Shooting line

[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.

[grinr]

What stores are you looking in,Sobeys?NAPA Autoparts?
Seriously though..EVERY fly shop,along with Fish'nHole,Wholesale Sports,Cabelas,BPS,along with Can Tire and Walmart will definitely have 6wt flyline in a wide range of quality and price to fit any budget.That said,you get what you pay for in fly line,cheap line will only lengthen the learning process and frustrate.
Standard spools of flyline are generally 90-100' long.The first 30' from the leader will determine the proper weight to match your rod,the remaining 60-70' IS the running line.ie;the front 30' of a 5wt will weigh 140 grains +/-5gr,a 6wt is 160gr,a 7wt 185gr etc and so on.....,
Ideally,it is that first 30' of airborne flyline that loads the rod properly,and 30' is what you would generally carry beyond the rod tip with false casts,then shoot coils of running line for more distance.
If you happen to be a youngster (under19?)in the South CGY area,shoot me a pm and I will gladly give you a decent 6wt line,I'm sure I have a cpl collecting dust here somewhere?

[rycoma]

Yeah go to the fishing hole ect. Talk to them they will help you out. Better line costs more it is worth it. But if your just starting out you can't go wrong with air cell from scientific anglers. 30$ and if it gets shredded who care. I had 80$ orvis line fall apart on me last week that hurt.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by rycoma

I had 80$ orvis line fall apart on me last week that hurt.

Probably made for Orvis by Rio if I had to guess?
Do yourself a favor and "Go with the 'Flo"....Airflo lines are truly in a class of their own,that class being Polyurethane construction vs. PVC that EVERYBODY else uses.Its slicker,longer lasting,more sensitive,higher floating,more resistant to DEET and UV deterioration....it's simply THE BEST imho.
90% of "house lines",ie;Orvis,Sage,Hardy,Cabelas,Fenwick,wutever junk Walmart sells etc etc are manufactured by one of the "Big 4" global flyline giants,Airflo,Cortland,SA,or Rio.The other handful are made either by an upstart CDN company that looks to have a promising future....or inferior Asian crap that's sold dirt cheap worldwide.
Price wise,top shelf offerings from AF,SA,and Rio are comparable in price,but there is no comparison in longevity nor performance,guaranteed Airflo lasts 2-5x longer than any PVC line and performs like new long after other pricey lines fall apart under the same conditions.
Airflo has led the industry with innovations since it's birth 25 years ago,welded loops,low stretch cores,laser printed line ID,ridge technology,contrasting coloured haul zones/mending zones....ALL Airflo innovations that are often copied,rarely matched,and never surpassed.

....and NO,I'm not an Airflo sales rep nor pro-staffer,just tellin it like it is.

[spinN'flyfish]

Originally Posted by grinr

What stores are you looking in,Sobeys?NAPA Autoparts?
Seriously though..EVERY fly shop,along with Fish'nHole,Wholesale Sports,Cabelas,BPS,along with Can Tire and Walmart will definitely have 6wt flyline in a wide range of quality and price to fit any budget.That said,you get what you pay for in fly line,cheap line will only lengthen the learning process and frustrate.
Standard spools of flyline are generally 90-100' long.The first 30' from the leader will determine the proper weight to match your rod,the remaining 60-70' IS the running line.ie;the front 30' of a 5wt will weigh 140 grains +/-5gr,a 6wt is 160gr,a 7wt 185gr etc and so on.....,
Ideally,it is that first 30' of airborne flyline that loads the rod properly,and 30' is what you would generally carry beyond the rod tip with false casts,then shoot coils of running line for more distance.
If you happen to be a youngster (under19?)in the South CGY area,shoot me a pm and I will gladly give you a decent 6wt line,I'm sure I have a cpl collecting dust here somewhere?

Very nice of you but unfortunately I live elsewhere but that's okay, I will browse and I'd like too know the price of.... lets say a spool of 95' 6 wt floating fly line, what will it cost?

