Best floating line?

[Calgaryguy1977]

Hey guys I thought it would be nice to get your opinions and not that of a shop keeper. I went out and bought some Rio Gold last night.....is it good line or should I consider buying something else? I mean how do you guys find durability and memory on your line?

What's the best bang of the buck in terms of quality/value in your opinion?

I have yet to try out on the water lol

[pikergolf]

I would Google Rio gold reviews, from what I've read they have a QC issue with the plastic crumbling at the front loop. A good source for reviews is Cabela's, Bass Pro, LL Bean, and Amazon. Lot's of people review their purchases on those sites, find your product and there will be a small read reviews link there somewhere.

[Jayhad]

I'm a Rio guy myself and for any of my heavier sticks that don't have a specialized purpose I use the Rio Gold. It's a great all purpose line, you will find that textured lines will cast a little further but they cost 25-30% more.

Some guys complain about the longevity of the Rio lines but I find if I keep it clean (I clean my lines 2 - 3 times annually) I easily get a season or two out of them.

[rycoma]

Orvis hydros lines really nice to fish and cast. I have there superfine version on my three wt. it's really good line.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by Calgaryguy1977

Hey guys I thought it would be nice to get your opinions and not that of a shop keeper. I went out and bought some Rio Gold last night.....is it good line or should I consider buying something else? I mean how do you guys find durability and memory on your line?

What's the best bang of the buck in terms of quality/value in your opinion?

I have yet to try out on the water lol

Hands down Airflo Sixth Sense or anything else from Airflo.
That said,I recently bought a "NIB" Rio Gold from the classifieds,only because it was 1/2 price of retail and never used.It hasn't touched the water yet,and it gets good reviews for its castability,mendability etc.,but I've "read" alot of complaints in regards to it's longevity?Time will tell??On the same subject,I bought to replace my 4yr old SA GPX that has NEVER been cleaned and is still in pretty decent shape(no cracks just dirty)after 300+(?) days of use.Admittedly it's not as slick or as rigid as it was as new,but again,it's been used hard and never cleaned or treated,and I've kept it as a spare because.....well,just cuz I'm like that?

[MtnGiant]

Snowbee is my new favorite line....it shoots like a rocket and is very supple.

I also picked up an Airflow Sixth Sense line from the bargain bin for 50% off as a backup. I havnt had the chance to use it yet but it feels nice and a great natural colour....which I like best.

Both these lines are UK made

[ryanheartssteelhead]

Originally Posted by Jayhad

I'm a Rio guy myself and for any of my heavier sticks that don't have a specialized purpose I use the Rio Gold. It's a great all purpose line, you will find that textured lines will cast a little further but they cost 25-30% more.

Some guys complain about the longevity of the Rio lines but I find if I keep it clean (I clean my lines 2 - 3 times annually) I easily get a season or two out of them.

Like he said, cleaning and proper storage is key. I also like the Gold.
What rod are you using it on?

[Bhflyfisher]

Im all rio. All purpose line has to be the gold for me. That line is pretty awesome. But my real favorite is the rio indicator line. Man oh man is that a sweet lake, nymph, hopper, stone line.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by mtngiant

Snowbee is my new favorite line....it shoots like a rocket and is very supple.

I also picked up an Airflow Sixth Sense line from the bargain bin for 50% off as a backup. I havnt had the chance to use it yet but it feels nice and a great natural colour....which I like best.

Both these lines are UK made

If I had to,my best guess would be that Airflo most likely manufactures Snowbee's lines for them....esp if Snowbee is a good quality line like you say? There's really only "the Big 4" in the world of flyline makers,Rio,SA,Cortland,and Airflo,and a lesser known CDN mfr who's name escapes me at the moment?All of your "house brand" lines,ie;Sage,Orvis,Snowbee etc. are either mfrd by one of the Big 4,or made in China with the rest of the Walmart/big box store crap,ie; Crystal River,SuperFly etc.

[gilbertslake]

Originally Posted by Calgaryguy1977

Hey guys I thought it would be nice to get your opinions and not that of a shop keeper. I went out and bought some Rio Gold last night.....is it good line or should I consider buying something else? I mean how do you guys find durability and memory on your line?

