Anyone have experience trying different lines on a 9ft 6wt Winston BIIX and what did you find to be the optimal line for this rod?
Ken:
A friend has the BllX in a 9’ 5wt. and uses a SA GPX 5 wt. on it, and the combo casts great.
I have that exact rod and have gone through several lines to find the right one for me. I find the SA Trout Taper to be the best fit. The Triangle Taper is a close second. I found the GPX and Rio Grand a bit heavy.
I bought that rod when they came out… waited months for RWL to build it!
It quickly became my all-time favorite series of rods to which I’ve risked married life to get more!
I started out with the S.A. GPX which seemed as though they were made for each other. I didn’t care for how the tip of that line behaved and started searching for an alternative.
The second line I tried was the Rio Grand. For some reason it felt WAY too heavy and seemed to overwork the rod.
The next line was a Rio Selective Trout. THAT, my friend, is a match made in Heaven AND the tip floats!
if you are looking for a great line…
you can’t beat Cortland SYLK.
browntrout
>>if you are looking for a great line…
you can’t beat Cortland SYLK.<<
Is this a good line for all rods or more specialized for certain actions?
I also use Rio Selective Trout on my 9’ 5wt.
Jackster…
they say that it is for bamboo, but I have it on all of my rods… from my fast action plastic rods, to my slow bamboo rod.
the stuff is amazing… it is thinner, has no memory at all, slides really well through the guides. it is an all around great line!
Many other folks on this site have talked about it… and I think JC even did an article on it about a year ago…
browntrout
[This message has been edited by WV browntrout (edited 26 May 2005).]
I’m tossing an AirFlo Platinum on my 8’6" 5wt BIIx and it’s kickin’ butt. Can’t say it’s all the line, but I find I have to really back off or I overshoot everything. First time I’ve ever had that problem.
Just an educated guess, but since that Winston Rod is Joan Wulff’s brainchild, I suspect it was designed to match the Wulff Triangle Taper. Perhaps the Joan Wulff Signature line?
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
The BIIx is Joan Wulff’s brainchild? I’m surprised Winston doesn’t give her credit for that accomplishment… it’s a great rod series.
Jackster? You did know Joan is the spokesperson for Winston, right?
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
I knew she was affiliated but didn’t know the BIIx was her brainchild.
Actually the story told to us by Joan on the rod was that she no longer could cast an 8 wt. rod for any length of time comfortably…keep in mind Joan is 10 years older than I…and she wanted a 6 wt rod which she could use for Atlantic Salmon. It would have to have a good butt section to lift fish and be light enough to cast all day. That rod is the result. Her ‘signature’ model has an indent in the cork which is her preference.
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
Ligonier,
Which Airflo Platinum line do you use (there are two of them, as far as I can tell)? I just bought that exact same rod and was planning on buying a Rio Selective Trout DT 5 for it, but your post has made me reconsider.
Jackster:
The Cortland SYLK lines are not all around lines. They are very limp and have a very small diameter. I Have a WF 4 and it works great on my glass 4 wt. and a St. Croix SCIII 4 wt. I tried it on my GLX and SCIV 4 wts. and it was terrible, works best on slow to moderate action rods.
[This message has been edited by Apachetrout (edited 26 May 2005).]
Decided to go with a Wulff TT line as I have them for other rods/weights and have always enjoyed using them.
Rio Selective Trout would have been second choice I guess, but, my local dealer had bad comments on them sinking so I stayed with what I know I like , Wulff TT Lines…
Thanks guys,
Ken
Wow, I had NO idea that those rods were Joan Wulffs brainchild. Very cool. As if I could enjoy this rod any more.
I’ve tried a few different lines on my BIIx and here’s my experience with it. Alex and I have been bouncing emails on this very topic…
I toss a Platinum Chalkstream on it. Works very well. It tends to be on the heavy side, I think. Maybe that’s just a manifestation of me going from a Cortland 444 DT to a more modern WF line. Not sure. But the line does cast very well. I have also tossed a Scientific Angler GPX 5wt WF. Too heavy for my tastes, felt to me like it overloaded the rod. It probably didn’t, as I had just received the rod when I was tossing that and the rod is a marvelous mystery. Soft in the tip, much muscle as you learn to use it. For fishing short, though ,that GPX was very good. As well, the GPX is advertises as being heavy for “modern” graphite rods, so no suprises there. Shot like a cannon when I got it right.
And as mentioned, I have tossed a Cortland 444(the “peach”) on it as well until I melted it with bug spray. D’OH. Anyway, it cast very well. In fact, I’ve sold two of these rods for Winston by letting buddies toss my rod, and they were throwing the peach Cortland and very favorably impressed with the rod.
I use Rio Selective Trout on my small stream rod, not a Winston, and it’s a wonderful line. I think it would be great on the BIIx. One of the guys that bought this rod after casting mine has his lined with the Selective Trout and it does a very good job. I think I like the Platinum a bit better though. Might just be what I’ve grown accustomed too, it’s all so subjective. It seems to shoot a bit easier, at least for me.
LadyFisher’s suggestion of the Wulff TT however, considering the source of the developement of the rod, speaks to me. I don’t need another 5wt line, but I’ve been wanting to try one of those for some time. Seems like a perfect excuse.