Sharkskin

[jdaddy]

Ok, here it goes . . . screw Sharkskin!



I paid around $50 or so for 4 different Sharkskin lines. 4wt, 5wt, 7wt and 9wt.

The Sharkskin Saltwater 9wt was purchased for my 10'6" 9wt St Croix Ultra. Attached leader and practice "fly" went into the front yard. Whhhheeeeee this stuff is singing and flinging. Wait. Something is weird. Hmmm, no leader? Oh ya, that's what happens then the loop fails in the first 1 minute of casting. Ok, well that was bought at LL Fly Shop when it was closing. Maybe it was old?

5wt is on my BIImx cannon. Fishing the Tully a couple of weeks ago and was having problems casting. Ah, tons of ice build up in the guides. Seems that microscopic texture throws fine mist off as it sings through the guides.

4wt is on BIIImx. That's a brand new rod, so the line may have 10 hours on it. Noticed last week there are sections of the coating coming off, like it was stripped against a sharp edge or something (which it was not). Yesterday driving around I notice, oh holy hell, the loop has failed on this line too!

As for the 7wt, haven't used it yet but I am sure it will fail shortly just sitting on the reel.

I am already pissed enough about this but if I had paid $100 each for them or lost big fish because of the failures I would be super pissed. I can put up with the sound of the line going through the guides in exchange for the awesome high floating, easy to pick up and easy to mend line. I don't think it casts any better than other premium lines, but the handling characteristics are pretty sweet. But these failures are complete crap.

Also, Redsun has it in a 4wt and 5 wt and has had to have both of them replaced due to loop failure. Both of those were in a very limited time span of hours, not months of use.

I am going to contact SA directly. Wonder if they would switch them out for non-Sharkskin lines? I really liked the Mastery series.

 

[JasonS]

Did you pay $50 total or $50 for each? Either way, cool story bro.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

There's another new SA textured line out there...

Link.

 

[jdaddy]

JasonS wrote:
Did you pay $50 total or $50 for each? Either way, cool story bro.

I paid less than $50 each for the four of them. A couple were obtained when LL fly shop closed out and a couple were super coupon stacking events. LOL.

The price was quite cool and very starry, however the performance has been suck fest.

 

[jdaddy]

Heritage-Angler wrote:
There's another new SA textured line out there...

Link.

Ya, I was checking that out when I was on the SA website getting the contact info for my email. I like the SA Mastery series. Should have stuck with it I guess. Wonder if that golf ball texture would result in icy guides like the Sharkskin?

Edit: Awesome. LL Bean does free shipping, no minimum, forever and ever.

 

[JasonS]

So you're out about $200, that sucks but it could be worse. Could've been out bout tree fiddy.

 

[gutcutter]

jdaddy
i use the airflo ridge lines and they do the same in super cold weather.
don't know about the golfball line, but the physics should be the same
gut

 

[tennjed]

You could just ditch the factory welded loops entirely and nail knot a piece of hard mono with a perfection loop? Problem solved.

Rio Trout LT DT is one of the few lines out there that doesn't have the factory loop. I know a few guys who cut off the factory loop on all their lines. I'm heading that way on all but my Airflo lines.

 

[BigBronco]

I also had my loop break on a 4WF after about 2 months. I just put a piece of Chameleon on for a new loop. Do not use one of those chinese finger cuffs things, they blow.

 

[gfen]

I'm pretty sure he knows how to whip loops to the end, but the principle is the same.

 

[jdaddy]

JasonS wrote:
So you're out about $200, that sucks but it could be worse. Could've been out bout tree fiddy.

Well over tree fiddy but luckily no where near 9000.

I put some Amnesia on the 9wt just so I could use it (actually Jay used it during our epic muskie fail). I could whip finish a new loop, nail knot some Amnesia or Maxima, but you know at this point I want to see what SA's response will be because there is the whole loss of texture thing which has me concerned as well. I usually don't sweat the small imperfection here and there but this kind of blows.

 

[Fredrick]

JUSTICE :-D


I would call Sci Anglers and complain and ask for new lines or your money back

 

[whheff]

I have a 4wt and a 5wt sharkskin and I have not had that problem with mine. They have been on for almost 2 years and fished well. I do have a problem with the 4wt discoloring and I did e-mail SA. All I got back from them was a canned statment on how to clean your fly line. Since it is only cosmetic, I did not contact them any more.
Maybe you got a bad production run of lines.

 

[SBecker]

J, did they all come from LLFS? Even Nate's lines came from there, no?

 

[Ramcatt]

...or your money back

you mean $50 for them all right?

buying those lines as closeout stock... you get what you pay for
how old were they?
one would think that a fly shop that can't stay in biz, wouldn't have high turnover of product... lines break down over time... especially if stored improperly (ie heat)

issues like this should be handled at the retail level... and closeouts/liquidation/backstock should all have voided warranties and be final sales...X'd out tags... ect, but that is not possible with lines

there were issues 5-6 yrs ago when SA first started welding loops... and all my defective lines were replaced...but in the ~20 SA lines I've had from SA since then.. no problems

you'll get new lines... especially if you choose to tell them they are current models and purchased at full retail

the textured mastery GPX is much better than sharskin... imo

 

[jdaddy]

No, my 4wt and 5wt came from Cabelas. 7 and 9 came from llfs. Both of Nates that failed came from TCO and were ordered for him straight from SA due to his requested color. Only one of the five failed lines came from LLFS where I would question age. But seriously. Sharkskin hasn't been around long enough for it to have been on the shelf for 10 years. The 9 wt line that has the failed loop is otherwise fine at this point but needless to say my confidence is not high.

I bought the lines based upon the recommendation of a guide out west. He had it on his rods and loaner rods where folks were stepping on the line in the boat yet it lasted all season.

Ramcatt, I agree with you but I feel that a retailers responsibility for a manufacturers defect has to end at some point, say 60 or 90 days.

 

[gutcutter]

you'll get new lines... especially if you choose to tell them they are current models and purchased at full retail

So, in other words, lie.
And everybody wonders why the cost of FF gear is so high...

 

[jdaddy]

gutcutter wrote:

you'll get new lines... especially if you choose to tell them they are current models and purchased at full retail

So, in other words, lie.
And everybody wonders why the cost of FF gear is so high...

Ya, I don't see where there needs to be any fabrication of facts. The box that the 9 wt was in is brand spanking new, no dust, fading, etc. That is the only one that has failed that may have been on the shelf. But hey, if they can't stand sitting on a shelf .....

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Price paid for those lines has nothing to do with replacement.

Cabela's and the LLFS were both SA Mastery authorized retailers at the time of purchase.

SA will likely want to see those lines, but I'd be shocked if they don't replace them. The last thing they want is to have their flagship lines out there having premature failures.

Whether they replace it with a different model by request is another matter...

 

[Fredrick]

Heritage-Angler wrote:
Price paid for those lines has nothing to do with replacement.

Cabela's and the LLFS were both SA Mastery authorized retailers at the time of purchase.

SA will likely want to see those lines, but I'd be shocked if they don't replace them. The last thing they want is to have their flagship lines out there having premature failures.

Whether they replace it with a different model by request is another matter...

Exactly my point if you dont agree than go pound sand