Shooting line

[rycoma]

Yes they do! Saw it when I bought the sharkskin last week.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by rycoma

Yes they do! Saw it when I bought the sharkskin last week.

They must have just started,because they didn't have Airflo this Spring.

[rycoma]

I believe you are correct. I inquired about it and had lengthy discussion with the salesman and went with other products

[Doc]

Originally Posted by grinr

BS...Fishn Hole doesn't even carry Airflo.

Yes, I'm lying. Because I have exactly what to gain?

Originally Posted by grinr

They must have just started,because they didn't have Airflo this Spring.

We carried it when I was the MGR in 2005 so no, not just recently. I just hate seeing anybody get bad advise and when I see this...

Originally Posted by grinr

Rio Gold is $75 per season.
Airflo Super-Dri is $75 for 5 seasons+.

Now that is BS. Everyone has some form of brand dedication and it is entirely possible that Airflo makes a great line today as I haven't cast one in a few years now but it hasn't always been that way with Airflo, hell I used to be a Cortland guy but after seeing line after line cracking prematurely and after trying some of RIO's lines, I switched everything over to their lines. I'm on the water with these lines a lot not to mention the use by my clients and I've only had one RIO line not able to finish out a season and RIO gladly replaced it. Saying that RIO lines only last one season, really? How many pro's do you think are gonna put their name behind a product that lasts one season? You think Phil Rowley and Brian Chan would? Nobody would believe anything they said or any product they backed if they did yet they not only back them, they started helping RIO design new stillwater lines because they truly believe in their product. Anyway, it's getting lonely up hear on my soapbox, I'm out.

[grinr]

Do you think Chan or Rowley could possibly wear out a line in a season when they most likely have dozens of FREE sponsored lines on almost as many reels?Their lines wouldn't see a fraction of the use that your typical Joe Average puts his favorite(only?) 5wt though in a single season,because Chan and Rowley have so many complete outfits to choose from.Im not saying that Rio doesn't make a nice casting line,I'm saying they don't last...not as long as SA,and certainly not as long as AirFlo.
Airflo has built its reputation on durability and innovation,I find your claims that it was the "most returned" line to your store VERY hard to believe,if not outright BS,the only plausible explanation being possibly Fish'n Hole was stocking some of AirFlo's budget offerings.....again doubtful,as a rule their low-end "cheap" lines aren't even marketed in North America.Id go so far as to say it's not likely that FnH EVER carried Airflo until just 2 months ago to my knowledge?PU is plain and simply a superior material over PVC for flyline manufacturing.
What Rio IS good at is marketing and associating the Rio brand name with other high end fly gear,splashing their name all over the NA flyfishing scene in magazines,videos,boat decals etc,etc...AirFlo is a relative newcomer to the NA market,which makes your claim even more suspect to disbelief,to think that FH carried Airflo long before many specialized Flyshops......then dropped the Airflo product line......now since May FH has decided Airflo is NOT junk after all,and start selling it again.....sorry,yer FoS,and I'll bet you have Rio decals on your drift boat AND your truck.
Don't believe me,ask the REAL pros...and not some celebrity TV anglers that change swap out their sponsored outfits like changing underwear,I'm talking real hardcore salmon and steelhead bums and guides that spend 100+ days on the
river.I know dozens of'em.....in fact used to be one myself when I lived on the coast,and not only have I NEVER heard such rediculous claims of poor quality,quite the opposite,EVERY guide and avid that I know that's switched to Airflo would not look back nor use anything else.THESE are the guys that wear out Rio lines in a season,and have nothing but praise for Airflo.

[rycoma]

I hate to say it but that is the same thing I've "heard", now I don't have first hand knowledge. Orvis in my books right now is just sub par S/A line.. Cotland line is alright but it does crack after a couple of seasons and is about as technically advanced as air cell but more expensive. I have tried Rio gold didn't like the taper of it. I was going to try there new stuff perception but it's 90$. My choices were airflo super dri exceed or sharkskin. At 80$ for something I have never tried or 65$ for a line I like already the choice was easy. I will get around to trying airflo. I really did like orvis hydros line and taper but I'm not gonna waste money on garbage again.

[kevin1949]

Airflo may make good lines now.But I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the 3 lines that fell apart in one season about 6 yrs ago.I for one get several seasons of use from a Rio gold and like the way it casts on my 3# and 5# much better.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by kevin1949

Airflo may make good lines now.But I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the 3 lines that fell apart in one season about 6 yrs ago.I for one get several seasons of use from a Rio gold and like the way it casts on my 3# and 5# much better.

