Fly Line Reviews

ARC is a new brand in the world of fly fishing. Started just a few years ago, they are committed to innovation in the tippet, fly line and leader markets. They sent us their ARC 99+ line for this test, so read on to see how it stands up.

Rio is a relative newcomer to the fly line game. They made their first fly line in 1997. Since then, they’ve become a market leader due to great products and clever marketing. Rio divides its lines into 4 “series”, which are differentiated by technology and price points: Mainstream, Avid, “Premier”, & InTouch. Mainstream & Avid are Rio’s entry-level lines and they have aggressive front tapers, while the Premier and InTouch series feature a wider array of lines to fit the needs of any angler. Read on to learn more.

Airflo lines have gained a lot of popularity in the last couple of years – and with good reason. They’ve got an incredible pro-staff that includes the likes of Kelly Galloup and Bruce Chard. They’ve also come out with great innovations like low-stretch cores, ridged fly lines, and PVC free lines.

No other company in this test has as rich of a history making fly lines as Cortland. Cortland has been manufacturing fly lines since the 1930’s. After several re-organizations, Cortland is now going strong making fly lines under 3 different labels: Precision, 444, and 333. While most people are familiar with the older (and more value-based) 444 and 333, the Precision line boasts some great new coatings and innovations. Read on to see how they fared against the big boys.

Orvis has been selling its own brand of fly lines since 1971. Today, Orvis lines are made by Scientific Anglers (which is also owned by Orvis). Orvis lines can be broken down into 4 product lines: Clearwater, Access, Hydros, and Hydros HD. Clearwater and Access lines are ‘entry level’ and priced to be accessible to the beginning angler. Hydros is Orvis’ premier line of high-performance fly lines and the HD designation means the line is textured for less friction through the guides.

Royal Wulff was founded in 1982 by America’s most famous fly fishing couple: Joan and Lee Wulff. Soon thereafter, Lee put his engineering skills to work and earned a patent for the first continuously tapered fly line: the Triangle Taper. Whatever he did, it worked. Keep reading to see why.

Scientific Anglers needs no introduction. While the company was started in 1945, Scientific Anglers has been a constant source of innovation in fly line technology, including the invention of the modern tapered fly line. SA’s use of micro-balloons and variable tapered coatings was named the most important sport fishing innovation of the 1960’s. As one of the largest fly line manufacturers today, SA produces lines not only under their own label, but under that of Orvis, Royal Wulff, and many others.

While SA may have stopped making their popular GPX fly line, Jim Teeny has not. When we cast this line, we were surprised at just how similar it felt to Sharkskin GPX. When we compared the tapers, it turned out that it’s virtually identical. So, if you’re interested in how it casts, just scroll up and read our review on GPX. One thing was different, which was the weight – Teeny WF Floating is…

Monic is a company that most of you probably haven’t heard of, but they have quite a history of research and development. The company was started in 1990 by a chemical engineer named Bob Goodale, and as you might expect from an engineer, Monic has been a leader in fly line development. They invented the clear floating fly line (and still have a patent for it). Their latest trout line is the GSP Skyline Trout, which is built on their latest low-stretch core.

I’ve now had about 5 days on the water with SA’s marquee Sharkskin GPX fly line.  I can honestly say, I’m hooked (pun intended).   As usual, I was fishing with the Trident Signature Trout Outfit, which consists or: 9′ 5wt Hardy Zenith Lamson Vanquish 4.5LT What is Sharkskin?   Sharkskin is 3M/Scientific Anglers’ proprietary […]