LINE FOR HELIOS 6WT TIP FLEX

[ICM]

I'm a relative 2 year newbie to fly fishing but its become an obsession. I just got a Helios 2 6wt tip flex/Mirage lll for use primarily on the Upper Delaware. I'm looking for a 6wt line for streamers (some large), nymph rigs and indicators, and big bushy dries. It would be nice if it could passably present dries (12-18), but that's not the primary focus since I also have a 5wt used on local streams in NE PA (Lackawanna, Brodhead,Bushkill). I would prefer a general purpose 6wt floating line (I have some polyleader/versatips if necessary), but I would consider a specialty line if significantly better. I went on the Orvis website and used Chat with 3 different Reps. Received recommendations ranging from standard trout tapers to 1/2 overweighted and sink tips (Orvis HD Trout, Power Taper, Bank Shot, Easy Mend, Type 3 sink tip; SA Sharkwave Siege,GPX, Anadro; Rio In Touch Gold,Perception, Type3 Sink Tip; Airflo Bandit). I'm now thoroughly confused so I seek the collective wisdom and experience of this forum. Any advice, suggestions and recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much.

 

[DavidFin]

Airflo Exceed or GPX. Definitely not the Perception line.

 

[afishinado]

ICM wrote:
I'm a relative 2 year newbie to fly fishing but its become an obsession. I just got a Helios 2 6wt tip flex/Mirage lll for use primarily on the Upper Delaware. I'm looking for a 6wt line for streamers (some large), nymph rigs and indicators, and big bushy dries. It would be nice if it could passably present dries (12-18), but that's not the primary focus since I also have a 5wt used on local streams in NE PA (Lackawanna, Brodhead,Bushkill). I would prefer a general purpose 6wt floating line (I have some polyleader/versatips if necessary), but I would consider a specialty line if significantly better. I went on the Orvis website and used Chat with 3 different Reps. Received recommendations ranging from standard trout tapers to 1/2 overweighted and sink tips (Orvis HD Trout, Power Taper, Bank Shot, Easy Mend, Type 3 sink tip; SA Sharkwave Siege,GPX, Anadro; Rio In Touch Gold,Perception, Type3 Sink Tip; Airflo Bandit). I'm now thoroughly confused so I seek the collective wisdom and experience of this forum. Any advice, suggestions and recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much.

I'm sure you will get a lot of different responses and be more confused....but I find Easy Mend HD best for the Upper D River for dries, nymphing and streamers.

Longer head for longer mends and aerializing more line for longer casts. Plus textured for shooting longer distances. Mending well and casting long are often important when fishing the D. (Go long and mend....or go to Lydia's)

I agree, you can use a poly leader for streamers or buy a sink tip line and load on another spool to fish streamers exclusively.

 

[CRB]

If you have a smart phone check out the rio app for line selection

 

[krayfish2]

The only time I cast a Helios 2 was on the D and I got to fish it for 10 hours. I used an old sharkskin and thought it cast well at distance but felt dead at shorter distances.

I've been a Rio user for 10 years or more. I have experimented with some others (Air Flow and SA). What I can tell you is that textured lines suck when you have to listen to zzzz, zzzz, zzzz going through bthe guides all day. Sucks to hear but the performance offsets the noise. The line floats well, mends great and needs cleaned regularly. I haven't had enough testing on them to speak for longevity, other than the sharkskin which has held up really well.

For that rod you got, I'll suggest SA Textured Trout or Textured GPX. Just my 0.02

 

[ThePharmacist]

I have tried a Rio Gold and Rio Perception on my 9'6wt H2. I liked the Gold better, but I don't hate the perception. How's that for a non-answer?

 

[Mariner]

Easymend HD is super versatile for that rod. Perfect for nymphs, good for streamers, when you want gentile presentations, just lengthen your leader from the butt end and it will taper well.

 

[Millsertime]

I've been fishing Rio Perception WF4 for a little over a month now. Not impressed. My previous line was Gold but it started cracking/sinking so I "upgraded".

The Perception is delicate for dries but I can't roll cast streamers or nymphs as good as I could with Gold.

 

[Cold]

My experience has been much the opposite of some of the others here.

A few seasons ago I picked up a 9' 6wt Sage ONE (while I've never cast the H2, I've been led to believe they're roughly comparable in terms of action in the 6wt range) and tried out a few different lines with it. Ultimately I got the change to throw a Rio Perception on it and it was a match made in heaven.

It's a great do it all line, and for me, even better because usually "do it all" comes with the caveat of "but none especially well", but the Perception is a line I can use and confidently fish, with the right leader of course, everything from #18-20 griffiths gnats to #2 clousers for smallmouth and back again...and in all of these situations, I feel that the line is making my job easier, not more challenging, which isn't always the case with other lines.

In this situation, I felt the Rio Gold was a great trout line but didn't have the beef to make a smallmouth outing with big streamers enjoyable. Likewise, I tried a Wulff Ambush and while it could lob the streamers out, there was nothing good to say about its presentation...and while accuracy is a function of the caster, not the line, I had an easier time gaining better accuracy with any other line but the Ambush. Cortland peach floater in DT6F was its usual solid performer that didn't set the world on fire in any way...just a decent option at moderate distances. The Gold felt good, but with stipulations: big flies in close and small flies downrange. If I had anything much bigger than #8 on the line, it felt best inside 40 feet. If I had anything smaller than #14 on, it felt best outside 40 feet. So it was okay, but with significant limitations.

