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…)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Don’t think I’ve spent more than $30-35 (usually less) for a fly line in years (except for a Teeny TS I wanted for some heavy saltwater stuff) and haven’t had any problems. The Airflow WF6 I just replaced lasted 7 years and would have gone longer if I hadn’t stepped on it so many times with studded boots. Only really bad line I’ve ever had was a Cortland Laser Line; absolute POS - stiff (wish my computer had that much memory) and worthless in cold water (possibly it was meant to be cast on an active lava flow?).
Keep your line clean (I like Glide) and it’ll fly through the guides just like in the movies.
I have been using Dorber lines for the past few years.
They were at SowBug and a few of my friends recommended them.
Love the lines. They are about $13.00.
I’d certainly say you typically get what you pay for with fly line, but there are good fly lines out there for cheap.
I just recently tried a few RIO fly lines and I love them but they are a little bit on the pricey side of things. Before using RIO lines, I’d gone thru several Cabela’s lines. For $20 I suppose they are alright but there are better =<$20 lines out there. I picked up a fly line from Risen Fly that I’ve been fairly impressed with ($25 but they frequently have sales, so I paid $15 for it).
I also received a combo from Cabela’s that had Cortland 444 Sylk fly line on it. I was not impressed. It hardly floats, it’s casting is so-so, it’s worthless in cold weather, definitely not what I expected from a $50+ line.
I’ll second the Dorber line. Pretty good line for $13. I got some at the Sowbug several years ago. Also got a pretty nice little reel for not too much money.
The Dorber lines are made by Northern Sport in Ontario. I have one that I bought in 1984 that still doesn’t have a crack.
In fact, all of my last 9 or 10 lines that I’ve purchased were all in the $10 range and I’ve only worn out one of them.
Agree with most of what has been said, especially about the price of lines getting out of hand. Odds are good manufacturers like Rio, which makes a very good line, are going to price themselves right out business. Eventually lines made overseas will flood the market (there are already a few out there) and we will then have threads complaining about how there are fly lines are no longer ‘made in America’. While I buy Rio lines almost exclusively, the price point is now high enough that I’m going to probably give Dorber, Allen, and all the other up and coming line resellers a serious look.
Dorber has been selling line for years. Tried some at one point and haven’t bought any since.
I doubt that Rio, SA or Cortland will price themselves out of the business. They’ve been around a long time. Walk into any fly shop, or big box store and whose line do you see. If cheap fly lines were just as good as the higher priced quality fly lines, who do you think fly shops and the bbs would carry?
And remember that all three carry lines at different price points to appeal to the budget of most fly anglers. And no I am not a rep for any of those companies.
Count me in as a fan of Cortland 444 also, but I will usually only pay that kind of money for the rigs I will be using for distance casting. On all my small stream and creek rigs, I buy as cheap as I can find since distance isn’t a concern and they seem to work perfectly for those fisheries.
I used a Cortland 444 peach on the San Juan. Tip kept sinking. Fellow in boat said try mine. Rio Gold. No more sinking tip. I am now a big Rio fan. Not a scientific study for sure…but that was my experience. I also have a ton of Dorber fly lines. Can’t say why…but I do not like them at all. just an opinion.
I have not had enough experience to compare SA and others.
BTW to shed more light on that experience. I was with a guide in a drift boat. I used his reel with the Rio Gold line the rest of the day…all day…and totally forgot about the sinking tip fly line issue. It just uh…went away. Just enjoyed fishing the rest of the day. Instead of pulling in my fly line, cleaning it, dressing it, back to fishing only to be good for a little while and then line sinks again. The Rio Gold did not sink tip the rest of the entire day.