Has anyone out there cast the new Sharkskin line from Scientific Anglers? What did you think? I’m not interestested in the usual “is it worth the price tag” discussion. What I want to know is simply how do you think it compares to the line you are currently using. Any thing you don’t like about it? I just cast it yesterday and have my opinions. I thought it would be helpful to see what the rest of you thought. All opinions are valid and appreciated.
Thanks
Ya, I have written several things about it.
bluegill, i have not cast this line, but am interested in hearing your opinion of it.
I had a chance to try the line at the Idaho Fish-In, thanks to Mister Castwell (AKA Superman). The line shoots well, adding about 30 feet to my casting distance. My wife cast the line and added about 20 feet to her casting distance. We liked the line well enough that we bought 2 of them for our Sage SLT 5 wgt’s. At almost $100 a line, that’s a ton of liking.
REE
After casting and fishing, both, the Shark Skin and the AirFlo “Ridge Line”, I personally prefer the Ridge Line.
Mainly, for me anyway, the Ridge Line casts as well as the S.S. and at the same distances. But, since I’d say 99% of my yearly “fish take” is withing 60 feet, or less, of where I’m standing in the stream, “distance” isn’t really a big thing to me.
I also like the way the Ridge Line is more or less, “self cleaning”, in the way it’s designed. It appears, that the lateral cut “groves” in the Ridge Line, “flex the line” enough to throw off a great deal of stream and/or, lake debris that build up after a day’s fishing. I found the Shark Skin was pretty dirty, (more, like my conventional fly lines become), after a few 8 hour days on the water.
If “distance” is your thing, then maybe too, you can tolerate the “singing” that the S.S. puts out when whistling through the guides. The Ridge Line is very quiet. (But, again, that’s only MY OWN preference on fly lines!)
It doesn’t matter, all that much to me personally, when choosing my fly gear, but of course, the price may play a part for some fly fishers, too… nearly $100.00 for the S.S. and only $56.00 for the Ridge Line.
(In fact, right now, Madison River has the Ridge Lines on sale for less than $40.00, including freight)
I, too, test-casted Scientific Angler’s Shark Skin at the Idaho Fish-In. I liked it a lot.
I haven’t yet tried throwing the Ridge Line that “flybinder” refers to, but doubtless it’s a good line, too.
What impressed me about the Sharkskin was not only how easily it shot through the rod guides but also how easily it slipped through my left hand while that hand was paying out line during false casting.
If I regularly fished at places where long distance throws are required for ensuring a fighting chance at success, the Shark Skin line would definitely be on my reel. Or the Ridge Line – which, again, is a line I haven’t heard of before and haven’t test-throwed yet.
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”
I got a Demo Shark Skin to try out a couple days before leaving for the ID Fish-In. I compared it to other lines during the first 2 days and then finished out the week using the shark.
Best casting fly line I ever used on fast action rods.
Comes off the water easier than other lines as it floats higher
Rough surface picks up more debris and needs more cleaning than other lines.
Clearly a step improvement in distance; adding 20ft+ to my distance cast on a 6WT Sage XP
I bought 2 more upon returning home.
“ANY” fly line that extends a cast by feet or yards will present at near or moderate distances with less effort. Often those who denigrate long distance casts are those who can not perform them.
Ron E.E. & Max:
Which color, of the Shark Skin did you buy? (“Sharktruese” or “Blue Heron”)
I like the looks of the Blue Heron shade, especially since these lines supposedly have a “flat-no glare” finish to them, but I wonder how hard it’d be to see/follow, on moving water!?
(I used a Mastery blue/gray floater years ago and as soon as it hit the water, it virtually became invisible. Thus, the question on the Blue Heron color!)
Flybinder,
I have the Blue Heron color on both lines. Visibility depends on the glare on the water. I’ve been able to see the line quite well, except when the sun is low and directly in my face. I don’t think any line would be easy to follow then.
REE
Thanks guys, that’s exactly the info I was looking for. If anyone else has anything to add, keep it coming. A lot of what you guys are seeing jibes with my experience, but it’s good to have the confirmation.
I prefer those brightly colored lines, pink, yellow, anything these tired old eyes can see better. Especially if a guy is watching the tip of his line. 8)
I have two SA lines and I don’t like them for the simple reason that they give line burns. I also have AirFlo. I get them at guide price which is less than whole sale. The only problem with it is that on windy days when your tippit blows around the line, it can cut the outer coating of the line.
I just bought the SS today in the 4 wt and just got back from the casting ponds comparing it against my tried and true SA GPX 4 wt. What a difference! The line just shot through the guides. The effort I placed at casting distances of 20 to 40 feet was extended by 6 to 12 feet (approx.). I suspect once I get in sync with my new rod I should do even better. I did not try a double haul with the SS yet, but I suspect it will add distance as well.
From some of the posts I have read about the sound the line make going through the guide I was expecting to hear fingernails on a chalkboard, but the sound is minimal and I don’t mind it at all.
Something tells me if these lines cost $40 nobody would hear a thing…
Think about this a sec, I first ‘tried out’ the SA line in a casting pond using a QC 6wt quad! What a thrill!
JC,
You are such a tease. :lol:
I didn’t put my two cents in before because I wanted fresh opinions rather than an agree/disagree debate. Thanks to everyone that chimed in!!
Here’s my take on the SS:
I tried it on the Scierra IC3 905 and the Sage VT2 905. I found it loaded better on the softer rod, but it was fine on both. It didn’t add 20 feet to my cast, but I can already throw more line on my favorite rods than I’ll ever fish. What I did appreciate was how nice it comes off the water and it took much less effort to shoot a decent amount of line than my current lines. The microtexture does cause it to “sing” through the guides, which annoyed me at first. However, I got used to it fairly quickly and it’s no louder than the Ridge Lines I’ve used. What also impressed me is the flexibility and low memory of the line. It does seem to pick up dirt a little easier than I expected it to do, but it cleans up easily enough with just a dry cleaning pad.
Overall: I didn’t find it to be the miracle line the literature hyped it to be, but it’s definitely a big step above the Mastery lines without the texturing. I’ve got a couple lines slated for replacement this year, so I’ll probably be getting at least one of these in the near future.
REE,
Thank you, for the take on the S.S.'s “Blue Heron” color, when on the water. I’ve only cast and fished the brighter color of the two.
Bluegill; Thank you, for a really good run down and opinion on the line that you’ve experienced so far too.
Still “knock’n it around”, to add one to the arsenal or not and reports like yours, as well as all the other ones, help a lot!
Paul