I guess I could say the exact same about Rio....the only 2 Rio lines I've ever owned prematurely cracked and exposed the cores within a season of avid use.Ive owned SA GPX lines that were in better condition after 200-400 days of fishing over 3-5 years,and I have Airflo lines that are 5-7 years young now with 200 days on each(?) that you would be hard pressed to distinguish from a fresh new spool bought just yesterday.

Brand loyalty and marketing budgets aside,the fact remains that Polyurethane beats PVC hands down for durability,buoyancy,DEET resistance,dirt resistance,and viscosity,which coupled with patented Ridge technology,equals less friction in the guides and superior "shootability" with PU coatings that are slicker then PVC to begin with,never mind the advantage of Ridge.

[spinN'flyfish]

Originally Posted by kevin1949

try youtube splicing fly line.might work for you depending on where the cut is.

would melting the line on the reel and the cut line unite them back easier? (kind of like welding)

[spinN'flyfish]

Originally Posted by Doc

Well to answer the OP's question, no 20ft is not enough to fish stillwaters effectively. You should have a minimum 20ft in the air when false casting just to load your rod properly. As far as lines, RIO makes one the the best lines in the industry and in my opinion, better than S/A and much better than Airflo. Unless you're on the water almost everyday, your line should last you more than a season. If it doesn't, you're not taking care of it or you just got a bad line in which case you take it back under warranty or email the company and explain what happened. I switched all of my lines over to RIO several years back and it was the best decision I made (no I am not sponsored by RIO). My 2nd choice in line would be S/A, they are making some good lines lately but I am no a fan of Cortland (cracks pre-maturely). When I used to manage the north side fishin' hole, the #1 line that got returned was Airflo. My 2 cents anyway.

What's the minimum length of line to fish stillwaters? 30 ft? 40ft?

[kevin1949]

Originally Posted by spinN'flyfish

would melting the line on the reel and the cut line unite them back easier? (kind of like welding)

youtube=how to splice two lines together

[Bjay]

I fish 150 to 200 days a year, I'm 72 years old and retired. I was going through a Rio line in less than a year and that was before I retired. I haven't gone through an Airflo since I switched 4 or 5 years a go.
Grinr is right in what he says. I worked with PVC and polyurethane for 20 years and the Poly was way more durable
Bjay

[Luxor]

Originally Posted by spinN'flyfish

As you all should know, I'm a beginner for fly fishing and I can shoot line to about 20 feet, is that sufficient distance to catch fish in medium sized lakes (I know in streams its enough) I know how to go faster but I dont have enough line, I have 30 ft of floating line now, and then its all backing, I should get line 6 wt line but can't find 'em in the stores I usually head to. Are they in the Fishin' Hole. I know they're pretty pricey but I'm try to look for some that are less overkill with the price. Any tips and feedback, please tell me I'd greatly appreciate it as a beginner for fly fishing since late June.

I'm unsure why you think everyone should know your a beginner?
20ft is fine if the fish you want are within that range.
If you are on a low budget then check into the bargain bins that some fly shops have including the fishing hole and fish tales.
If you have the time and are eager to learn then ask the shops to test run some lines. Most places are very accommodating to show you some basic techniques and equipment varieties.
You should be able to have about 40ft of 6wt line in the air quite easily with practice.
You tube is a good teaching tool as well.

And don't go looking at Sobey's or auto parts stores for fly line.

[Roscoe]

Originally Posted by spinN'flyfish

would melting the line on the reel and the cut line unite them back easier? (kind of like welding)

Have at 'er Macgyver. If that doesn't work try the handymans secret weapon.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by Roscoe

Have at 'er Macgyver. If that doesn't work try the handymans secret weapon.

Haha...seriously though,as mentioned,you CAN repair/splice/build custom flylines using plastic welding techniques,and again as mentioned previously,YouTube is full of videos demonstrating "how to weld flyline".
That said,it's not usually something that's undertaken by beginner fly anglers.By the time you purchase a decent heat gun($40?) and hunt around hardware stores fotr the proper size heat shrink tubing(another $3-$10 depending on amount of tubing you buy),then trial and error to perfect your welds.....you may as well have bought a decent factory made line.Seeming as though you are concerned with cost,in lieu of the heat gun,you might get away with using your Mom's or sister's straightening iron....yes,seriously,it works.
Worse case Ontario Bubbles,even a pizza crap $20 Walmart line is better then the 20' of useless line you currently have.

