Hi everyone, like the title says, does anyone have a preference between the Scientific Angler GPX Tape Fly line or the Scientific Angler Sharkskin Fly Line. I mainly fly fish for trout

I love the sharkskin line, but if you use it all day without gloves it will make your fingers bleed. All I fish is saltwater though so not sure how great it is for trout.

Not sure I understand your question. You are asking about comparing the shape or taper of fly line to the finish pattern that is used on a fly line.

The GPX taper is a specific design or shape of weight forward fly line. One key feature of the GPX taper is that it is a half wt heavier than a standard wt. line to help load a rod at shorter casting distances.

The "Sharkskin" is a type of finish that is available on multiple different line tapers. I have found that Sharkskin lines shoot really well.

You can get a SA GPX taper line with or without the Sharkskin finish. Both are brand names used by Scientific Anglers.

Sorry RexW. I was interested in finding out which line casted better. I noticed that sharkskin line was $15 more than the gpx line and so I wanted to know if the price difference is a result of the sharkskin line casting better. Thanks for clearing that up!

Sharkskin definately casts better from a distance perspective to me. But I don't need the extra distance for most trout waters I fish. But there are locations where distance is useful.

Opinions vary on Sharkskin. Some people love it and others hate it. It is different the first time you cast it. You can "feel" it and hear it.

Personally, I am usually too cheap to pay the extra cost for it. But it is a lot of fun to watch it shoot out throught the guides of your rod.

Haha thanks for the info!

eBay is your friend, I got a brand new spool of sharkskin magnum tropic for 39.00 instead of 99

I have a five-weight sharkskin line. I gave away a six-weight in a rod/reel purchase. I'm not a fan. As mentioned by FallinFeathers, if you use it all day, it will completely take the skin off your finger(s).

The color is not really what I'd call stealth-y, either. I bought mine several years ago for a trip to New Zealand. The guide gave me grief saying that I should have just bought a WHITE fly line.

Sharkskin fly line, IMHO, is not worth the extra money. Practice your casting & you'll be able to shoot the SA GPX line 60+ feet with little effort.

My $.02...

JR

I agree with the other posters that the Sharkskin is not worth the money, and it will abrade your fingertips over a day's casting. I had an 8 wt Sharkskin on my flats rod, and I quickly replaced it with a GPX series.

Because of the abrasion issues, SA came out with the "Textured" series which I have on my 6 wt trout rod, and 8 wt. flats rod. They have worked well, and will cast into the wind.

Bill

Yea fair enough. Thanks for all the info gentlemen. I went ahead and purchased the GPX series line and so far I love it.

Sharkskin is a perfect example of letting the customer do the R&D, and then coming out with what they should've in the first place. Remember all that Sharkskin hoopla?