Whats you favorite fly line

MACFLY

MACFLY

Too many streams too little time
I know DC has been trying to give away a Wulff triangle taper line for a couple of years now so clearly he is a fan of that line. I have used the triangle taper, Rio Grand, Trout, and Gold line as well as the SA Sharkskin a couple of airflo lines. Im not sure i have a favorite at this point. What do you guys like when dry fly fishing and do you use anything different for streamer fishing or nymphing?
 
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Most of my dry fly casts are within 40', and the majority of those are 30' and closer. I have been using the Cortland 444 DT line for quite a few years and like the delicate presentation of the fine tip(s). I use the line for nymphs and rely on the tippet length and a weighted nymph to get the fly to the bottom - keep in mind I am not fishing 12' deep pools. The line works great for across and downstream wets, and I use it for streamers also. I gave up streamer fishing for 20 years since it was proving futile - I would use weight on the fly and sometimes a sink tip line and it was drudgery. I began using the floating line and no weight on the fly or leader fished upstream and now catch trout on a fairly regular basis.

So for the small and mid-size streams that I fish the Cortland 444 DT has served me well - plus I can just reverse the line when it starts getting worn.
 
I'm in love with the Rio gold. I put it on a 8.5 4# Sage slt and it casts beautifully. It has enough forward weight to roll cast easy and allow for some single hand spey casts like circle and cad. Great all around line.

I have a triangle taper on a 9'7" 6# one with a type III sink tip for the bigger stuff but I don't like it all that much, one trick pony that triangle taper. Im gonna put a gold on it this year.

At the Somerset show they were throwing airflow products into the seats before the IFF film and I landed a #4 perfection or perfect taper or something. I have a twin to that slt I'm gonna try that on.
 
Orvis hydros 3D WF textured #4 on my 9' 4wt H2 will never use anything else for trout fishing. Can pinpoint dries from a mile away and turn over heavy indi rigs. I also like the sound of if against my guides :)


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My favorite was from Frasier,when daffney says to Niles " Dr krane your glockenspiel has sprung to life." You have to see it to understand it.
 
Terenzio, handmade artificial silk.......it's a double taper, last 20 years.....floats like a cork, and fits my needs for small stream to mid sized rivers perfectly ..........you should all give it a try........
 
All my fly reels have Rio on them.

For dry fly fishing I like a double taper. For everything else I use a weight forward.
 
I have used Rio gold on the Z axis as well as Sharkskin and they are both good. I get the longest life out of Rio. And now they have come out with their new line, Preception which i will try. I refused to buy a Wulff line as one is owed to me from this site.
 
I like the wulff lines for dry fly fishing- but they are very light casting so you wont like them for nymph fishing. They land super soft on the water though and shoot very well sine they have such a thin and long running line.
For nymphing, that rio indicator tip line is nice.
 
I like the Airflo Ridge on my Z, the Rio Gold is really nice too. I finally bought my own Triangle Taper for my B2X, and that rod was made for that line. The newer textured SA line ain't bad either.
 
Rio these days. Weight forward. That's for trout lines. SA and Airflow for salty water fishing, depending on the rig I'm tossing.
 
The nice thing about fly rods & fly lines today is that none of the manufacturers are making junk. Lines have improved quite a bit in recent times with a good variety of tapers and sizes to match most everyone's casting style & preference.

Personally I'm not a fan of the heavier than standard lines that Rio, Sci Angler, Orvis, Wulff & others have for most of my uses, but can see how for others they definitely improve their casting. They do come in handy to increase the load on fast rods when short cast would be the order of the day, and a line is a lot less money than buying another rod

I look at rods like a car and the lines like the tires. Different performance grades and different applications come into play. I wouldn't take a sports car with low profile tires off roading. That all being said, I use mostly Hydros lines and when dealing with wind and/or distance I favor the 3D, Airflow Ridge lines cast well for me too. The Orvis Streamer Stripper works very well when bank banging from a boat. In the end, if I had to choose lines from just one manufacturer I think I'd be happy with Sci Angler.
 
My favorite line is from Blazing Saddles " somebody go back to town and get a whole shitload of dimes"


As for fly lines SA VPT on a softer rod like a Winston B3X or the GPX on the faster action rods. I have heard good things about Airflo lines and will be giving them a try.
 
Cortland 444 Peach DT. I use it on my 3wt B IIt, 4wt Z X L, 5wt S P / R P L / D S, & 7wt R P L. Most of these rods are medium action rods, especially the B II t & D S rods.

Unfortunately, Cortland's company has gone through some changes and I'm not certain as to the future of this product. I do have Hook & Hackle DT 5 on a back up reel. Seems to be somewhat similar to the peach line in its characteristics, being very supple. Seems to have a different, narrower, diameter and an olive color.

I do have Rio Gold on my 8-weight 9 9 rod. That is the best weight-forward line I've used. I have three or four seasons of use with this line and with proper cleaning care, it is still in great condition.

Rio Steelhead/Salmon line on my Z switch rod. That is fantastic nymphing line on a switch rod.

I think I am happy with the Gold & Steelhead/Salmon lines because they have longer front tapers (50ft on the Gold, 64ft on the Steelhead line) which perform, within most practical drifting distances, much like the DT lines I prefer.
 
lightenup said:
Terenzio, handmade artificial silk.......it's a double taper, last 20 years.....floats like a cork, and fits my needs for small stream to mid sized rivers perfectly ..........you should all give it a try........
Click to expand...

I thought you were do trying to peddle your greasy lines.
 
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