And I am stunned, perplexed, and paralyzed by the number of choices out there.
So I’d appreciate any help in wading though the options.
I have an old St. Croix Legend Elite 9’ 6wt rod – it was regarded as “fast” at the time (late 1990s or so), though I suppose some might think it “moderate-fast” now. I mainly use it for targeting smallmouth bass in small-to-mid-sized streams and rivers. And mostly I’m casting streamers like (weighted) woolly buggers and Clousers. I occasionally toss smaller poppers and sneaky petes.
In addition, maybe once a year I get to fish out west for trout with it. Some of that fishing uses an intermediate line and I got that covered. But I’d like to be able to do some dry fly fishing for trout as well.
If budger were no concern and I could actually keep track of everything, I suppose I could get two floating lines – one aimed mainly at casting dry flies to trout. But I’d way rather just have one line.
Just get a good quality general purpose 6 wt wff line. I fish bass all summer and fall and usually with my 5wt trout rods. I wouldn’t get too hung up on buying specialty lines. Casting dry flies depends more on your skills as a caster than on the line. If you make sure it’s a good quality line you shouldn’t have any difficulties.
One option would be the Cortland Big Fly fly line. It is designed to cast larger flies in heavy winds. Should take care of your streamers and also allow for some good dry fly fishing.
I have been using a grey SA Frequency Boost WF5F on a glass 7’6" 5wt, and older Superfine Far-and-Fine 7’9" 5wt and a faster 9’ 5wt Cabelas LST . It is turning out to be a great line. One that I would recommend for sure. And the price tag is nice as well at $49.
I began getting into all this mess with a 6wt, albeit an 8 footer. And that 8’ 6wt was all I had for quite awhile. Over the years I expanded and today do not lack for fly rods - from 4wt to 9wt, 7 1/2 to 9 footers. Did try a 10 for awhile but just didn’t fit me for what I do. All this to say that today my main stay rod is a 9’ 5wt, so much so that I have three of them, slow, medium and fast actions. And the majority of my fishing is from a canoe, so the niner works better, especially that I’m casting setting down! Now, can still do the nines wading, but also have a med action 8 footer that satisfies the yearnings of old days past. O.K., after all this long windedness … I also have lots of fly lines, different brands, different tips. And most often used for what I’m usually fishing for … is the 5wt WF5F Courtland 444 “Peach”. Works super with the nine or the eight.
They sell for about sixty bucks - the last one I bought was at an end of the season sale and I think I paid 35 or 38 for it. But it’s my favorite line.
In 2015 I fished Jurassic Lake in Argentina for monster rainbows. I did not fully appreciate wind until that trip, and I have repeatedly crossed the Gulf of Alaska in small boats!
We literally fished in 70mph winds! A downwind rollcast was awesome! You just had to constantly brace yourself against the wind at your back. There is no way you could cast into or across the wind. Anyway, among the many lines I brought were some long-belly SA lines in the Mastery Distance series. Never have I hated a line as much as trying to use a long-belly in the wind. Even two full line-weights heavy was nothing in the face of that wind. A short-bellied Chucker was awesome.
All of that said, my favorite casting is with underlined rods in the slow category to match a very lazy pace with small flies. But if you need to huck a fat fly you need a WF line and overlining it on the honest lines or using the stated weights on the cheaters works. What I find I have to do to fish light dries with them is to “cast high” and make sure the line hits the end above the water so it can drift down gently.
But enough about me…
A Rio Gold IMO is a good line for what you want, but I would go 5wt. That would bring you back to a line that would make dries cast close to what you want. It would also be an honest weight for casting big flies well. Being WF and dealing with a “less-than-blazing-fast” rod I think you would find it easier to cast with than just about anything going.
And of course the disclaimer is everyone casts differently and you might hate my idea either before or after trying it. Or both.
I’ve tried several of these, and was extremely pleased. Nice feel, shoot well, lay out well, high floating, great colors, mini end loops that slip right thru the guides. I’ve used them on older LU’s too.
They’re probably made in China (?), but, then, so are the computers we’re using.
I have them in 5, 6, and 7 wts. (Sorry, I can’t begin to relate to owning one line.) They run 1/2 size heavy, BTW. At this price, get two. Or three. And a spare reel.
