fly line for dry flies and casting distance

larkmark

larkmark

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Joined
Jun 11, 2019
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Does anyone have a favorite floating fly line? I use a 4 wt with action on soft side. Mainly fishing dry flies for often finicky trout. Also want to cast distance. I mainly use Orvis and Cortland and no real complaints. I did not care for the Rio Gold very much when I tried it.
 
I use mostly SA and cortland lines and have no complaints. Double tapers suit me best as i usually am trout fishing inside of 50', mostly less than 30-40'.

What kind of distance do you want to cast? Generally soft action rods are more associated with presentation than distance casting.
 
I like the Orvis Pro Trout line. Of course what works for me on my rods may not be the best for you.
 
I would say 50 ft max distance. My rod is a Winston boron 9 ft so it is softer action but does have power. I normally use a weight forward line. I was just curious what lines guys are using. I'm about to get a new line. I rarely get more than a season without cracking etc. I do clean my line fairly often.
 
Lark, Curious why you do not like Rio Gold very much.
 
Hi fritz- I tried it once and after a short time it cracked. They actually gave me a new line free so it may have been defective. It was a soft line in comparison to what I was used to. I like something with a hard smooth surface. The Rio gold didn't last long either.
 
Cortland OmniVerse (now called Long Belly)SA Trout, Rio Technical Trout in true wt lines. Cortland Modern Trout and Rio Gold in 1/2 wt heavy lines. Gold may only be .3 heavy in some versions. Distance is achieved with these lines due to the long rear taper which stabilizes your loop (no hinging) which allows you to hold more line on your back cast therefore allowing more distance. On the right water I can fish dries as small as #20 at 70ft especially with a CDC wing as this material is remarkable visible at distance. The newer Rio coatings are more durable and should last longer, I too had Rio replace a line that was defective. Many others have not experienced this issue.
 
Thanks Lark. I've had Rio Gold and haven't had the early cracking issue. I see there are currently some good sales in Rio Gold. Maybe they are upgrading.
 
Pretty much any DT line will be fine with a 9' 4wt for dry flies and distance. I like SA then Cortland. I do not like Rio.
 
Long tapers - SA expert distance, SA trout taper, Airflo river and stream or Airflo distance pro
 
SA Expert Distance only comes in the Orange Competition version. I still have a few but you can use SA Trout which is almost identical. Long rear taper is the key to distance.
 
It does not. I have two in green
 
I think the orange is the MED competition line which is a standard line for distance casting tournaments and is 120' long. Green is MED with an identical taper but 105' total length. The head length on both is about 70'.

The tournament guys probably carry 80'+ before they shoot line (the whole head and another 10 or so feet) You're not going to get that kind of carry with gpx or equivalent. With DT you can get a similar carry, or even more because there is no running line.

IMO when fishing dries at a distance you want all the carry you can get because the more line you shoot the more accuracy and presentation suffer.

If you're fishing dry flies for trout the last thing you want is a line with a short head i.e. gpx. It's fine as a do it all line and for fishing dries at short to normal distances, but it sucks when you get to the running line. When you're into your running line mending sucks as well. I like DT over long belly lines because it's what I'm used to. If I couldn't get a DT line I'd get a long belly line.
 
I've become a fan of textured lines the last few years.
They just cast so easily. And float well.

I have Orvis
First one I bought was the Hydros HD.
Second one - bought a year and a half ago now - is the Orvis Pro.

Quite happy with both of them.
They're pricey for sure.
But worth it IMO
 
From my experience, true on both counts from the previous posts.

A longer head allows a caster to carry more line in the air for distance casting.

Plus a textured fly line zips through the guides and further adds distance.



 
Good thread here guys, i am going to bump my thread on a slightly similar topic as i wanted to update my results with the line i purchased
 
I have three Winstons and they all do well with Triangle Taper for my casting style. I'm sure there are other good lines as well.
I tried the Winston line which is made by SA. Its 1/4 weight heavy. Its fine too but I just prefer using the same lines on all my reels and have stuck with the TT.
 
Go online and search Barrio Fly lines. They have been designed by Mike Barrio in Scotland. They are a true weight line with some interesting tapers. If you email Mike, he is glad to advise. They do not have loops, but he will add for a fee. Great quality that performs. The price is incredible compared to US manufacturers and shipping is free and fast.
 
I generally found this interesting:

https://youtu.be/v0w2nwjzmPI
 
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