[spinN'flyfish]

Originally Posted by grinr

Haha...seriously though,as mentioned,you CAN repair/splice/build custom flylines using plastic welding techniques,and again as mentioned previously,YouTube is full of videos demonstrating "how to weld flyline".
That said,it's not usually something that's undertaken by beginner fly anglers.By the time you purchase a decent heat gun($40?) and hunt around hardware stores fotr the proper size heat shrink tubing(another $3-$10 depending on amount of tubing you buy),then trial and error to perfect your welds.....you may as well have bought a decent factory made line.Seeming as though you are concerned with cost,in lieu of the heat gun,you might get away with using your Mom's or sister's straightening iron....yes,seriously,it works.
Worse case Ontario Bubbles,even a pizza crap $20 Walmart line is better then the 20' of useless line you currently have.

I guess I'l just go to the fishin' hole's sale tonight

[spinN'flyfish]

Originally Posted by grinr

Haha...seriously though,as mentioned,you CAN repair/splice/build custom flylines using plastic welding techniques,and again as mentioned previously,YouTube is full of videos demonstrating "how to weld flyline".
That said,it's not usually something that's undertaken by beginner fly anglers.By the time you purchase a decent heat gun($40?) and hunt around hardware stores fotr the proper size heat shrink tubing(another $3-$10 depending on amount of tubing you buy),then trial and error to perfect your welds.....you may as well have bought a decent factory made line.Seeming as though you are concerned with cost,in lieu of the heat gun,you might get away with using your Mom's or sister's straightening iron....yes,seriously,it works.
Worse case Ontario Bubbles,even a pizza crap $20 Walmart line is better then the 20' of useless line you currently have.

And I'm no expert in fly line, i thought a lighter would work but guess not. I will be sure to get more line. I have to pay for what fish I catch

[bigdirt]

Went through a Rio sink tip in 30-40 outings. Cracked at the connection from running line to tip. Just picked up a SA streamer express, hope that lasts a season

[Tb_45]

Originally Posted by grinr

Rio Gold is $75 per season.
Airflo Super-Dri is $75 for 5 seasons+.

100% agree.

[rycoma]

Wait a minute how do you splice the fly line core together the centre of it. I know you can put a loop in fly line but melting the outer coating together and trust it not to break. Um no thanks.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by rycoma

Wait a minute how do you splice the fly line core together the centre of it. I know you can put a loop in fly line but melting the outer coating together and trust it not to break. Um no thanks.

I understand your concerns,and it doesn't make sense really,but it's done quite often with various methods.
One method is to simply create a fairly long weld by tapering the two sections to be welded together to fine points so you end up with a 10-12" weld.Other methods are the single and double blind slices where you would expose a few inches of the core,either from one section or both,and feed it into the center of the other using a strong needle,and poke the needle out thru the coating and weld.
Personally,I think if it were me,I'd do the long taper along with exposing the cores and tie the cores together with a water knot,then weld it all up,which might be a bit tricky ,but it would never snap there.
They say the welds,even with the broken cores are plenty strong,almost as strong as original,as the core is more for the manufacturing process and of course low stretch cores minimizes the elasticity.Go ahead,weld some old junk lines just to experiment.I don't think you'll ever pull one apart ,at least not without extreme force that no freshwater fish could possibly exert,and aside from that,your leader/tipper will fail long before the weld ever will.
Most people will only ever weld loops if anything,welding sections of line together is more the realm of the hardcore Spey junkies trying to create custom lines,or more often making an integrated line by joining a typical short shooting head(Scandi,Skagit etc.) to a running line.They trust these welds vs. salmon and steelhead,as again,the leader will fail before the weld will.

[kevin1949]

There is one more way (not perfect ).You can strip 1-2 inches of core stitch the two together then use rod thread to cover and whip finish.cover with flexible glue .Check out sexyloops smooth connection.Very strong but still a 1" stiff spot.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by kevin1949

There is one more way (not perfect ).You can strip 1-2 inches of core stitch the two together then use rod thread to cover and whip finish.cover with flexible glue .Check out sexyloops smooth connection.Very strong but still a 1" stiff spot.

That sounds good,and gives me some new ideas.
Ie;....how bout strip 2-3" of core from both pieces,then tie a water knot finishing with the 2 plastic butts very close together,should be able to get them <1cm apart.....then fill with thread wraps,aqua seal,.....possibly even the material that you stripped,then melt/weld the stripped material in place as per flyline welding instructions?
Liquid electrical tape....lotsa possibilities for filler me thinks?