I was excited to get to try out the new
Streamer Express from Scientific Anglers,
like any specialty line, it's designed with
one goal in mind, and this one is pretty
cool - fishing nasty flies to big fish well
below the surface. The line I tested was 400
grains and I ended up fishing it on a Sage XP
for 8 and a Sage Xi for 9. Right out of the
box I didn't like the line, I generally stay
away from monocore monofilament fly lines and
this line is just that. Visions of birdsnests
as a result of memory danced in my head but
nonetheless, I had it rigged it up on an Abel
Super 8 and had to let it sit until I had the
opportunity to need such a serious line.
I finally got the chance to try it out while
steelheading. I fished it in the salt and in
a bunch of rivers in Oregon and on the Clearwater
River in Idaho. I was immediately impressed with
it's ease of casting right to where the line shifts
from front taper to running line, at about 50 feet.
I didn't read the package when I got it and I was
expecting the whole line to be designed for casting,
I found that to be incorrect, but I also saw the
beauty in this system. The first 50 feet is reasonably
supple for a mono fly line which made casting
pleasurable and accurate. The remainder of the
line is a thinner stiff mono that is meant to be
shot. At first, shooting the running line was a
little more problematic than with a coated line,
it tangled a little more, but after stretching it
out on some snags it became more supple and fished
better than mono fly line is supposed to. The
running line, or the back 50 feet, performed
pretty well for me at distances greater than
most situations. I found that the properties of
the running line prevented me from getting the
whole line up in the air, but I tested this in
the 400 grain weight and honestly, I don't get
to cast big rods as often as I'd like. The whole
line isn't made to be cast anyway and I found
that greater distance could be achieved by shooting
the running line than trying to cast the whole thing.
The Streamer Express mends okay as long as it's
executed pretty quickly, before the sinking section
pulls the rest down. I think that can be attributed
to the slickness and smaller diameter of the mono
line. It was actually pleasant to mend in order
to get a better swing. Like any sinker, getting
that line back in the air required a roll cast
or two.
The Streamer Express got me to the bottom of
some of my favorite tailouts that are unreachable
with a floater and weight. I scoured the bottom
of a little estuary with it, and it worked great.
I mostly fished the MOAL, or the nastiest chunk
of rabbit fur ever, with lead eyes, and two hooks!
Turning a fly like that over properly was critical
to my safety, and this line came through for me,
punching streamer-type flies right to the end of
the leader and right where I aimed them.
One thing I thought was really cool about this
line. You know when you're fishing weighted lines
from a boat or even on shore, and you're stipping
and stripping and you really don't know how much
line you've got out there? I do it all the time.
Number one there's a color change that's more
prominent on the lines that aren't light blue
(The one I tested was light blue and I'm not
even sure that they're producing it in this color).
I rarely look down at my line when I'm stripping
and the back taper of this line has a very well
defined feel to it that on another line would
likely go unnoticed. This feature was nice because
during my strip I could tell how much I had left,
and for most of my fishing the back taper was
just where I needed to be to pick up the rest
of the line from the water.
All in all I'd definitely buy this line to fill
a lot of niche needs in my fly-fishing. I think
it would be awesome on a 6 weight for fishing
streamers to trout. There's a picture of a
striper on the box, but don't assume that there
aren't endless possibilities for this line, deeper
tarpon, bluewater and reef fish, pike that are
holding along deep weed beds...I imagine that
this line would perform even better in a tropical
climate that would soften it up a bit.
Here are the specs given on SA's web page:
MASTERY SERIES STREAMER EXPRESS SALTWATER/TROPICORE
100' Total Length
All Saltwater Express Wet Tips have the same profile, diameters vary.
32' Total Tip Length (Including front taper)
2' Taper
6' Rear Taper 52' Running Line
8' Handling Line
4' Front Taper
~ Benjamin A. Hart (benjo)
Scientific Anglers
3M Scientific Anglers
3M Center, Building 223-4NE
St. Paul, MN 55144-1000
USA
Call 1-800-430-5000 for the location of your nearest dealer.
|
