lines

[wilson24]

there are so many lines out there im not a pro i do a lot of steelhead since i live in erie like 5 min from 12 mile i have a 6 wt st croix what is a good but reasonably priced line. also for trout what is a good brand in a 5 wt thanks for your help

 

[CRB]

Wilson,
I just picked up some Cortland peach 444 5wt Floating at half price at Gander M. in Erie. I think they had some others.


A Double taper or steelhead taper will help in roll casting.

 

[wilson24]

off topic but wher is ther to trout fish close to home after the first month of stocking all you get is the fingerlings. new to erie only been here year also new to site if i need to repost question somewher else let me know thanks

 

As to your fly line question, on 5 wts.
In 28 years of fly fishing, I've probably spooled up every type, brand and dimension of fly lines, at one time or another but have just recently come across one of the newest and most innovative fly lines I've seen in years.............. the Air-Flo "Ridge-Line" 5WF Floating.
Unlike any fly line on the market, today, this line........when cut in a cross section actually looks like a "star", not a round "tube", and that's the secret behind the great shootability of this line and it's lack of surface area to pick up algae and dirt like round, conventional, lines do. I've spooled up 3 wts. of this line now, and love everyone of them for their ability to stay cleaner and cast much farther, with the same amount of effort!
Give one a try, you won't be dissapointed!

 

[flyfishermanj]

I'll second the "ridge-line"! I have it on my 3wt, and just love it. There's days when I can't make a bad cast with, almost like its an extension of my arm.
JH

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

For stealhead fishing, I prefer one of the longer-belly "steelhead" or nymph tapers. (Rio Nymph is what I use, but others Wulff TT, Orvis Long Belly, SA steelhead fit the bill) Cortland makes a 333+ Longbelly which would fit the bill, too, and be cheaper. The reason is that chucking a weighted indicator rig with traditional casting can be very tiring and using a long belly line is much better for roll casting and mending. Mending and roll casting is very important and harder to do with a traditional line taper designed to cast smaller flies to trout longer distances away using traditional casts. Most of your steelhead fishing will be done inside 40-50'

As for trout, check out the PFBC website if you haven't. The class A brown trout water in your county (Beaver Run, Trout Run) as well as Sugar Creek (Crawford County) and Little Sandy Creek (Venago County) are good bets throughout the year. These are all smaller waters. Oil Creek is close and a good bet in the spring and fall after stocking in the DHALO sections. This is big water. But nothing compares to steelhead, IMHO. Have fun.

If you are open to fish besides trout, there are lots of opprotunities, too......

As for rods, if you're looking for cheap....I'd stick with a major brands like St. Croix, Reddington, or TFO. Or cabelas/bass pro online. Some cheap off-brand fly rods have plastic hoods, lock nuts, and threading on the real seats which is bad. Also make sure their is at least one guide for every foot of length.

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

cortland 333+ long belly:

http://tinyurl.com/2smc24

 

[jaybo41]

You are also within 2 hours of the Allegheny National Forest Region which has tons of streams to fish. Tionesta Creek gets a ton of fish and it's also big water. Which would be ideal for casting your 6 wt on.

Brokenstraw Creek is in Warren County and not too far from Erie. As has been mentioned, look at the PF&BC website and check out the maps by county and the Class A waters. That should give you a good idea where you can fish that's close.

 

[CRB]

Good streams but don't overlook the Allegheny River,too .