Suggestion for a new fly line. 5 wt

[pete from mass]

Greetings, I would appreciate your thoughts.
I am in the mood to try a new fly line for my 5 wt and I’m not sure where I should direct my attention (I just want to try something new).
I have Cortland sylk, 444 peach, some old sci angler lines and a Phoenix silk.

I like lines that tend to be soft and supple. I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions for something new.

I am fishing a Dickerson 8013.

Thank you from Massachusetts.
Pete

[Mister Bill]

I like the Cortland 444 Peach sink tip from Amazon.

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

I cut the 10' sink tip in half to 5'.

[mer]

Depends on "how new" you want. New as in "a new line that feels like a 444" or as in "radically different taper"?

I've had good luck with Cortland 333 (find them mostly online) and Hook and Hackle. These feel similar to a 444, the 333 has a shorter front taper (6 ft instead of 8 or 10ft), the H&H is very close to a 444. I've used both lines in WF and DT.

Rio makes some very good lines (pricey), some have some interesting taper profiles (their website does a good job of showing/describing them). The Windcutter series is pretty good on the right rod.

My asking about the taper stuff is (opinion coming in):
I think bamboo rods prefer a steady increase in load. Think of a DT: front taper, level body, back taper. The level part means the rod will react consistently as the load increases, so you can easily feel what the rod is doing.

Some of the taper profiles on modern lines are front taper, level section, increase, smaller level, etc. All over the place. That means the loading on the rod may not be consistent as you extend line. But these line work great on the fast graphite rods they were designed for.

The 8013 is nominally "fast bamboo", I'd stick with either a traditional DT or traditional WF, if you want to try something different, maybe a "long belly" WF. Wulff TT may feel light until you get close to the 30ft out.

[twistedtippet]

Pete
You can do as I did and switch to 406 DT lines and have a smile on your face every time you cast.
(no financial interest)
tt

[para_adams]

406

They make every one of my bamboo rods happy. In my experience, my rods tended to match best with one, but not more than one, of the following...Wulff TT, Wulff Bamboo, SA Heritage Ultra or a Rio Gold. But funny thing, I now find the 406 somehow works as well or better on every rod. My rods tend to be medium fast or maybe a little slower. Nifty product.

[Bamboo revival]

+ 1 on the 406 lines! They are fantastic for cane and glass rods . I like the old SA ultra line dt as well. I’ve been curious about the SA amplitude DT .

[BambooNut]

Another one for a 406.

[narcodog]

Another for 406.

[Bamboo River]

Rio LiteLine DT https://www.rioproducts.com/products/lightline-dt

[mer]

Rio LiteLine DT https://www.rioproducts.com/products/lightline-dt

That's what I was talking about with the 333 and 444. The "body taper" is what Rio seems to have been doing for a while (complex/compound tapers).

It's always interesting finding a line for a rod. Too many of us go "how far can I cast it" instead of "how am I going to use it".
Say a 6ft 3wt. Is it typically going to be used to fish 50 ft away? If not, test it how you're going to fish it: 3 ft of line to 30 ft of line.

Same goes for a 9ft 7wt (Payne Canadian Canoe is a big rod that I've cast): maybe once or twice a decade fish it less than 5 ft but most of the time it's bigger flies, maybe 40-50ft typically.

That knowledge lets us look at a taper profile better. Assuming a line is "in spec", 30 ft is 30 ft is 10 yds is 5 fathoms. Either side of 30ft is where we need to think.

[Caneghost]

The new Sci Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout line has performed really well for me on a couple of 4 weight bamboo rods. It is a WF line with a nice taper that offers delicacy and distance capability, so very much suitable for fishing both large and small rivers.

Best bet is to try casting a few different lines that friends have or perhaps a local fly shop has some demo reels rigged with various lines you could try.

[Brooks]

Best bet is to try casting a few different lines that friends have or perhaps a local fly shop has some demo reels rigged with various lines you could try.

+1 -- Good fly shops should have some demos of their lines to try. if they don't have them, they can get them from the rep. It's amazing how much of a difference fly-line brands, models, tapers, and weights make in a rod's performance. It seems to be often poo-poo'd here that lines are over rated, but it is my experience (with my bamboo rods and carbon fiber and glass ) how much of a radical difference it makes to find the perfect line for the rod.
Quite often it is something far different than my own 'line dogma' that i have convinced myself of.

It's important to point out that I fish mostly bigger western waters. I probably wouldn't be so picky and experimental if I were fishing close and tight.

[davemaine]

I like the SA mastery double taper and the "trout" taper which is sort of a long belly wf with a long rear taper and a fairly delicate front taper. Both lines are true to weight.

I'm going to try an Airflo DT next season--I like the idea of a non-pvc product (for earth-friendly reasons).

[Dwight]

I have an 8013 clone made by the late Rick Fick that I treasure and I like a Wulff TT5 on it, a lot. I’m guessing the TT6 long belly (no longer made) might also work well for shorter work if you can find one. That combination is incredible for dry fly fishing, imho.

[troutnut]

I don't know its hard to beat the Cortland peach 444 but I've heard good things about the 406
Fred

[kilgore]

I have a 406 but haven't tried it yet. Really like a Cortland Sylk for a slower 8' 4wt.

[NedZeppelin]

How about a Barrio GT90 line. I have one and like it so much I bought the Small Stream Specials in 4 and 5 weights for the shorter rods. https://www.flylineshop.com/barrio-gt90.html. No financial interest. But speaking of money, the Barrio lines are cheaper too.

[LeeO]

Hook and Hackle Hi Floater. No way to tip for the price

[cappy]

Hard to beat the Hook and Hackle Hi Floater lines if you like the color. Wish they came in brighter colors.

Also hard to beat are the Barrio lines, especially the Mallard series. Nothing fancy just a nice all purpose taper at a great price.

Both lines referenced above are true weight.

[lestrout1]

Those Cortland 444 Peaches and the Hook & Hackle counterparts are wonderful for cane and glass, and fine for boron and brittle tubular plastic too. I love the olive color of the H&Hs for canopied streams. I mourn H&H getting out of the line biz.

tl
les