Posts tagged: Scientific Anglers Fly Lines

How To Choose The Right Fly Line (Part 1)

How To Choose The Right Fly Line (Part 1)

Deciding on your next fly line can be a complicated and daunting process. Lines can be labeled as WF5F, 200gr, coldwater, tropical, aggressive, presentation tapered, floating, sinking, overweighted, freshwater, or saltwater, and that's just a few. It's confusing. In my opinion, it is actually the most confusing aspect of gear-related fly fishing information. Additionally, just because you have, say, a 5wt rod, that doesn't mean any WF5F fly line will match up well with your rod or fishing situation(s). Unfortunately, there is not one fly line that will do everything perfectly. So, how do we make good decisions on fly lines without buying 10 of them and personally testing them all out on the water before we purchase?

This is #1 in a multiple part series. In this article I will cover the main ideas behind fly line design and its intended application.

How Do We "Match" a Fly Line?

Matching up a fly line to a fly rod is a combination of a few factors. The big questions you should be asking yourself are:

  • What is the "action" of the fly rod that I want to use this line on? - fast/medium/slow/etc.
  • What type of caster are you? Are you just learning to cast? Are you more experienced? Do you double haul? Need a line for better roll casting or maybe short casts with a dry fly?
  • Where are you fishing? River, pond, ocean, from a boat, from shore?
  • What flies are you fishing/what techniques do you want to accomplish? Are you looking for a dry fly specific line, do you want a line to help you cast streamers better, do you need a line to help you accurately cast shrimp flies to schools of tailing bonefish, do you want a line to quickly get you down in that spring hole on your favorite trout pond?

There are certainly a lot of factors to consider, but once you have established these above variables and situations, you have now essentially narrowed down your search considerably. You will find that there is absolutely a noticeable difference in how various lines behave, so additionally you will find that there is likely a good match for you and your fishing needs.

Comparing Tapers + Grain Weight

The single most significant factor that dictates most differences in fly lines and their application is their taper and grain weight. These, when applied in various ways, can change a dry fly line to a streamer line, or a nymphing/indicator line to a stillwater line. The questions/variables that are mentioned about can, for the most part, be answered with taper and weight. Here are some examples:

Premier Rio Gold

Click HERE for more info on Rio Gold

Premier Rio Gold Fly Line TaperRio Gold has been an "industry" standard fly line for quite sometime. For anglers looking for a fly line that matches up well with most freshwater fly rods, Rio Gold has a taper that helps it be a great "all-arounder" option. It has a longer head (47") which is fairly linear and shares an extended rear taper. This design allows Rio Gold to hold its shape and help you control the line more confidently during longer casts. The front taper is a good balance between a presentation minded line and one that will load quickly at short range. It's one of those lines that doesn't do anything perfectly, but does a lot of things well.

Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Creek Trout

Click HERE for more info on the SA Amplitude Smooth Creek Trout

Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Creek Trout Fly Line

The Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Creek Trout is solely designed to throw dry flies in small rivers/creeks. You can see how the front taper is an extension of the belly which are both slowly progressing to a thinner diameter. This gives a great ability to "present" flies on the water without much disruption (spooking fish). Plus you will see that the overall head of this line is shorter than the Rio Gold. This allows the angler to load the line/rod at very short distances (how most casts are in small creeks). The downside is that the Creek Trout does not do well at casting longer distances accurately or handling heavier flies like weighted streamers or indicator rigs. 

Rio InTouch Big Nasty

Click HERE for more info on the Rio InTouch Big Nasty

Rio InTouch Big Nasty Fly Line

Totally opposite to the SA Creek Trout, the Rio InTouch Big Nasty is designed to cast the largest and heaviest of streamers. You can clearly see that quite a bit of weight is pushed to the very front of the line. The front taper looks dramatically different than any dry fly or presentation specific line. The longer head length allows for control of longer casts, and the exaggerated front taper helps to carry and turnover those heavy articulated or bulky flies. The downside to the Big Nasty is that it would not be a great dry fly line. The reason for this is the aggressive front tape which would make it hard to delicately present a fly on the surface.

Grain Weight?

