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3. Equipment Suggestion

I am looking to upgrade my line for the upcoming season. I have a St. Croix Reign Rod in an 8' 5 wt 4 pc. I currently have a lower end 5 wt line, and was looking into getting a 6 wt line. I am aware that the rod is more of a "moderate" action, and was thinking of getting a line that could load the rod a little better. I was looking into the Scientific Angler's Sharkskin GPX taper line, it is listed as one half size heavy. Would a 6 wt be too much? Is the 5 wt alright? Any other suggestions?

Brent-

I know nothing about your rod, but just off the top of my head, would caution you against overlining it that much, particularly if it is a "moderate" action rod. It seems to me that your rod should load properly as long as you have a good (and appropriate weight) line on it, and don't rush the start of your forward stroke.

Alright, I have pretty cheap line so I really had no clue what to get. That makes sense to me so I will probably just go with a regular 5 wt. I liked it with the cheap 5 line, I just thought maybe I could cast a 6 farther.

Thanks for the Advice.

Hi,
I agree with Taxon on this. The rod might be able to handle a six weight, however if you are casting well with the 5 weight, why change? I am assuming you are using WF taper.

Mark

Yes, I am using a WF Taper. Now comes the next question. Does fly line color make a big enough difference to take into consideration? The sharkskin trout taper comes in blue heron and chartreuse. Very bright vs. very dull. I like the way the bright line looks, but if fishing will be better with a dull line I'd rather use that. I am fishing mostly small rivers that aren't very deep, with spots of broken water and spots of slow moving water.

I have done a little reading around the internet about this subject. It seems that with broken water, line color has little affect on the fish. Any negative observations with bright line colors in situations with slow-moving unbroken water? Any relation with selective trout?

Do you really want to spend $99.00 for a fly line? A $99.00 line isn't going to help you catch more fish than a $49.00 line. I don't have a Sharkskin but two people I know do and they told me that because of the uneven finish of the line it makes a racket shooting through the guides. Furthermore if you would consider yourself an accomplished and expert fly caster you can likely overload the rod by one line weight. If you are a novice caster or one with less than perfect casting skills, that are still being refined, I'd suggest sticking with the recommended line weight until you are able to write your name with the fly line - just kidding.

P.S. I would never, under any circumstances, spend $99.00 for a fly line. I catch hundreds of trout every season on fly lines costing no more than $60.00 and often far less. You can go to Ebay and look for good lines being offered for discount pricing. I recently bought a WF#7 F/S for $15.00, then a week later bid on, and won, a WF#6 F for $12.00. This is just my opinion but I think line color might make a difference if the trout are spooky and fished over frequently and your leader is short. But if you are using a 12' leader with a tippet diameter matched to the size of your fly I don't think line color matters. I though would never fish with any of those chartruese, hot yellow, or goofy colored lines.

oh, Dear Lord preserve us from the winter spending itchies! i suffer from this every year myself. take a deep breath, freeze the credit cards in a glass of water in the freezer, and turn on the Olympics. after a while sanity will return.


if you can see it flying about over the water, so can the fish. i went so far as to dip an orange line i'd been given into some navy blue dye. the result was an amazing deep mohogany that disguised my terrible casting very nicely by rendering the line invisible to the naked eye.

good advice about "overlining." the one time we tried that in this family with a "moderate action rod", the rod behaved like an overcooked noodle. maybe the GPX in a 5 wt? never mind sharkskin--you'd have to wear stripping gloves.

in the end, get what you want. it's your hobby/passtime/obsession!

to find the perfect line for your rod simply take it to a local (well serviced) fly shop.
any good fly shop has "parking lot" lines that are put on rods for customers to try out potential new purchases. cast with various lines especially the sharkskin and see what works best.
for the rest of you (and i) impulse buying spendaholics i suggest that if you have lines sitting around collecting dust then donate them to your local shop for said purpose. a little charity goes a long way when deal making...
my local shop (international angler) has a sharkskin from me that i hastily purchased and hated.
but then don't leave the shop and buy it from the internet.
if they provide that service to you, then you owe it to them to purchase it from them at MSRP
gut

I agree with Matt...No need spending extra bucks on a fly line...Better to spend some time out on the casting field practising. I have a friend that bought up a supply of the old Cortland 333's and he will out fish just about anyone with it...Now I will agree that he's a bit tight (squeeky in fact), he's the same friend that tied commercially for decades with a Thompson "A", but he can cast! I've seen him in his backyard throwing perfect loops without a rod...The difference in price of those two lines will pay for an extra night's room near a river somewhere or a case or two of beer.

In terms of color...The better your casting becomes the less you need to be flailing it around in the air over the spooky fish anyway...I've seen guys out there that look like they are painting the barn and the fly spends more time flying around in the air than on the water...Very few fish will chase a fly 4' above the waters surface...He, he! False casts should be kept to what is needed to get the job done...After your fly has run it's course...one cast back, and drive it to the target again.

I'm supposed to be on a writing diet of two paragraphs and that's my two paragraphs worth...Matt was implying, I think, that practise is more important than your fly line...In terms of "cheap"...I fish with double tapers and when my line wears out a bit I turn it around and use the other side...Keeping it clean and maintained is important as well...

To add a bit to what Tony was saying...Keep your old line and attach it for practise on the lawn or in the gym and keep your newer one for the stream. His admonition to support your local shop can't be more "right-on"! I can't tell you how many shops have come and gone here in the Detroit area...Some of them went way back and a trip to an old fly shop is like my trips to the "penny-candy" store when I was a kid! Grandpa would come home from work and would pull out the change in his pockets and split it up between me and my two aunts or cousins and we would run, as fast as we could, to the local store. ..I would stand at the counter squeezing the dime in my hand tight, totally overwhelmed with what to spend it on...Guys who were trying to purchase a case of beer and spend some real money would be standing behind me , "Hey kid! You going to make up your mind sometime this year?"

I guess we never grow up, eh?

Spence

So you would suggest a Double Taper for a moderate action rod? I am going to go to fly shop and pick out the best line after casting with my rod. I was just trying to narrow it down a bit and trying to figure out some of the benefits of WF and DT without the bias of a manufacture's description of the product.

Hi,
If you are looking for distance, WF. Shorter casts and more delicacy in presentation coupled with longer line life because you can reverse the line, select the double taper.

IMO, line color matters some, but not as much as a good invisible leader of the proper length for the water height and type you are fishing. Lighter colors of line may be less visible against the sky, but ALL floating lines cast shadows, so presentation is important as well. Also use the longest rod you dare for where you fish. Longer rods require less line on the water giving you more control.

Mark

Brent,

When you say "Northern Michigan" I'm not sure how far away you are, but...The Michigan Fly Fishing Club has, for over 30 years, put on a nice Fly Fishing Expo and it's March 13th-14th. All of the dealers will be there. Joe Humpreys and Dave Hughes will be there for talks etc. There are fly tying demos done all day by Michigan Tyers...Etc.

It is held at Macomb Community College on 12 Mile Rd just a bit east of Van Dyke and you can find out more at www.mffc.org. This is just a mile or so north of I-96 just east of I-75.

They setup casting pools inside and you can try out any rod you please and ask some pros about some advice for you line and rod.

Joe H was there several years back and he's hard to beat when it comes to casting...He puts on demos throughout the day. The last time I saw him he set up a long folding table across the casting pond and said pretend it's an overhanging sweeper over the river and your target fish is way up under there...He put his fly right on the spot every time!

Check it out!

Spence