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What type of fly line for streams and creeks?
#1
I just got a new 3 wt...not sure what type line to use...I don't think I need a WF for stream fishing....while on the subject of fly line...does it help going up a wt above what your rod is rated for...ex..a 5 wt rod loaded with a WF 6 WF line...I've read before that it can help punch out your casts a little farther by loading your rod more......Thanks for your guys help!
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#2
Far more experienced and knowledgable people here but I wouldn't see a benefit going up a size especially if you are considering not using WF.
If you are doing short casts then probably ok without WF but as soon as the wind chimes in and especially with the 3W you may wish you had it. The rod is designed to work with a particular line and I would stay with it especially with the price of fly line. If you have some 4 laying around then sure, why not check it out but I myself wouldn't move up a size.
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#3
I should of stated that i wasn't look to go up a wt for the 3wt....wasn't sure what knid of line to use as far as a double taper or what not....as far as going up a wt..I was thinking of my 5 wt which has a 5WF on it now....sorry I worded it wrong...that what shift work can do to you...Lol
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#4
I am going to suggest for Streams and creek, a sink tip. And they are WF, that is all there is. DT and TT are only a Floating line feature.

There is specialty lines for this by SA, or you can go with the multi tips but they are a bit more. Advantage, you only need one reel and get 4 different tips.

The thing I don't care for with sink tip lines is all the weight is in the 5' to 15' of that line. To me it is like loading a line down with a bunch of split shot. It turns into a chuck and duck.
I choose to use regular WF sinking line. Works on river, creeks, stillwater. Much better on a creek than a large river because you will not be mending the line.

As for over lining, that depends on the rod. Generally the safe bet is to go with the rod weight, but not a sin to over line on a faster rod. I prefer using GPX lines because they are 1/2 line heavier.
Something to think about, if over lining a floating line, the diameter gets larger. While larger means more buoyant it also means more wind resistance and a bigger foot print on the water (more drag).
Sinking lines are very small diameter and presentation is not as big an issue, so to save money a lot of times people will buy a (example) 6 wt and use it on a faster 5 wt rod.
I fish glass and bamboo and have under lined before to get a faster action on the rod and able to use bigger heavier flies.

OH, you can definitely use a floating line for streamers. Maybe look at the 5' sink tips that Cabela sells.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/F...t104123880
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#5
Very good...that's for your help Joni
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#6
sorry, my bad..been up since 4 a.m. and read this as STREAMERS not streams...
As a general rule, the first 30 feet is the same on a Weight Forward and a Double Taper. Plenty for most streams and creeks, so it boils down to, you want that line that can be turned around (double taper)

A personal preference. I don't care for DT. I found I have to muscle it more.
(quote)
Anytime a fly line (or any product for that matter) is designed to do one thing very well it usually has a shortcoming somewhere else. Lines that are designed to be very delicate have little mass in the front to carry larger or heavier flies, and will not handle windy conditions well. It takes a better caster to throw the kind of loops it takes to make these lines perform their best. And no, DT lines are not a more "accurate" casting line -- that is entirely in the realm of the skill of the caster.
It is very true that DT lines are easier to control and roll cast at long distances than WF lines. At shorter distances, there is no difference. The key to line control and roll casting is to make sure the large diameter line belly is in the rod tip. If the small diameter running line is in the tip, it's nearly impossible to transmit enough energy through it to the belly to make the line do what you want. What many fly anglers don't consider is that WF lines control and roll cast as well as DT lines at the distances most of us fish.
Almost all WF lines have heads that are 35-40 feet long. Add a 9-foot leader and the distance to the fly from the end of the head is 44- to 49-feet. Up to this distance when both DT and WF lines control and roll cast the same. There are not many typical trout fishing situations that require longer casts. What this all means is that DT and WF lines work pretty much the same at the distances we fish most often. Certainly if someone fishes a big river that requires a good deal of long distance roll casting and mending, a DT or a WF line with a long head should be considered. Either a Mastery Series XPS or GPX double taper or Mastery Series XXD weight forward taper would work well.
Everybody knows that WF lines are better for distance than DT lines, but is that really true? Well, yes, but the difference isn't as big as you might think. Because of their small, light running lines, WF lines shoot better. But remember, this benefit starts at 44- to 49-feet when the running line is in the rod. If your fishing situation calls for many long casts, it is certainly a little easier to do with a WF line - but don't think that DT lines won't shoot. They will, just not as far.
For most fly anglers in normal fly-fishing situations, it probably doesn't make a lot of difference which taper you use. Most of us fish at distances less than 50 feet, which is where weight forward lines start to shoot better, but with less line control. Most of us don't have the need, or the ability, to roll cast longer than 45 feet.
So, how do you decide which is the right taper for you? Double taper or weight forward? For short to medium casting range situations, there is no reason not to have a DT line rigged and ready. If you are consistently throwing longer casts, you can make them with fewer false casts with a WF line. But if the need arises, you lose the ability to do long roll casts and mends. For most, it doesn't make much difference which taper is used most of the time. Base your decision on DT versus WF on how much small fly, short distance fishing you do - when a delicate DT line like a Mastery Series XPS would offer advantages, against how much fishing you do where longer casts are needed - and the advantages of a WF line.
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#7
You are "The" Goddess...sleepy or not....thanks so much for your help....and I can relate to the sleepy part....I'm running on 3 hours sleep...back work again...and trying to post this from my phone[crazy]
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#8
I like WF lines, I prefer them almost always.
There's a lot of information in flygoddess' post, and I agree with most of it, but I like the Cortland Western Drifter trout specialty line I have more than any I've ever used. The Rio Gold series is a close second. Not a huge fan of SA, though the Sharkskin is an interesting product I don't think I would buy it again. I do think the XPS is a quality line, but I'm really surprised by the Cortland and how easy it is to cast and mend.
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#9
Thanks for your input troutpimp.
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#10
The only Cortland I have ever used is the Clear Camo Intermediate and SYLK (which is a good choice for light weight rods), so, I have no idea on the line. You say it is that good, worth checking out.

