I fish with #4 line for trout and estuary fishing, and here is a quick review of fly lines I have been using.
Rio Gold Line:
It was a great line to cast with. For small stream fishing, I found the head was slightly too heavy (the front taper is bit aggressive), and I had to be careful not to hit the water too hard or over shooting the target. For fishing on estuary and big river, it worked very well.
Unfortunately I was having a big problem with its durability. The line didn't even last a year before starting to crack. I liked the line so much, so I bought a new one, but it started cracking after 6 months this time. The same thing happened to my friends. It was interesting that all of our lines were cracking pretty much at the same place on the rear taper close the running line.
We all agree that the taper is excellent, if people can afford a new line every 6 months.
Airflo Ridge Line:
After having problems with Rio Gold, I decided to try Airflo hoping their polyurethane lines may out last other PVC lines made by Rio, SA, etc.
Other outdoor equipment companies are now moving away from the use of PVC for environmental reasons, so I have been interested in alternative materials like polyurethane for fly lines.
I got two lines from Airflo. One is WF Tactical Trout which my friend gave to me as a Christmas gift last year. Another line is DT Japan Special which I bought in Japan last year.
Japan Special DT actually reminds me of my old XPS DT line. It casts well for the short distance and mends well like double taper lines should do, and I can land the line softly. However like other DT lines, it doesn't shoot well, so I got to keep false casting to get line out.
I was using this DT line mainly during my NZ trip. I was fishing on small streams most of time, and for that sort of fishing, the line worked fine especially fishing for the spinner falls where accuracy and subtlety were called. The Japan Special
Compared to Japan Special, WF Tactical Trout is more suited for longer casts, and this has been my staple line for estuary fishing since I came back from NZ. It is not as great as Rio Gold in terms of casting feel or its ability to shoot, but it is a good line nonetheless.
The only problem is that it gets tangled while it is being left on the water between each cast. I don't know this is happening because of the line made of polyurethane, or my small arbour reel is creating coils, but it is quite annoying.
However, I think it is something I am prepare to live with at this stage, if polyurethane lines are as green as the manufacturer says, and if these lines can out last PVC lines.
Airflo now has a new line called Ridge Supple Tactical which says to have less line memory, and I am interested in trying this next.
My Airflo line gets tangled like this quite often.
Rio Aqualux Line:I use a floating line for 95% of fishing I do on the estuary. However, there is a time I need to use an intermediate line. For example the tidal movement at the river mouth gets quite fast, and I can't deliver my fly to fish with a floating line.
Rio Aqualux is slick (when it gets wet) and shoots wonderfully well. I have had this line for 18 months, but it doesn't get used much, so I am not sure about its durability.
As far as casting feel goes, it is an excellent line.
Monic Clear Floating Line:
A friend of mine bought this line to use at Walpole during the club's trip a couple of month ago. He used it, didn't like it, and gave it to me at the end.
He told me that memory and coiling are so terrible that he is going to chop them up and throw them out. So, I have inherited the line, and I took it out the other day for the test.
Yes, he was right. The line was coiling rather badly and I couldn't get rid of them by pulling the line with my hand. My Airflo lines do have a problem of line memory, but this line was worse. The line also felt sticky to cast for some reasons (once the line got wet, it started to cast OK). I am guessing it got to do with its soft coating.
I also noticed that the line was hitting water as if I was casting much heavier line. The line was landing like a piece of electric cable. The reason for making a clear fly line is obviously for spooky fish, but this line doesn't have finesse strangely.
Speaking of "clear" line, this line is not clear. It is kind of frosty, and like other coloured fly lines, it is quite noticeable in the air and casts a shadow on the bottom of the flat.
I haven't tried this line for long enough, but so far it failed to impress me, and I would probably stick with other lines when I go down to Walpole to sight fish for bream.