[spinN'flyfish]

I like canadian tire because it has a decent price for decent items (same to walmart, where I grab some groceries too), somewhat close to home

[chriscosta]

dont buy cheap line ...youll be happy ya did .. it wasnt till I got good line that I learned how to cast good distances with pretty solid accuracy ...with the cheap stuff im all over the place lol

[Dak1138]

Originally Posted by spinN'flyfish

Very nice of you but unfortunately I live elsewhere but that's okay, I will browse and I'd like too know the price of.... lets say a spool of 95' 6 wt floating fly line, what will it cost?

Rio Gold is $75. Wait for the Fishin' Hole sale later this month and get it cheaper.If you cant wait and are in Edmonton the west end store has a rack of line on sale including Courtland which I hear is not too bad either.
Why do you only have a 30 foot line?

[grinr]

Originally Posted by Dak1138

Rio Gold is $75. Wait for the Fishin' Hole sale later this month and get it cheaper.If you cant wait and are in Edmonton the west end store has a rack of line on sale including Courtland which I hear is not too bad either.
Why do you only have a 30 foot line?

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

[Dak1138]

I have noticed my Rio Gold going bad before, I am assuming it was poor maintainence on my part. I am giving it one more try because many people swear by it.
I think the OP is from Edmonton , and unless I am blind (which is possible) no one up here carries Airflo.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by spinN'flyfish

Very nice of you but unfortunately I live elsewhere but that's okay, I will browse and I'd like too know the price of.... lets say a spool of 95' 6 wt floating fly line, what will it cost?

Generally your looking at $60-$80 for good quality line,unless you find it on sale?Cortland 444 is not bad for app. $50....better then Rio imho,but beware there is cheaper Cortland out there also (333?)...I dunno,haven't used Cortland in years honestly,but it "used to be" THE line to buy.Unfortunately,I think Cortland got left behind in the line-tech race,counting on customer loyalty to retain their market share?I heard a rumor that Cortland is/has recently gone belly up or been taken over??

[kissarmygeneral]

Originally Posted by grinr

Probably made for Orvis by Rio if I had to guess?
Do yourself a favor and "Go with the 'Flo"....Airflo lines are truly in a class of their own,that class being Polyurethane construction vs. PVC that EVERYBODY else uses.Its slicker,longer lasting,more sensitive,higher floating,more resistant to DEET and UV deterioration....it's simply THE BEST imho.
90% of "house lines",ie;Orvis,Sage,Hardy,Cabelas,Fenwick,wutever junk Walmart sells etc etc are manufactured by one of the "Big 4" global flyline giants,Airflo,Cortland,SA,or Rio.The other handful are made either by an upstart CDN company that looks to have a promising future....or inferior Asian crap that's sold dirt cheap worldwide.
Price wise,top shelf offerings from AF,SA,and Rio are comparable in price,but there is no comparison in longevity nor performance,guaranteed Airflo lasts 2-5x longer than any PVC line and performs like new long after other pricey lines fall apart under the same conditions.
Airflo has led the industry with innovations since it's birth 25 years ago,welded loops,low stretch cores,laser printed line ID,ridge technology,contrasting coloured haul zones/mending zones....ALL Airflo innovations that are often copied,rarely matched,and never surpassed.

....and NO,I'm not an Airflo sales rep nor pro-staffer,just tellin it like it is.

Both my fishing buddy and I have had terrible luck with Airflo Super Dri lines. He and I both won a free spool last year and the stuff didn't make it through a single summer before pooping out. I've lately been fishing an Orvis line on my lightweight set-up and it's god awful, the thing coils up like a slinky....BOO. I've always had a good experience with Rio products, I've used dozens of their lines over the years and have never had a problem.

[pikergolf]

I have had good luck with Cabela's prestige line when I started out. They are not the "best" but will do for lake fishing applications. They also happen to be on sale as we speak, at Cabela's Canada.

[jeprli]

Royal wulff TT is a great line to learn on, comes at $50 and lasts forever.