IU am not a big fan of GOLD. I have some and I never use it. I like Rio as well, but also a big fan of the Superfine line from Orvis, specially on a light rod like a 3 wt. Very thin diameter, and nice taper...easy as heck to cast on those little rods.

I have Rio Accelerator, Gold, Windcutter II, Selective Trout II, Ridgeline by Air Flo, Orvis Wonderline, & Superfine, Cortland Sylk, Wulff Triangle Taper but since I tried Sharkskin, that is the only line I use. Bought it in all weights, it is that good.

Took a total newbie client out, she was casting a Redington with Trout line, I rigged up my up a Trident with Sharkskin line as that was what I had on hand. Same weight and length rod. Her first cast she scream wow! This is so much easier and look how far I just cast! I never mention what she was using, I was more interested in the fly choice, but if a total newbie can tell the difference........
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#11
You are absolutely right, for beginners to get the feel of shooting some line sharkskin is fantastic. I should have mentioned that. My girlfriend uses it because she still isn't real comfortable casting.
One downside, though, I have seen rods that have used sharkskin for a long time and it started to wear grooves/flat spots into the guides.
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#12
I fish three days a week, maybe two days in the winter, and again, all I use is Sharkskin....no grooves after three years...I think old wives tales, or very cheap guides.

Number one, it isn't a saw, or even sand paper, number two, it doesn't rub against the guides, even the tip top, it is moving around.

Just my personal take on it, and I use the heck out of one of my rods, be happy to take pictures of the guides for you.
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#13
[quote troutpimp]You are absolutely right, for beginners to get the feel of shooting some line sharkskin is fantastic. I should have mentioned that. My girlfriend uses it because she still isn't real comfortable casting.
One downside, though, I have seen rods that have used sharkskin for a long time and it started to wear grooves/flat spots into the guides.[/quote]
I'll pretty much guarantee the grooves were already there.
Now everyone put on your thinking caps and humor me for a minute.
Lets put a "regular" flyline on your rod. Take your magnifying glass and look real close at what is touching the guides when the line is going through. Looks like the complete flyline is sawing on each guide. Then put the Sharkskin on and do the same thing (BTW, the SS is not shaped like shark teeth, or the teeth on a saw.)
Because of the "scales" on the SS, only a little bit of line is touching the guides while the line is going through.
Plus, it's going to take more than Sharkskin (or any other line for that matter) to put grooves in hardened chrome snake guides.
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#14
It could certainly be a symptom cheap guides, but this isn't hearsay or imagination, I saw it with my own eyes. Perhaps the grooves were already there, I don't know. I have a sharkskin line I used to throw, which my gf uses now, and I have not suffered any such thing. However, an acquaintance says that his rod, a mid-tier TFO model developed, perhaps flat spots is a better description than grooves, in some of his guides from throwing sharkskin. I'm not saying I know for certain, just something I saw/was told happened. Tough crowd.
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