Perused SA Lines at Local Shop...

[billems]

I fish one type of line for my 4 and 5 weights--Cortland 444 DT. I haven't kept track of all the model lines that SA manufactures. Just the Amplitude fly lines--one that even glows in the dark--had so many iterations and variants that I found it hard to believe. I know they make a few double tapers but i saw none at this shop. Then there's Mastery, Sonar, and Frequency and all their variations. I'm sure most of you prefer these lines. I'll just keep fishing the old Peach.

[LeeO]

The myth of WF has won and DT are slowly fading away. We now all will be essentially paying double for lines.
I just flipped my 6 weight DT

[McHull]

And there not frickn cheap either.

Long live the Peach!!

[eapling]

I have followed the decline in DT availability over the past 40years. But recently I think more DT's are showing up. Not in fly shops, particularly. But at least online (no pun intended). And in catalogs where a few years ago none were listed.
Cortland's Sylk and the 406 lines are nice lines. And I still have peach lines and even a NIB white SA AIrCel Supreme stashed away.

[Hellmtflies]

Long live the DT lines I say!

[corlay]

444 Classic and Sylk DT's are all I fish...

[redietz]

444 Classic and Sylk DT's are all I fish...

Same here.

[Perry Palin]

I use a mix of Peach, Sylk, 406, Rio, and SA lines. The SA's are all left over from the days when we got them economically from the employee store at 3M headquarters in Maplewood, MN.

I don't cast well enough to be able to tell the difference between one modern SA line and another. The variations are lost of me. Maybe they have all these different lines for people who cast better than me.

SA wants to sell lines. SA was purchased from 3M by Orvis in 2013. Bill, you sold your Orvis stock?

[GerardH]

Over the past year I've loaded four reels with 406 DT....not a foregone conclusion that it's an outdated line in my mind.

[Booman2]

My brain is boggled by the huge catalog of new lines. I expect to soon see an article saying that some hapless fly fisher was arrested for catching a striped bass while using a cold water tarpon line.
Cortland DT Peach 444's work for me for 90% of all my fly fishing.

[driftless angler]

When it comes to SA lines, I like the old AirCel. I can't tell the difference in floatability and durability over their more expensive offerings. The line has a taper that seems to work well on bamboo and glass rods. But, yeah, hard to beat a DT Peach.

[novisor12]

444 peach dt is a fine line, I used it exclusively years. But then I tried sl and I liked 444sl dt better and they stopped making it. Mastery DT is a better line than 444 peach dt, and amplitude DT is a better line than mastery dt.

Whether they are worth the additional cost is up for discussion. Mastery has a better coating than 444 peach, is more durable, floats higher and coils less. Amplitude DT is better than Mastery in terms of high floating and less coating. Durability is up for discussion because I'm on year 2 of mine and it will be toast at the end of the year (if it gets that far). I use my entire fly line, flipping it isn't going to do anything.

I really wish they brought back 444sl dt. It's not the most durable line but it was well worth what it cost. I agree a DT line is the best choice most of the time - 90%+ of my reels are spooled with one

[Flykuni3]

DTs all the way for this angler, and cut in half.

[PYochim]

MY favorite DT is an old 444 LazerLine that is still going strong. I clean it after a few uses and it is just fine.

[DrLogik]

444 Peach DT for me as well. And, when Hook & Hackle has a sale, I usually buy one or two of their branded DT lines. They are made by Cortland and hard to tell the difference from a 444 Peach other than they are half the price and a different color.

[novisor12]

The old 444 Lazer lines were very nice too.

[Ocduff]

Laughing at Booman’s comment…the marketing of these lines has gotten extreme. I even see lines marketed as beginner lines - what the heck is a beginner line?

I bought a reel on eBay and was fishing the unused and recent looking line on it a long time and realized - holy cow, this is a level line! - it was only the marketing of “level line is bad” that put me off of it - when in reality, it fished fine!

Just shows what I know. But I have never noticed some night and day difference between lines. I like 06, DT’s. I like SA Air Cel too, and it’s very cheap. Seems completely fine to me!

About to try Rio’s Mainstream DT5F - it’s a line weight heavy for a too fast rod. Looks like it has a lot of memory just on the spool it came in - this might be first time I bought a cheap line that is “cheap”.

I’d gladly buy a $100 line if I truly knew what I was getting. I can’t make sense of marketing or reviews. Does it last longer, float better, stay slick longer?

I think we all just stick to what we know works. If a fly line has been around a long time like 444, it’s probably pretty good.

BTW - I like Lazerline DT too. Never have found a fly line I don’t like, really…

[Dwight]

If I couldn’t use a DT line, I’d use a level line before a WF. And if stripping and shooting line became important, I’d sooner switch to spinning gear. Learning to proficiently use a DT line, even for spey and salt water casting, is an essence of fly fishing for me.

[red 1]

I only use DT’s. Only worry on longer casts with the additional mass carried by a dt line.

[bassman]

The goal today is to convince all of us, especially the newest of the breed, that each fish needs a particular line to make fishing for them fun and profitable (for the company anyway). I knew things were getting to the lowest level when they came out with "Carp" lines. I fully expect to look through the Orvis catalog and see a panfish section with lines for bluegills, crappie, perch (real ones, not OK sunnies), and rock bass. Largemouth and smallmouth bass already have their section and most saltwater fish have qualified for their own line. Since I've never fished enough in recent years to wear out a line and like the running line section of WF it's what I normally use. Why doesn't someone come out with a DT line that has a 30' true weight tapered section on each end and then tapers DOWN to a thin running line in the middle. DT use of both ends with shooting line in center. HEY, there's a million dollar idea I'm tossing out for free.