All of the above lines are weighted differently. At WF5F, the full head weight of Rio Gold WF5F is 208gr (not just the first 30'), Rio Big Nasty is 202gr, and the SA Creek Trout is 160gr. If you take this weight and shift/move it around in various ways along the head, you will see how application of weight in a fly line makes a big difference. You could have almost the same weight line (like the Rio Gold and Big Nasty) but when you apply the weight in different ways, it dramatically changes how the line behaves and casts! Additionally, this means that you could take one WF5F line and it would not cast well with your rod at all, but then another WF5F line would match up really well. So keep in mind those above "questions" before deciding on a line. 

How To Choose The Right Fly Line

The Difference(s) Between Freshwater and Saltwater Fly Lines

These characteristics explained above are applicable for both freshwater and saltwater fly lines. For instance, the taper of some freshwater and saltwater lines can be very similar as their intended techniques can require an almost identical approach. 

Airflo Bonefish

Click HERE for more info on the Airflo Bonefish

Airflo Bonefish Fly Line

You can see that the taper/head for the Airflo Bonefish is almost identical to that of the Rio Gold. Being an all-around trout line, Rio Gold can be a good line for presenting dry flies. In very much a similar way, the Airflo Bonefish fly line is made to help you present flies to bonefish. The techniques to presenting a dry fly to a wary trout is essentially the same to that of leading a (school of) bonefish with your shrimp pattern. You want to be able to softly and accurately land that fly in the most natural way possible. A fly line which has its weight evenly distributed along the head allows for a softer/more natural presentation. This is not necessarily the case with a line like the Rio Big Nasty which is designed to throw streamers. 

Rio Coastal Quickshooter

Click HERE for more info on the Rio Coastal Quickshooter

Rio Coastal Quickshooter Fly Line

On the other hand, a line like the Rio Coastal Quickshooter which is another saltwater line, is created with a very different idea in mind. Not only is the Coastal Quickshooter overweighted (more on that in the next article) but the head is shorter (than the Airflo Bonefish). This condenses the weight of the line/head to a smaller area which loads rods quicker and helps to carry large streamers into the wind. You can also see that the front taper is shorter. This design of the Coastal Quickshooter would not be recommenced as a sight-fishing/presentation line as it would not allow the angler to accurately and subtly get that fly to the fish. When accuracy and presentation is not needed, (such as blind casting off of beaches, ledges, or a boat) but you are tossing big flies into the wind, trying to eliminate false casting, and getting as much line out as possible with minimal effort, this is where a line like the Rio Coastal Quickshooter is advantageous. 

Now What?

Now that we have covered the basics of how lines are designed for various applications, we can start to figure out how these apply to our fishing. In the next article, I will detail how to take these variables and make them fit for youAs mentioned previously, not every WF5F line is going to match up well with your 5wt rod or you as an angler/caster. So with the next article I will also talk about how us as individual casters can make a difference in what line works well for you and your fly rod. 

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What To Do With Your Old Fly Lines?

What To Do With Your Old Fly Lines?

I have a pile of old fly lines here at the shop. It's mostly a collection of used lines that get taken off reels for customers who have bought new ones and are having me re-rig their reel. I always ask if they would like to take home the old line. Sometimes they do, most times not.

The usual case of a customer simply leaving it with me is understandable. I mean, once a line is cracked, the coating is gone, no longer floats well enough, or has some nicks/abrasions, these things are hard or impossible to fix. A new fly line will obviously solve all these issues immediately. So, next time you take off an older line to put on a new one, don't throw it away. Here are some ideas to salvage that old trusty line...

1. Flyvines - These guys take your old fly line and make lanyads, sunglass retainers, bracelets, keychains, and more. Flyvines up-cyles fly lines in a way that keeps it from negatively impacting the environment. You can check them out HERE

2. Practice Line - We all need casting practice. Plus, trying to practice on the river is tough because you want to focus less on your cast and more on catching fish. So, refining your cast in the backyard, in a parking lot, or at a neighborhood ball field is very common. But, we don't want risking taking out our new $100 fly line and damaging it. Your old line can be the perfect practice line!

3. Fly Tying - If there is one thing that skilled/veteran fly tyers do well is finding ways of using materials outside of their original intent. I know people who have tied caddis dry flies with birchbark. Fly lines can provide a clever new material for the vise. The thick/floating head section of lines can be great for dry fly bodies - similar to that of using foam strips. Plus with so many different colors used in fly lines these days, the options are endless. A little creativity and scissors can go a long way...but you fly tyers already knew that!

