I just wanted to illicit a few opinions on the SYLK line made by Cortland. I recently bought a DT5F to use on a new cane rod I bought. I guess I figured I’d like it because of some of the positive reviews I’ve read, but I don’t like it at all.
The hype was it handled like a real silk line and was a smaller diameter than a regular line of the same size. The small diameter thing can be a plus but maybe more important for some of my really old cane rods that have smaller guides. It does handle OK and is supple enough but the coating to me seems to be a bit sticky and too soft and hangs up slightly in my guides. It also squeaks when it works through my agate stripper; a minor annoyance but not something I ever heard before with the Rio lines I normally use. The other night while using it and into a nice 16? brown; as the fish was pulling line from my fingers it was not slipping through nice and smooth like I am used to. It was sort of stuttering as it slipped through; not real reassuring when your fishing 7X.
But my biggest complaint is it doesn?t float worth a damn. I clean my fly lines after each use and treat them with a super thin coating of Poo Goo which is pure silicone. My Rio lines respond excellently to this ritual and float like a cork; this SYLK line floats for awhile then sections of it start to sink. I feel like I?m REALLY fishing a silk line. It sort of reminds me of the old Orvis intermediate lines I use to fish years ago. I also tried the Cortland cleaning pad and it made no difference in my impressions.
I have only used this line 3 times so far but I wanted to hear what other SYLK line users thought. Should I give it another shot or just give up. I did order another DT5F Rio Classic just in case. While I realize line preference is a subjective thing; I wanted to hear some opinions on the floating characteristics and coating. Any input would be appreciated.
Last fall I had the opportunity to test cast a number of bamboo rods using 4,5 and 6 weight Sylk lines. There were both DT and WF lines though I really didn’t pay close attention to which was which.
The rods ranged from South Bends to Garrisons and included several custom rods from regional builders.
Personally, I liked the Sylk lines on every rod I cast. I had no opportunity to actually fish with the lines because Tropical Storm Ivan had passed through a day earlier and the streams were raging. The line seemed to float just fine in the puddles of standing water that dotted the lawn though.
I can say that several of my bamboo fishing friends who were confirmed 444 Peach fans have switched to Sylk. In cooler weather it really shines because it has no memory. In warmer weather I have heard it sometimes feels tacky.
I feel good enough about it based on my buddies comment’s that I will probably get a Sylk line the next time I replace one of my bamboo lines.
Bamboozle,
I use the Sylk line on my Hardy glass rod, and I really like it. In winter fishing it stays soft, a real plus in freezing weather. Haven’t noticed any tackiness in the heat. Love it on “my” small streams. Only the color leaves me…well…remembering feeding small ones too many carrots…if ya know what I mean!
Betty
I have a DT5F sylk that I bought to use on my Dougls Duck 7’3" 5 weight. I have not cast it on water yet, only in the back yard, and not in hot weather, so I can comment on how well it floats or whether it gets tacky.
The line is very supple and completely without memory. because of the small diameter, it shoots very well, almost reminiscent of the small running line on a shooting head system.
As I think JC said in his review, the small diamater feels “funny” to those of us who have become accustomed to the feel of a conventional PVC fly line in hand. I am used to being able to easily find the transition from head to running line on a conventional flyline; I still can’t feel it on the Sylk.
So, as a casting line – great; as a finsing line, we;ll see.
After reading so much about it on various forums, I was anxious to try a Sylk, so I ordered a WF7F Sylk to use on an Orvis Battenkill bamboo that I normally fish with a DT6F Air Cel Supreme 2. Well I took it out for a trial run in the early spring. I was happy with the way the line felt in my hands and the suppleness, etc, but the rod felt definitely underlined with this line, in spite of it being an AFTMA weight heavier than the one I normally use. I gave it about twenty minutes then switched back. I have not used it since. I will have try it on some of my other rods and see what happens.
I have heard many people say that you have to cut 12 to 18 inches off the front to get the line to feel right. I’m not sure why this is so, but I wouldn’t mind hearing Cortland’s opinion on this.
Thanks all for the opinions. I guess that my observations are not that far off the mark. The floating and stickiness thing are what bother me the most. I really like a high floating line since I fish dry flies as often as possible and the sinking line pulls the fly under on the pick-up; very annoying. I fished cane rods exclusively for more than 20 years before SYLK and line performance was never an issue except for a few with the older small guides.
Cold weather isn?t an issue because these days I have plenty of graphite to cover my winter fishing so the cane rods and SYLK line get the winter off; besides this past winter I fished Rio Lumilux lines and I was amazed at how limp they stayed despite the cold. Like some of you said: SYLK does perform well but in actual fishing there doesn?t seem to be as much experience. I?ll give it another shot tonight on some of the last of the Sulphur sipping trout in my neighborhood.
As an aside: I actually do like the color although I laughed at Betty?s comment. My father would never eat pumpkin pie for the same reason.
Jeez I hope that my mentioning it doesn?t screw it up for you too?
