Well, I was given the chance to try out this line and was asked to use it for a bit then give a review.
The line - WF 5W floating line in purple.
Initial thoughts : Awesome price point. The variety of colors is interesting, especially if you want something other than green or yellow line. Seems like a great value for a general purpose floating fly line
The line comes wound around itself, then twisty tied together. I was able to get about 3/4 of the line unwound before I made it into a knot. No biggy, since it was my fault (trying to rush). The line comes with clear instructions on how to unwind it.
No welded loop, no big deal. Just nailknot a loop to the end. Simple.
Ive got a few outings on the line so far. Mostly bass and pan fish fishing, and a few trout fishing trips. So far, so good. The line is very soft and supple. Casts with little effort. Shoots well and smoothly through the guides. Mends easy and effortlessly. Very controllable. Seems to stay clean rather well too, which is definitely a plus
The biggest thing I found with the line that was weird to me was the taper. The taper between the belly and the running line pretty significant. It not a bad thing, it just took some getting used to. No real complaints as of right now.
Im really rough on my fly line. I like to bash it against rock and trees and stomp on it repeatedly throughout the day. With a price tag of just 20$, I dont feel nearly as bad stomping on this line as I do some of my other lines. It seems to be able to take everything Ive thrown at it so far.
Hopefully I can get some more time on the line and report back with some more info on the life span of the line after repeated stompings.
Final thought : This line is a nice general purpose line at an entry level price. Easily comparable to pricier Orvis Clearwater, Cortland 444, and other lines that have a price tag well over double that of the Shadow line.