4. Fixing Net Bags - Sometimes we get a little hole in our landing nets, or need to reattach the bag. Sections of fly lines can be a great materiel for lashing nets back together or fixing holes. Fly lines will deal with the constant usage in water a lot better than yarn, cord, etc. 

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What's the Difference Between a "Coldwater" and "Tropical" Fly Line?

What's the Difference Between a "Coldwater" and "Tropical" Fly Line?

This is one of the most common questions that I am asked regarding fly lines, especially when speaking to customers who are preparing for a fishing trip. These traveling customers usually want to know if they can get away with using their striped bass line while in Belize for bonefish or permit. This is a very legitimate concern and idea, so let's flesh-out the differences in construction (if any) between these two types of lines. 

The development of fly lines over the past 20-30 years has been fairly significant. There wasn't much in the way of "tropical" or "coldwater" lines in the 1980's. I have even talked to customers who were fishing for tarpon in Florida 25 years ago who used to stick their lines in their cooler to try and keep them stiff(er) in between casting at cruising silver kings. So, back then, without any specific temperature based fly lines, anglers were certainly seeing a difference when fished in various climates. Now, fly line manufacturers are building fly lines with various materials and implementations of such materials to help construct lines that perform better in more extreme conditions. 

Coldwater Fly Lines

  • Softer/more supple to help prevent the line from getting too stiff in cold climates. A line that is too stiff will have much more memory and be apt to tangle more easily as they hold their coil much more.
  • Traditionally built using braided/multifilament cores which are softer than monofilament cores.
  • The coatings on the coldwater lines are supple and differ from those of tropical lines - there are many various materials that different manufacturers will use, but for the most part the core and coating are the factors which are focused on the most. This is also why coldwater lines tend to generally be less durable than tropical - their coatings are softer and will usually nick/peel/degrade quicker.

Tropical Fly Lines

  • Stiffer - this helps keep the line from getting too limp in the warmer water, hot boat decks, and tropical sun. Holding its rigidity in hot climates helps to ensure that the line doesn't becomes essentially a 100ft piece of cooked spaghetti. Cooked spaghetti is hard to cast!
  • Built, usually, using a monofilament core

From the back of Rio's "Coldwater Series" Outbound Fly Line: "...and are built on a supple, coldwater coating that ensures the line remains tangle free."

From the back of Rio's "Tropical Series" Bonefish fly line: "Medium stiff core and hard coating that will not wilt in warm conditions"

What happens if you bring a coldwater line to the tropics?

If an angler was to bring a coldwater line out on a bonefish flat in Belize, the hot sun/boat deck/and warm water will make this softer line even limper. It also potentially gets stickier. When this happens, a limp line will tangle much easier, get stuck in the guides or to itself, and also will pick up more dirt and grime. All these factors would create a scenario where the line would become increasingly more difficult to cast and make for a frustrating day on the water. 

This scenario happened to me about a year ago while fishing in the hot northern Argentina jungle. I brought a few different rods/lines/setups with me and one setup in particular had a fly line which did not behave well in the hot weather. It became sticky and limp. The line tangled on every cast and was quickly taken off the reel and packed away at the end of the day.

What happens if you bring a tropical line in coldwater?

With it already being fairly stiff, a tropical line will become even stiffer when introduced to cold climates. Mega-coiling and tangles usually ensue. Think of it like trying to cast a slinky...(if you even remember what those are). The increasingly stiff line will hold tons of memory and be very hard to straighten out. 

How different are the coatings between coldwater and tropical fly lines?

Coldwater vs Tropical Fly Lines - Durometer

Fly line manufacturers like Rio, Airflo, and Scientific Anglers all have their own proprietary way of creating their preferred coatings. Some use PVC like Rio, while others like Airflo use polyurethane. They all have to be tweaked in various ways to get the desired stiffness. The main way a manufacturer determines the proper hardness for a coating is through a durometer. A durometer uses an indentor to determine the hardness of a specific material. In the case of a fly line, a durometer is used to form a "shore test" (which measures the resistance of a certain material to a given pressure). These measurements are scaled from 0-100. 100 being very stiff. Coldwater lines read somewhere around 60-70 where tropical lines usually are at about 90.  

 

I hope that helps! Send me an email - support@allpointsflyfishing.com - if you have any questions!