[Chief16]

Originally Posted by spinN'flyfish

I like canadian tire because it has a decent price for decent items (same to walmart, where I grab some groceries too), somewhat close to home

I don't see how people don't think this is a troll

[kpfishngame]

I think the lesson here is, go to the fishin hole or a store equivalent and get some advice, then pick your poison (any flyline manufacturer) and have some fun! :P

[grinr]

Originally Posted by kissarmygeneral

Both my fishing buddy and I have had terrible luck with Airflo Super Dri lines. He and I both won a free spool last year and the stuff didn't make it through a single summer before pooping out. I've lately been fishing an Orvis line on my lightweight set-up and it's god awful, the thing coils up like a slinky....BOO. I've always had a good experience with Rio products, I've used dozens of their lines over the years and have never had a problem.

Well to be honest,I only have app 100hrs fishing on my only Super-Dri thus far....so far so good though.....but ive been using Sixth Sense,Tactical Trout,Scandis and Skagits for several years now,and they have all been bomb proof.Some of my older Airflo lines are 6-7+ years old now,and still in better shape then Rio Gold after one season.

[Bhflyfisher]

Originally Posted by Chief16

I don't see how people don't think this is a troll

[Dak1138]

Originally Posted by Chief16

I don't see how people don't think this is a troll

To be fair grinr did mention Can Tire and Walmart. But I know neither of them in Edmonton carry anything worth mention if anything at all for fly fishing stuff.

[rycoma]

Fishing hole has sharkskin by scientific angler on clearance 65$ as opposed to 109$. It's good stuff and it's cheaper right now then anything out there

[rycoma]

Originally Posted by kissarmygeneral

Both my fishing buddy and I have had terrible luck with Airflo Super Dri lines. He and I both won a free spool last year and the stuff didn't make it through a single summer before pooping out. I've lately been fishing an Orvis line on my lightweight set-up and it's god awful, the thing coils up like a slinky....BOO. I've always had a good experience with Rio products, I've used dozens of their lines over the years and have never had a problem.

Not a fan of orvis line right now. I know that there line is made by S/A but one full season on it and it basically fell apart on a forward cast 80$ junk in my opinion. I liked the sharkskin magnum on my 8wt for pike so I picked up the sharkskin trout taper for my 3 wt seems good so far.

[kissarmygeneral]

Originally Posted by Chief16

I don't see how people don't think this is a troll

I'm with you on this one...

[spinN'flyfish]

Originally Posted by Dak1138

Rio Gold is $75. Wait for the Fishin' Hole sale later this month and get it cheaper.If you cant wait and are in Edmonton the west end store has a rack of line on sale including Courtland which I hear is not too bad either.
Why do you only have a 30 foot line?

Well, when I just started I had my line spooled on and one day I got it stuck in the back of the reel so I cut it and wasted a load before I knew I could actually take out a spool lol, how stupid of myself. So I'm looking for some line now, I guess I'll have to search around in the recommended stores

[Dak1138]

What set up do you have?It sounds like you need a new reel as well. The fishing hole this week has Okumas on for sale 25% off. If you are on a tight budget, you can pair that reel up with some discounted Cortland line for $90-100 and you are probably better ff than you started.
Or wait for the wall to wall sale and and get something a little better on sale. Either way I would head down there this weekend and talk to someone about your options, they will have more time for you when it is not the wall to wall sale.If you decide on something that is not on sale it will be on sale next weekend.unfortunately they may tell you they can not put the new line on for you during their sale because they are too busy.
Good luck!

[spinN'flyfish]

well my reel is good but with my knowledge of opening it, i wasted nice line. Should get one soon though

[rycoma]

Never cut your fly line. It is specially tapered. It can never be repaired if cut. You need to treat it right and when it's time to change it you do the whole thing. You only nip the ends when you tie on a leader or to your backing. Also make sure you seal the cut end with zap a gap or some similar glue.

[spinN'flyfish]

Originally Posted by rycoma

Never cut your fly line. It is specially tapered. It can never be repaired if cut. You need to treat it right and when it's time to change it you do the whole thing. You only nip the ends when you tie on a leader or to your backing. Also make sure you seal the cut end with zap a gap or some similar glue.

I feel like an idiot lol. I tried tying them back but the knots were to big to fit in the eyes.

[kevin1949]

Originally Posted by spinN'flyfish

I feel like an idiot lol. I tried tying them back but the knots were to big to fit in the eyes.

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

[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.

[grinr]

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