I’m back to flyfishing after a 15 year break, funny the things you don’t appreciate when your a kid.
I’ve just started aquiring gear this year, tying my own flies and have had a great season. On the Advice of a buddy I picked up a Cortland 444 clear intermediate line for fall stillwater fishing. THis is now the most expensive line I have at $90 Can.
I think I found my new favorite line of all my lines. I have a Scientific Anglers floating, Cortland 444 medium sink tip, and cheap full sink as well that I fish. I also have a couple of cheap walmart special lines that I don’t fish very often that were given to me.
I’m finding that I can cast further and better with the more expensive / higher quality lines. Is this just another case of you get what you pay for? Is it purely in my head ? Or just possibly that my casting is improving each time I get out fishing?
Perhaps a bit of all of the above.
More expencive lines may have a slicker coating that may last a bit longer. For example a Cortland 333 has the same taper as a 444, the only difference being the coating.
When I get a new rod I try every line I own on it(the same line wt as the rod) to find out which line is going to cast best on the rod . Sometimes the results are surprizing. I find the cost of the line usually has little or no bearing on whether it is the best line for the rod I’m trying to line. Differences in taper, the allowable weight tolerances within a givin line weight all play a part in whether the rod likes the line or not.
Thanks for clarifying this for me. I realize different lines have different tapers which all affect the casting of the line. It’s just the differences I noticed the greatestimprovement in is the quality of the line.
I’m only starting out with an under $100 walmart 7wt cyrstal river combo, and my lines are worth more than my rod in most cases. I’ve fished a few other 7wts as well varying lengths 8’-10’ medium to fast actions, $200-$800 price ranges. The differneces in the feel of a particular line was much the smae with all of the rods.
Two new rods are in order for next year, and a pile of other gear. I took it easy on much gearbuying this year to make sure I was going to enjoy flyfishing and not get frustrated like when I was a kid. So far I have caught more fish and some of the biggest trout I have ever caught. I even had beginners luck hooking and landing a 14inch rainbow on my first cast in 15 years on a fly I tied myself.
Welcome to FAOL and welcome back to flyfishing.G
It sounds as if your second try is thus far much more
successful. In all probability, you were hooked
solid from that first fish you caught on a fly of
your own tying.G It truly is a great sport and as
I have often heard, it can be totally addictive.G
Warm regards, Jim
HMD;
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again! I bought my first reel when they stopped making “STEEL” beer cans!!
The Reel is basicly a storage system. Until you get into Steelhead, Coho, King’s, etc.
The funny thing about fly fishing, when a person first starts to fly fish they think they should buy everything. After doing it for years they know better.Save your money for warm socks and soft toilet paper.
Worm Regards
JaD
I almost gave up fly fishing because of the cheap line I started with. I also had a cheap fly rod and cheap reel, but the rod came to life when I put a decent line on it.
It sounds like what I am dealing with. The rod/reel/line/fly combo my wife bought me for a gift retails for a whopping 40 dollars. I find I can cast decent for about 10 feet, then it all goes to heck. I am thinking of investing in a good line as well.
JC…the SA Wal-Mart fly rod combo with which you cast the entire line…was that with the line that came with the $59.88 combo???..Hard to believe that line that came with that combo is very high end…and I think it amazing if you didn’t change lines?
I have a selfish reason for asking because I bought one for my grandson and if the line is a piece of.xxxx then I will be sure we start out with a good one???
I just picked up a cheap 3 weight to keep in the car. I put my Battenkill with a Rio Selective Trout DT 3 on it… it was surprisingly nice. Next day the reel showed up (sent separately) with the cheap line it came with… it cast VERY poorly. Maybe this is why I got the rod for such a great price… the original owner never experienced the rod’s true performance.
Later,
Peter
& I agree… most important piece of equipment= rod
second most important piece of equipment = line
If some of the famous pros in the business can cast the entire fly line without a rod or at least only using the tip section, is it really all in the fly line or maybe those $40 combos just cant cast a fly line regardless of the lines cost?
Some degree of casting ability should also be factored into the equation.
Not so out here in the west even for trout, especially on my local waters, the Deschutes, I’d never fish that river without a quality reel.
on a seperate note, what is the fascination with casting just for distance? especially while trout fishing…I’d rather be able to be accurate at shorter distances than be inaccurate at long distances. Even out here on the Deschutes, I rarely have to cast longer than 35 yards…it’s all about presentation baby!!!
on a seperate note, what is the fascination with casting just for distance? especially while trout fishing…I’d rather be able to be accurate at shorter distances than be inaccurate at long distances. Even out here on the Deschutes, I rarely have to cast longer than 35 yards…it’s all about presentation baby!!!
~Randall
35 yards? Whoa! That is a distance cast if ever there was one!
Not to highjack this thread, but distance casting has its place for sure.
Ever fish the ocean, against a strong wind or on a lake? The mechanics needed for distance casting sure won’t hurt you in those instances!
Most distance casting nuts I know already have accuracy down at short to mid range. They just like taking their skills to the next level.
When a pod of albies bust about 80’ feet from the shore you’re standing on and it’s the only blitz you’ve seen all day being able to get out to them has its merits.
It IS all about presentation, baby… including presenting at 90’ when the need arises!
I don’t think there is any downside to being able to cast a long line. If one can do that they almost always have the other skills down-pat.
“I’d rather be able to be accurate at shorter distances than be inaccurate at long distances.”
This is so silly,but often stated. Lets try these too.
“I’d rather be able to drive five miles accurately, than get lost at ten miles.”
“I’d rather eat half a steak nicely, than pig out and eat a whole one.”
“I’d rather do anything half way and never learn or be able to do the whole job right.”
Why not learn to cast well at all distances? Does casting long keep you from being accurate at the shorter ones? Can’t a person learn to do both? What is wrong with really learning to cast, instead of just half of it?