Written by: Josh Thelin

Cover photos by: Paul Smith + Andy York

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Gear Review: Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods

Gear Review: Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods

When I first started to organize getting this fly shop off the ground, I had multiple options and brands to consider. I came from a background of selling a lot of various manufacturers, but I truthfully only fished a few. This essentially helped lead me to my shop's motto of only selling gear that I know intimately or use myself, but it also made it tough as I had to make some important choices as to who/what brands I should actually bring into the store. 

Thomas & Thomas fly rods were one of the only companies that I did not sell previous to opening All Points. I had heard a lot about them, I had cast some other people's T&T rods, and they are made here in New England, but my knowledge of their brand as a whole was limited. So after hearing a lot of the hype, especially now with new CEO in Neville, I decided to drive down to Greenfield, Massachusetts and see for myself. 

I met up with rod designer Joe Goodspeed and after a gracious tour of their facility, we headed out back to the casting pond. Joe brought all the latest and greatest rods they had been working on. I brought with me lots of my own personal lines and began to get familiar with the Thomas & Thomas lineup.

Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods

Exocett

The first rod that I picked up and began casting was the Exocett. This is T&T's newest saltwater rod. I rigged up the 8, 9, 10, and SS 350 and started to dial in how these rods felt and how they reacted to various lines. Wow! The one clear thing is - these rods have a lot going on within their design. To put it simply, they are a combination of a "softer" (more true-weighted) rod but with extraordinary power and strength. Seems pretty contrasting, but these rods pull it off. The first one I cast was the 8wt. I brought with me a Scientific Anglers Mastery Bonefish WF8F line and I am NOT lying when I say this - the 8wt Exocett rod is probably the best bonefish rod on the market. That SA line matches up perfectly with this rod and the cast-ability and accuracy of these two (rod/line) combined is unparalleled. This is my new bonefish rod...NEXT!

Now the 9wt - I am very familiar with 9wt rods. It is my rod of choice for striped bass here in Maine and also my "New England Saltwater Rod" (Stripers, Bluefish, False Albacore). It is also the weight rod I use for permit in the Caribbean. The first line that I put on the 9wt was a 30ft head/350gr line which I had used on a faster/stiffer 9wt in the past for stripers. Seeing as these Exocetts are matched to AFFTA standardization, 350 grains was too much for this rod. It overloaded the rod fairly easily and most longer casts ended up just piling up or not turning over well. So I backed it off to 300 grains. BOOM! Not only was I able to cast just as far as my previous setup, but it required less energy! 300 seemed to be the magic number for specifically for striped bass fishing here in the Northeast. It allowed me to throw heavy enough sinking/sink tip lines to fish deep, didn't need many false casts, and didn't totally overload the rod. I might back it off a little when doing strictly flats/sight fishing but that 300gr was the sweet spot this summer/fall. The slightly slower action provided a forgiving casting experience and has allowed me long days on the water with less shoulder soreness. Plus, almost most importantly, it gives an incredible amount of accuracy. I'm looking forward to trying this out on a tropical flat.. 

Lines that have worked well on the 9' 9wt Exocett here in Maine for striped bass: 

  • Rio InTouch Striper 300gr (30' sink tip w/ intermediate running line)
  • Scientific Anglers Sink 25 Cold 300gr (25' sink tip w/ floating running line)
  • Scientific Anglers Sink 30 Cold 300gr (30' sink tip w/ int running line)
  • Scientific Anglers SONAR Titan Full Intermediate - WF9I (NOTE: this ended up being the intermediate line that I used often, although if I had anymore than the head of the line out it would quickly start to overload. But, it proved to be a decent "shooting head" type line if done right requiring only 1-2 false casts).
  • Airflo Coastal/Striper WF9I - If there was a line made that is somewhere between this and the SA Sonar Titan Full Intermediate, that would be the perfect Int. line for this Exocett. Although this Airflo cast alright, it just didn't behave well especially when fishing from shore. Out of a boat it was a little better. 
  • Rio InTouch Striper WF9F - A proper matched floating line for cold saltwater (for the Exocett 9wt) is still up in the air. This line was serviceable on the Exocett but not ideal...It required a little more false casting than I wanted.  

Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods - Exocett Fly Rod

The 10wt followed suit with grain weights and I was continuously pleased with this as well. An additional note about the 9wt Exocetts and above (10,11,12) is that T&T reinforced these rods with a more substantial butt section. This is not only great additional strength for fighting larger fish successfully, but it also gives a little more backbone with casting sinking lines. You can really feel this in both situations and it helps a lot. 

Thomas & Thomas Exocett Fly Rod

The SS 350 - This is a canon! This is a faster/shorter version of the 9' Exocett and it's main use is large flies, big fish, heavier lines, and/or tight quarters. These SS rods lift line off the water with ease and can send out sinking lines easier than longer rods. They are also very accurate. Inherently a shorter rod is more accurate, so expect these shorter Exocetts to be bullseye. I cast an Airflo Bruce Chard Tropical Punch and also some Scientific Anglers sinking lines and it did well on all of them. 

The Exocett Predator - This was one rod that I was unable to cast while at T&T. The main objective of this rod is to create a longer rod that has all the power of a shorter rod, but with the added advantage of a longer rod (confused?). The Predator is capable of fishing 350-500gr lines and allows anglers to get longer overhead casts and fish flies deeper because of the added length. A stiffer tip (than the regular Exocett) gives better control over sinking lines and helps to lift line off the water. The grip/cork is even designed to give better "figure 8" retrieves...Think muskie.... 

Avantt

Next up at the casting pond was their new freshwater/trout rod: the Avantt. I lined it with some Scientific Anglers GPX line (now replaced with MPX). In a similar fashion to the Exocett, the Avantt did not want a lot of unnecessary extra weight. It is more of a true-to-grain rod and with the MPX being about a 1/2 of a line size heavy, it proved to be a little too much - noticeably more on longer casts. It cast well at distance for sure, but I found that going to the Scientific Anglers Mastery Trout line with this Avantt proved to be a better match in my opinion especially for dry fly/soft hackle fishing. This is a great accurate rod, can cast longer distances if needed, but is really dead-on at about 50ft and closer...trout range... 

I can see this Avantt becoming a favorite with dry fly and soft-hackle/wet fly fisherman. The softer tip allows sensitivity and presentation. I also have fished the G Loomis NRX LP for about 4 years and it reminds me a little of that rod in it's accuracy and progressive action (but with a slightly stiffer butt + mid section) -- a rod with a softer tip but can handle a nymph rig or streamer if needed. This is what a modern 5wt trout rod should feel like. There are longer casting trout rods available, there are better rods at 25ft., but we all know trout fishing is mainly within 30-45ft, and most dedicated trout fisherman carry two rods for this exact reason. Something to think about. 

Thomas & Thomas Avantt Fly Rod

Contact

Do you like to nymph? Do you find yourself specifically doing a fair amount of Czech/French style nymphing? This new Contact rod from T&T is their longer nymphing stick. Made in 10' 4" 3wt, 10' 4" 4wt, and 11' 3" 3wt configurations, this is certainly a rod to keep on your radar. The trick with a nymphing rod is to get it soft/responsive/sensitive enough so that you can feel the "take" from the fish but still have a rod that can actually cast the nymphing rig you're throwing! Some rod manufacturers try to design a rod that has tons of sensitivity in the tip, but a stiff butt section (for the weight), but what happens with this is that the "feel" stops at the butt section and you really don't have a great idea what's happening at the end of your leader/tippet. This Contact rod has seemingly joined best of both worlds. If you are a die-hard nymph fisherman or wanted to see what the fuss is about, this might be the first or last nymph rod you buy. The inclusion of a small fighting butt is a big help with arm fatigue with is a common concern for nymph fishermen, and also helps to counter balance the longer rod. 

Fly fishermen specifically here in Maine who fish a lot of pocket water find that longer (10ft+) rods have made a big difference in their fishing. These rods are an added advantage in not only covering more water with your rig, but the ability to mend line easier makes longer trout rods advantageous in the right scenario. 

Thomas & Thomas Contact Fly Rod

Thomas & Thomas Contact Fly Rod

Recap

These are the new offerings from T&T for the 2017 and upcoming 2018 seasons. As you can see there has been quite a bit of movement over there and lots of great things are coming out of this Massachusetts based fly rod manufacturer. Even further, they will be moving into a new facility soon which will be a partnership with a local brewery...so clearly these guys are onto something! 

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