have been all kinds of whistles and bells and claims ... and PRICE! And with today's corporate pea and shell game, you have to keep an eye on who sold what to whom and who owns what brand.

Let me take a couple of old brands that have been around for years and I have used for quite awhile (there are others, too, but let me just pick these two) - Cortland and Scientific Anglers. I have used Cortland for so many years I cannot remember when I first bought their line. Presently for my favorite 9' 5wt (Stillwater fly rod), I use a DT5F Cortland 444 "Peach" line. Love the line, love the color of the line, love how it casts. And quite often this is my dry fly rod.
O.K., also have a 8 1/2' 7wt rod that I refer to as my "windy river rod" (and two different rivers I use the rod on are just that) - since I can get that line ensnared on the river, plus I'm using more streamers, nymphs (and even poppers), and here I use Cortland's Fairplay line. The 444 Peach runs about $62.00 and the Fairplay $19.95. Is there a difference(?) Absolutely - but three times as much in cost(?) Open for debate. I suppose if the 444 Peach was twice the Fairplay, I'd concede, however three times as much ...?
Found the same thing with Scientific Anglers - my first S.A. fly line was an "Air Cel" - today that line would be in the neighborhood of $25.00. They also have a Mastery Series that sells for three times as much. And I would compare these lines with the Cortland Series.

Bottom line, if money is no object in your life and you got the bucks to splash around, nothing like the best. However, if I was strapped for cash because of demands for other things, that Cortland Fairplay and the S.A. Air Cel both are damn good fly lines for the money (I speak from experience). And I'm comparing them with the other lines I presently have, the Cortland 444 Peach and the S.A. Mastery.

[Chuck441]

Good info and opinions, as usual here. Not everyone can spring for a $70-100 line, especially for multiple rod weights. DaleW made some good suggestions about that. I would also suggest looking into the Hook and Hackle lines. They are quite reasonable, and many folks have been very pleased with them. I'm one of those, BTW. Equivalent to a Sharkskin? No. Very useful for 80-90% of my fishing? Absolutely.

Chuck

[Ed_D]

I am another fan of Cortland 444 for being one of the more efficient 'bang for the buck" lines. Below is a link to what Bass Pro shows on their website.

http://www.basspro.com/Brand-Cortlan...z0xeniZ1z0usvj

If you are new to fly casting, better lines should help you in your casting efforts. That is a valid consideration. Weight forward lines (WF), rocket tapers, shooting tapers, etc... are probably the easiest to cast. Dual taper (DT) lines generally will give dry flies the most gentle presentation, but that might be a secondary consideration to people just starting to learn. With a 3/4-weight rod, I would use at least a 4-weight line. That's just my opinion. I concede that I am not a good caster.


Regards,
Ed

[CoachBob]

You line is only as good as your care and maintenance. Fly line dressing is critical for floating lines regardless of cost/quality. You can go cheap and, properly dressed, get it to perform better than a line costing 5x the price.
Also, you should focus on the higher weight line of your rod’s specification. Even if you have a 6wt (not a 5-6) you should still consider 7wt line.

[vicrider]

I am in line with DaleW. He is right on IMO. I also agree with the coach you'd have been better served to go up a line weight. A 3/4 in the hands of a good caster can perform well with a three but for learning the game the extra weight of a 4 helps load the rod better. This is particularly true if you are fishing at less than 35' of line out or so. If you're learning curve is not going well consider the heavier line.

[okflyfisher]

I usually buy good quality lines on sale at year end.