I would like to move up a notch or two in flyline and would like to know what ya'll would suggest in a 6 weight floating.

not knowing what line you have right now I might miss the mark here. But I will give 'er a shot. Cortland has a 333 and 444 series that are both reputed as good lines. They are no longer the latest and greatest so will be available at better rates than the 555 state of the art line.

SA also has some good line. And it might be worth a try to look at Dorber who sells lines a below normal prices. I have had good luck with everything Dorber and at their prices you can afford to take a chance.
There, thats my two cents. The others will have some strong cases to argue for other lines, there are lots of good ones out there.


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RRhyne56, Flyfishing Warden
rrhyne56@comcast.net
Robins Custom Flies and Leaders

Scientific Angler GPX gets my vote for best all around. It has the AST ultra slick coating, is 1/2 weight heavier to help load the rod at the more fishable distances and will shoot very well. I have Corttland 444 and orvis wonderline. I like the 444 but think the GPX is better.
Haskell

GPX @ $50.00 box is too high for me.
found some SA Supreme2 on ebay for about $22 including shipping.. also saw cortland 444 going for about $28 or so.. might try both..

If you are "moving up a notch" to a Supreme 2, you have been using some really crappy line. I think you'll really like the Supreme 2 over whatever you've been using. It's based on their Air Cel which is what I use on rods that I don't use that much.

The Air Cel line casts very well, it just won't last as long as the Mastery lines such as GPX. But I ran into a tight spot earlier this year and put an Air Cel on my main rod... it probably went about 70 days before it became useless. I did start to notice some serious line shooting problems with it after about 35-40 days though.

To be honest I don't know if a GPX or other Mastery at twice the price will last more than twice as long. If not then buy small and often, right? I know people who fish Cortland really like the 444 and lazer lines. I'd stay far away from the 555 though, it looks like a design disaster. Just because it's expensive don't mean it's good

~Dave

Yes I do use some really crappy and cheap line, it works well for about ten trips out ( a typical month of fishing) and then starts to get harder and harder to handle. It always amazes me how bad it gets and I don't really know until I replace it and start casting with fresh line.. I use the cheap stuff cause I leave my equipment in my explorer and the heat and sun really do a job on it.. but I fish several times a week and I like to be ready to go at all times... and I hate to buy really good equipment knowing the abuse it's going to get...

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I'm not going to say buy this or that, I'll just tell you my experience.

I've got just about all my reels spooled up with Cortland 444. So far the longest one has lasted me has been 10 years (I just threw it out). When I buy another it will be the 444.

Don't buy the 555. Because of the larger diameter it doesn't cast worth a damn.

Roger

h,l&s:

BTW your price of $22 on the Supreme 2 is good, usually it runs over $30. The Air Cel (one I'm using now) runs right at $20.

~Dave

P.S. I'm going to add the list of lines you don't want: Rio WindCutter or Orvis Wonderline. WindCutter has a composite taper that doesn't want to cast and the Wonderline is just a cheap line with a pretty coat of paint. Once the paint wears off it won't shoot or float. Other than the 555, Wonderline, and WindCutter I've never heard of a bad line. I'm keeping a mental note of the ones not to buy

I'm like Roger. My lines last for years even with pretty heavy use. The main thing is to keep them clean.

Also, add Dorber lines to the list of lines not worth having. I bought two of them this summer and have thrown them away. They have a rough surface and the sink tips don't sink.

Bill

Anybody used any of the Airflo lines?. It is pretty high($50-$55 bucks) but it has a 5 year no crack guarantee which is the best warranty in the industry. But, I would like to know how it casts before dropping half a cnote.-p'ro-

OK, just to add some more fodder to all of this.

Just about all of the top of the line line manufacturers have good to excellent offerings. Cortland, SA, Airflow etc. They're all going to run around the industry standard at $50-$55. If you can find one for less, go for it. I would imagine that the folks who fish with cheap lines and think they are OK don't fish a lot so it's not much of a problem for them.

The old saying in the tool and die industry was you can buy a good tool once or a cheap tool many times. Same holds true for fly lines.

The benefits you'll recieve from buying a premimum line? Castability and line handling for years to come. It will handle well in both hot and cold situations.

Now look at it from an economic standpoint. Let's say you spend $10 on your line and you have to buy one once a year. In ten years you've dropped $100. You buy a $50 line, take care of it and it lasts you ten years. So you've spent $5 per year. Now tell me how you're saving money? Even if it only lasts you 5 years you're still no further behind but have benefited from the greater performance that comes with the line.

You say your justification for buying a cheap line is because you leave it in you car. You think you're any different from anyone else. I have two rods that live in my car 365 days a year. The heat won't effect a quality line but UV rays from the sun will destroy it. Invest in a rod case and your problems will be resolved. Or take the reel off the rod and put it in the glove box to protect it from the UV's.

Roger

Roger you bring up an interesting point. I always thought it was the heat that messed up the line in a car. Of course I have no basis for that thought, just what was rolling in my head. If it's the UV hell I need to keep fishing equipment in my car!

I've got cortland 444 and SA supreme2 coming to me from ebay auction and I have found other sources for premium line at very reasonable prices... that's for the heads up about UV rays I also thought it was the heat...

Just a generalaztion here since some of this is what I do for a living and I'm at work and bored.

Plastic lines are created by melting plastic and extruding them over the core (oversimplified explanation). It would have to get hot enough to reach what's called a transistion point to have any effect on the plastics heat history. The transition point on the vinyl will be close to the 220F to 250F (sometimes even higher)depending on the various modifiers that are in the material. The heat has a larger effect on the core material which means that lines that become limp in hot weather will fish fine in the colder weather and vica versa. Even that is only a temporary situation. Once removed from the heat (or cold) the core will revert to its normal properties (as will any polymer).

When I say exposure to UV radiation I'm talking about over-exposure such as leaving it in your car on the seat in the direct sun for extended periods of time (we're getting into the hundreds of hours here). This will effect any plastic (we all know what happens to monofilament fishing lines and leaders). There have been many plastic modifiers developed mainly for the automotive industry that help prolong the life of plastics that are exposed to UV's and they have migrated into the materials that are used in the development of fly lines.

Roger

Thank's for sharing your expertise, this kind of information is very valuable and is much appreciated !!

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