The Perception seemed like the Gold, but with these limitations largely removed. I'm still using it with the 9' 6wt One, and the only times I've felt like it wasn't a great choice for what I was doing were those occasions where I was admittedly asking a bit much of my setup: lobbing big articulated 6" streamers, or tiny #22 dries and emergers...both situations at the extremes. Anything from #2-20, though, it handles everything great. If I have problems, it's me, not the rod or line.

 

[fishngun]

If it were me I'd carry two spools. One would have my general presentation floating line on it and the other would have some form of sink tip line for streamers. I don't have specifics on exact lines for you as I think that's a personal preference thing. I do know that I wouldn't put too much faith in the over the phone tech help from Orvis. I called once with a question they should have been able to answer. Not only did they not answer it, I hung up the phone feeling like I taught that guy something and not the other way around. I'm sure some are better than the one I got, but I won't be calling back after my experience. You're better off heading into a fly shop and getting some real world suggestions from a guide or shop owner.

 

[moon1284]

I am a die hard cortland 444 peach DTF guy. I bought a reel this winter from Ebay that came with a lightly used rio perception wf5f line on it. Out of laziness, instead of putting on cortland line I fished with the Perception. I liked the perception a lot and have nothing bad to say about it.

I probably will end up replacing the perception with double taper 444 (old habits die hard), but IMO the perception is a very good line.

 

[ICM]

Thank you all for your collective wisdom and advice. I've narrowed it down to SA Sharkwave GPX, ORVIS HD Power Flex or HD Easy Mend. As to texturing, I have a textured line on my 5wt and kind of like the way it "sings" through the guides. Besides the fish don't hear it. The Bandit looks interesting but I'll wait until I find a online review to see if it makes the list. While the Trident Line Shootout absolutely loves the Sharkwave GPX, Orvis has the advantage of its 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If I don't like it, bring it back to an Orvis Retail Store for an exchange or refund. While, it would be great if I could go to my local fly shops (Evening Hatch, AA, A&G) to test cast lines like rods, understandably that's not possible so I'll just have to take a leap of faith and hope.

 

[afishinado]

ICM wrote:
Thank you all for your collective wisdom and advice. I've narrowed it down to SA Sharkwave GPX, ORVIS HD Power Flex or HD Easy Mend. As to texturing, I have a textured line on my 5wt and kind of like the way it "sings" through the guides. Besides the fish don't hear it. The Bandit looks interesting but I'll wait until I find a online review to see if it makes the list. While the Trident Line Shootout absolutely loves the Sharkwave GPX, Orvis has the advantage of its 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If I don't like it, bring it back to an Orvis Retail Store for an exchange or refund. While, it would be great if I could go to my local fly shops (Evening Hatch, AA, A&G) to test cast lines like rods, understandably that's not possible so I'll just have to take a leap of faith and hope.

I assume you mean Orvis Power "Taper" which is a half weight heavier. I believe the Sharkwave GPX is also a half weight heavier.

No need to over line an H2 rod, IMO. For most FFers that come into the shop, the rod casts best with the recommended weight line. I find the best lines for the H2 rods I fish (on the D River) is the Easy Mend HD with texture and a longer head for longer mending and shooting. Besides, by aerializing more line in the air with a longer head will already cause you to carry more weight without a heavier line. Have a great season on the D.

 

[Cold]

That "line shootout" was thinly veiled advertising for SA, really.

Which, for me, has been a brand of hits and misses. I absolutely loved the WF4F GPX I used on my Winston LTX for years, but also had a Mastery 5wt, plus two of the SA-made Orvis lines blow out, crack, and sink within a matter of weeks or months in each case.

I hope you have one of the good experiences instead of the latter.

 

[Six-Gun]

With a tip flex Helios 2, whatever you do, make sure it's got a heavy head on it. SA's GPX, MPX or Anadro lines come to mind. I love my 5WT and 8WT Helios 2 rods - both of which are tip flex - but they need mass to load.

That 8WT gave me fits initially when I tried to use standard Rio Gold 8WT line on it. I love Rio Gold on my mid flex rods in lower weights, but in that 8WT Helios 2, it simply wouldn't come close to loading the rod until I had a significant amount of line out

 

[ICM]

Is there any real difference between SA Sharkwave GPX and Orvis HD Power Taper? Specs are nearly identical.

 

[Six-Gun]

I have no experience with the Orvis HD Power taper, but I do with the Sharkwave GPX. The only at-a-glance difference I see if the texturing. The Sharkwave has a triple texture design while the HD Power Taper has a double texture design. How much difference there is real-world, I couldn't say.

At the end of the day, they both run a half-size heavy, so if you prefer the Orvis HD offering for any other reason, it should work just fine for you with the Helios 2.

 

[ICM]

The 3rd texture on the Sharkwave Gpx is the "Tactile Reference Point", a 3' "non-embossed section at the end of the head" so you can feel where the textured head ends and the textured running line begins. Nice feature but has no effect on line performance. Assuming the lines are nearly identical, the only reason to prefer HD over GPX is the Orvis 100% Satisfaction Guarantee - don't like it; take it back for full refund/exchange.

 

[Six-Gun]

The satisfaction guarantee is definitely a nice backstop in case the line simply isn't meeting your expectations. I've had a couple of cases where I wish I had that kind of protection. That said, I can say that I'm quite happy with the SA offerings I've used thus far, and their half-size heavy stuff has filled the bill for the Helios 2 quite well. I think if you find a taper that meets your expected casting conditions, you'll be pretty happy with their stuff, too.