What's the best bang of the buck in terms of quality/value in your opinion?

I have yet to try out on the water lol

I have used Cortland, Scientific Anglers, RIO, Wulff TT and Airflo. But I still find SA Mastery to be the best for value,durability and float. I like Rio lines too, I have a couple Windcutters that have stood up well.
I don't like the feel of the Airflo lines I have used, but that's a personal preference thing. The Wulff lines are durable and they resemble the Scientific Anglers in terms of feel and floatability. I wonder if SA makes the Wulff lines?
So I will once again by buying 2 new SA Mastery lines this summer.

[MtnGiant]

Originally Posted by Calgaryguy1977

Hey guys I thought it would be nice to get your opinions and not that of a shop keeper. I went out and bought some Rio Gold last night.....is it good line or should I consider buying something else? I mean how do you guys find durability and memory on your line?

What's the best bang of the buck in terms of quality/value in your opinion?

I have yet to try out on the water lol

BTW...I guess I should add that you got a top shelf line in Rio Gold and shouldn't have any need to change it.
I've used Rio for years and have no complaints.

[scel]

Originally Posted by rycoma

Orvis hydros lines really nice to fish and cast. I have there superfine version on my three wt. it's really good line.

I totally agree. I have Rio Gold and Orvis Hydros for my 6wt. I find the Hydros much nicer to cast.

[Flieguy]

Air-F***ing-flo!

all I use now

[pipercub17]

with fly lines its matter of personal choice
all I use is rio and that's all I will ever use
in the 15 years I have been using it I have never had a problem with it
and I fish a lot 50+ days a year
if you do your loop to loop right you will never have a problem
whatever you get don't cheap out you have to spend $70+ on line to get anything good
unless you find a sale

[Calgaryguy1977]

Thanks for all the input guys, I ended trying mine out last night and it cast like a dream. I also liked how it had no memory. Maybe On my next 2 rods/reels Ill try snowbee and airflow. I was using scientific angler that came with the rod. I mean it wasnt bad but nothing like this hahaha!
Err maybe it wasnt ....I cant even remember which line it was that I had as it came as part of package I got at basspro when I bought the rod.
Im using the rio gold on a TFO Pro rod right now. I love it!

[grinr]

Originally Posted by Calgaryguy1977

Thanks for all the input guys, I ended trying mine out last night and it cast like a dream. I also liked how it had no memory. Maybe On my next 2 rods/reels Ill try snowbee and airflow. I was using scientific angler that came with the rod. I mean it wasnt bad but nothing like this hahaha!
Err maybe it wasnt ....I cant even remember which line it was that I had as it came as part of package I got at basspro when I bought the rod.
Im using the rio gold on a TFO Pro rod right now. I love it!

Just a guess,but I'd be surprised if a BassPro combo came spooled with SA?Or at least not with a premium SA line?As I posted above,SA Mastery GPX has served me well for 4 hard seasons on my 5wt and casts,shoots,floats and mends really well,especially so when it was relatively new and slick(first cpl seasons?).Also had GPX on my 8wt for a few years prior to that and prior to trying Airflo....no complaints,that's why I bought it for my 5 as well.

[Calgaryguy1977]

Originally Posted by grinr

Just a guess,but I'd be surprised if a BassPro combo came spooled with SA?Or at least not with a premium SA line?As I posted above,SA Mastery GPX has served me well for 4 hard seasons on my 5wt and casts,shoots,floats and mends really well,especially so when it was relatively new and slick(first cpl seasons?).Also had GPX on my 8wt for a few years prior to that and prior to trying Airflo....no complaints,that's why I bought it for my 5 as well.

I think it was a cheap one! lol...actually it may not have been SA but for some reason I remember the green box saying SA at the time. Either way it was a cheap one and I put it through hell in back! hahaha

[Calgaryguy1977]

On another note I bought my gf a SA fishing kit for like 90 dollars and although the reel was cheap it casted very well and the rod was perfect. I do like SA and they are a great value for those that dont want to spend a ton. IMO anyway