I bought a Sylk line to use on a 6 wt. bamboo I picked up because real silk had gone up considerably since I bought my last one. I much prefer the real thing to the…uhhh…what would you call it? It isn’t an imitation and certainly not a replica. I’ll call it a “mustard colored line that is marketed as a wannabe”
I thought it was a good line and mine certainly floats fine. It cast good and handled well. I never noticed that it was that much thicker than my other 6 wt. lines as others have said. It obviously is, it just wasn’t that noticable to me. I haven’t had the chance to try it in cold weather yet but hope it is as supple as it has been advertised. Others who have used it in cold weather say it is so I’m optimistic. It doesn’t feel or handle anything like real silk in my experience and therein lies my disappointment with the line. I’ll keep it and use it but won’t buy another. When this wears out I’ll save my pennies, nickels and dimes and get another real silk line. I really didn’t think it was that much different from other good plastic lines. It is certainly just as good.
I like my SYLK DT4 on my bamboo rod. The only time it has given me any hint of “trouble” was when I was fishing in water with considerable surface scum. It completely forgot how to shoot.
Wiped it down well, and all was fine. It does seem to be thinner than a 444 DT4 on my graphite rod. But I haven’t mic’ed either.
Didn’t have any trouble floating the clean line, but when it got really scummed up, the first few feet went under.
Have several SYLK lines and really like them on certain rods. They do require cleaning more often.
If you can remember the old days, cleaning your lines was part of the lunch time rituals, along with cleaning them when the day is done.
Cutting back a foot or 18 inches is an old trick that somehow makes a line feel heavier (it shouldn’t, think about it) and also gives you more “kick” when turning over the leader.
In general I like the SYLK on slower rods, (my favorite) like the Winston IM6s and the G series Scotts, also on most “boos”. On faster sticks it can be pretty miserable.
Last night I gave it another shot and at first I was about ready to think I overreacted; but as the night progressed my disappointment was confirmed.
As I stated before I clean my fly lines religiously, (oops, taboo subject), REGULARLY after each use and treat them with a very light coating of Poo Goo which is pure silicone. Last night I was fishing a 7?6? boo and the line was handling great and floating too! But as the night progressed it started to sink but what was really weird is that the stickiness I complained of earlier was especially noticeable in the first 10 feet of line. When I gently pulled the line through the guides it stuttered to the point where it jiggled the tip of the rod. I didn?t notice when I first started to fish so I guess the Poo Goo was still acting like a lubricant. It was hot and sticky yesterday here in PA so the line was soft as hell.
When I extended my casts to say 20-30 feet it seemed fine so I don?t know if the extra weight of the line at that distance overcame the tackiness that caused the stuttering or if that front section of line is fubar; which doesn’t make sense. Unfortunately this short distance casting issue is a big problem since some of the streams I frequent are small so short casts are the norm. I?m going to test it this morning before I clean the line but I don?t expect a miracle. I guess my opinion is of SYLK sort of resembles the impression some people have of the color: $h!t.
When I get my replacement Rio line if anyone is interested in buying this DT5F SYLK from me it can be yours for $25.00. I?ve used it 4 times for maybe 9 hours total.
[This message has been edited by Bamboozle (edited 14 June 2005).]
I recently purchased a WF4 Sylk line to go along with a 7.5’ Elkhorn bamboo rod. I have noticed all the same issues that you have noticed (sinking, stickiness, etc.). At first I thought that the rod did not cast very well at distances less than 30 feet, but based on these comments, I am going to try the rod with another “normal” plastic line and see what happens. It is like a switch, you get to about 25-30 feet and the line just casts beatifully, less than that and it is crappy.
Either you got a bad one or the “Poo Goo” line dressing was somehow incompatible with the line’s coating. I have one Sylk (a DT4) and (so far) none of the issues you mention. I used it last week on Oak Creek in Az (it was pushing 90F. by mid-afternoon) It was fine - no stickiness, floated fine. I have only cleaned/dressed mine with the little felt patch that comes with the line.
Cortland has always been really good about standing behind their products - I’d contact them about this.
Well, Castwell is going to get a good laugh out of this one. I did do a lawn casting test of my Sylk line versus another WF4 “normal” line (Orvis Silver Label). Tried them both side by side on two different rods. While each line seemed to load the rods differently, the overall performance was basically the same. At shorter distances they both laid out line nicely. So why did I have so much trouble on the water? That is sort of like asking the question, “Who stinks?”. Answer: I THINK IT’S ME! I wasn’t paying attention to my casting when I was on the water, I got distracted by the pretty fishees. I just need to slow down and pay more attention. (You can stop laughing now Castwell. It just takes a little time for some of us to learn.)
That being said the line still tends to sink and does have a sticky feel to it. I was thinking of some possible remedies for these ailments. Keep the line clean, take off some backing and don’t pack it down on the spool so tight, store it in a cooler place (not the trunk of my car). The line may sink but as Castwell says it is a smaller diameter, and the old silk lines sank also, so you just have to live with it I guess. Overall, I bought the line to finish out a bamboo “package”. A little touch of nostalgia without paying all the money of a silk line. I think Cortland delivered on that and I just have to get used to different lines performing differently.
