Fish-Hawk.Net

I have an 8 weight TFO TICR rod (fast action) and mainly go for bass. I have a cheap Bass Pro Shops line on right now (probably White River??) which came with the rod and reel when I bought it used. The line kind of sinks in the water and it's difficult to mend. I would like to try a new line to see if it floats better and maybe also see if it improves my casting.
Thanks.

airflo ridgeline is the best i've used yet. easy to mend and casts really nice. its a bit expensive but well worth it.

I'd recommend Scientific Anglers. Well worth the investment....

Evan, how much is the airflow ridgeline and where can I buy it?

Evan, where can I buy the airflo ridgeline, and how much is it?

Fishboy, which Scientific Angler line do you recommend? The SA aircel is not too expensive, but I'm not sure how good it is.

thanks,

donj,

While you most likely have cheap line currently spooled on your reel, if it is sinking it may also be an indication that your line is in need of a cleaning and redressing. Even the best line will sink if it's not cleaned and refreshed with floating fly line dressing.

As for lines, three of the more popular brands are Scientific Angler, RIO and AirFlow. A standard weight forward line should be fine, unless you're chucking lots of big poppers, etc the you might consider a Bass Taper, which is designed to turn over those big poppers better.

Scientific Angler, RIO and AirFlow are all great fly lines! I have and use all three, actually several from each Recently I decided to try the orvis wonderline rocket taper and all I can honestly say it one of the best flylines that ive ever used! I put it on a 7'6 4wt loomis GLX witch is not a long distance casting rod to begin with and found myself casting 10-15ft farther than before! It also has a really nice loop built-in! It cost around $75 but worth every penny especially if you have a fast action rod!

cheers

Donj:
getinjiggywithit made a pretty good point about using good quality flyline. Good line (cleaned and maintained like Todd B wrote) will improve your casting distance. I switched from average quality line to higher quality line on my 4wt and 6wt with the same results - an extra 15 feet of distance. Also, I found that I needed less energy to cast because the line moved better. Depending on how often you use it, you might want to do maintenance every month or every 2nd month.

Scientific Anglers, like most companies, have a line designed specifically for bass. However, check with the flyshops regarding what you'll be fishing for and they can recommend the best line for the job.

thanks everyone for your help. I've decided to clean the fly line I have now and see if it helps.

Ronald (Since I have never met you, I feel awkward about calling you "don"),

I think that my friends here have given you good advice. I would only add the following:

Going back to first principles, ask yourself whether your line is a floating or sinking line. For example, I recall that "WFF" means "Weight Forward Floating". A number of other letter combinations desribe a number of other types of lines. I cannot remember what they are, since every line except one that I have bought is WFF (the one exception being a weight forward, sink-tip line).

Some consumers and some salespeople put the sticker that explains the type of line on the spool, on the inside part of the reel. A theory opposing this practice holds that placing the sticker there can gum up the action of the reel. I have experienced this.

Whether you have identified the type of line that you have or have given up on on the exercise, I would next look carefully at the line itself. Do the first several feet, or few dozen feet, of it have many little cracks? This is a sign of a worn-out line. How long a line should last is occasionally a matter of discussion. I have concluded that I abuse my lines by casting them over rocks and doing other things that makes them crack within about two years. I then tend to be lazy in replacing them. Possibly I should try other manufacturers, but thus far I have usually just bought a relatively expensive Orvis line and otherwise been lazy.

After these two rudimentary inquiries, you are probably well-advised to follow the advice of others by cleaning your line, etc. I found the advice of those others interesting, since I myself have never cleaned my line. However, I respect the opinions of posters like fishboy and others so much that I intend to consider this in the future.

I actually came to the sight only because I am aching to catch a trout down in the Adirondacks and was looking for some information on current conditions. However, I thought that I might add these comments to your thread.

I extend my best wishes to the others who have posted. I wonder whether fishboy, in particular, has any new stories about flyfishing in the corner of the world that he presently calls home.