Ok,
So this week I picked up a nice new St. Croix Reign in a 9’ 5wt 4pc. I also purchased an Airflo Freshwater Tactical “River and Stream” wf5f line. The line was recomended to me by the guy at the shop. He informed me that this line would suit the rod very well and match up to it’s action etc… I own lines from S.A., Rio, and Cortland, but this line feels very different. It almost feels like rubber to me, very fat and even slightly grippier than expected. It seems to shoot ok, but there is a ton of memory from being in the package. Is this line going to keep this memory, like an old Orvis “Wonderline” I once had? Any educated opinions on this would be greatly appreciated. I just may be tempted to return the line and just go for another Rio “Selective Trout” if there are a few bad opinions posted on this Airflo line. Thanks in advance for your help on this matter.
We tested some Airflo lines with the idea of asking them to become a Sponsor. We had a reader who really liked them and suggested we ask them to be a Sponsor. The lines felt very much like bubble gum and did not want to go through the guides well. (These were saltwater lines.) We did not pursue them as a Sponsor.
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
If that is the line they claim floats very high and picks off the water very easily, I have fished the 5 wt. for a few years. I think Air flow called it river and stream. It really does float very high and shoots fine. I find it lands hard, could be my casting. The line worked fine for me.
Bob
When I was better informed with lines I remember reading that the Airflo had a mono core. That would be consistent with the memory problems you have noted. It will straighten out as you fish, but I don’t remember the feel of the line, as I never got past the memory (fished it once). check and see if the core is mono or a monobraid, that may clear up some suspicions you have.
The line uses a urethane coating instead of the traditional PVC, that’s why it feels different. I can’t comment on how the line performs, I don’t own one, but my dad loves them. He says they shoot well, but perhaps it’s like my urethane net that has to be wet to function as it was intended. I’d try it out for a while to give it a fair shot. it’s easy to dismiss something that’s different.
Hi there I can tell you that the Airflow lines work very well in the #8 on the Tongariro but when cold ( it gets down to minus 6 or 7 degrees c in the winter at Taupo ) they do need to be stretched before fishing them. If you do not have a buddy with you just tie the end to a branch and pull on the other end, it sould stretch out straight and keep that way for a days fishing. Hope this helps.
Mike.