Tropical Saltwater Fly Line Shootout & Buyer's Guide
Trident Fly Fishing is a full-service fly shop. We spend a lot of time testing gear and writing shootouts to give you all of the tools to make your next trip a success. We are not a blog or a review site. 100% of our funding comes from your gear purchase, so if this shootout helps you on your next fly fishing adventure, support us by buying your next fly line (or better yet, your next rod and reel), from us.
Why Fly Lines?
If you've read our 2016 Fly Line Shootout & Buyer's Guide, you know the answer to this question. In 2016, we felt that the most talked about and least understood part of fly fishing equipment was fly lines. That's still true today. And while we helped anglers better understand 5wt fly lines in that shootout, no one has ever published a thorough review of 8wt tropical saltwater fly lines.
In the first part of our Tropical Fly Line Shootout, we got our hands on as many tropical saltwater WF8F lines as we could and tested them in a variety of ways. This shootout is designed to help anglers better understand fly lines, when to use which line, and which lines are the best in different angling scenarios.
Another reason we decided to test fly lines is because they are arguably one of the most important pieces of fly fishing equipment. If you have the very best fly rod and fly reel setup partnered with the wrong fly line, you're not going to catch fish. It's that simple.
Lastly, as fly rod companies have moved toward faster rods in the past decade, fly lines have evolved to fit these high-performance rods. An 8wt fly line looks much different today than it did 10 years ago. There's also a massive amount of variation between lines. We want you to know exactly what you're purchasing when you buy a fly line from us and we want it to be the very best line for your angling needs.
Testing Procedure
Line Selection
We limited this shootout to WF8F tropical saltwater fly lines. This helped us keep the shootout somewhat manageable by choosing lines that are built for similar circumstances. We then reached out to every major fly line manufacturer and asked if they'd donate lines for the shootout. In doing so, we tried to get the latest fly line technology available and, in most cases, we did.
Rod Selection
Similar to our 5wt line shootout, we chose two different 8wt fly rods to cast these lines with. We used one moderate/medium-fast action rod and one fast action rod to make sure we tested these lines with two different rod tapers for maximum performance.
Orvis Helios 3F 9' 8wt: The Helios 3F was our 'moderate action' rod of choice. We chose the 3F because it's a well-known, high-performance fly rod that's one of our best selling presentation saltwater rods. We thought this rod would cast lighter lines better than a fast action rod.
If you want to learn more about the Helios 3F rods, read our Helios 3F model-by-model fly rod review here.
Scott Meridian 9' 8wt: We chose the Meridian to compliment the medium-fast action of the 3F. This rod's fast action design handles heavier lines and more aggressive tapers well and evokes the most performance out of lines that are too heavy for the 3F.
If you want to learn more about the Scott Meridian, read our blog review here.
Taper Diagrams
To generate accurate taper diagrams, we used the micrometer pictured above to measure the line diameter in 6-inch increments along the front taper of each line. We took a measurement every 6 inches until we were well into the running line to provide accurate, real-life taper diagrams of these lines. This was (by far) the most monotonous, time-consuming part of the shootout.
Taper Lengths
One of the most important features of a fly line is its taper. Once we had the taper diagrams, we analyzed the lengths of each key element of the line's taper: the Level Tip, Front Taper, Belly, Back Taper, and Running Line.
As you'll see, some line diagrams show each part of the line very clearly. For other lines, it's less clear:
In cases like this, we used the manufacturer's specifications as a guideline. After all, we're really trying to determine if what they are telling us is accurate.
A note about accuracy: All of our measurements were in 6" increments so we could be as much as a foot off. Couple this with a 6" manufacturing tolerance and that gives us another foot. So if a manufacturer claims the head length is 40', and we found it to be 42', it could still be within specifications. This goes for any part of the line.
Weights
Another time-consuming effort in this shootout was weighing every fly line in 10' increments up to 30 feet. We did this to understand the effect mass has on how a line casts. Then we measured the full head weight to determine the maximum amount of weight that we were casting. We took all of our measurements using a gram scale accurate to +/- 0.15 grains.
Casting Categories
Loop Stability
This is an important differentiator between fly lines that cast well and fly lines that have subpar performance. 'Loop stability' is a measure of how a fly line unfurls throughout the forward cast. Lines with stable loops are easier to cast at longer distances and allow the angler to present flies more accurately. Fly line construction plays a large role in how a fly line 'unfurls' in the air.
Distance
Casting at longer distances can be important in tropical saltwater fly fishing so we added a casting point category for fly lines that performed well at distance. The heaviest fly lines didn't necessarily earn the most points in this category; we took accuracy at longer distances into account and didn't just reward the fly line we could cast the farthest.
Presentation
Most of the trout lines in our 5wt fly line shootout received good presentations scores; those lines had little variation in presentation capabilities. 8wt saltwater lines are a different story, however. We found that there was much more variation in the presentation capabilities of saltwater lines because not every saltwater fish requires a presentation-oriented approach. Lines made for casting big streamers or blind casting in the surf (like the Outbound Short or the Tropical Titan) don't really present flies 'delicately'. We tested this category by casting each line on the water and judging how softly flies landed.
Shooting
The ability to quickly shoot fly line is important in saltwater fly fishing. Shooting line is, simply put, the length of line that goes through the tip of the rod after the line is released from your bottom hand. Shooting is similar to distance but there are some lines that shoot really well but can't cast as far because they're not designed to hold a lot of line in the air.
Beginners
Lastly, we included a category for beginners. Why? Because no matter where you sit on the casting spectrum a line that loads better will give you more feedback and be more fun to fish. We tested this by making a few short casts and seeing how the line loaded each of the rods.
A Note About "Average" Fly Lines
There are several fly lines we tested in this shootout that can be described as 'average'. This means they don't really stand out in any way, good or bad. They don't have spectacular distance capabilities, they don't have stellar loop stability, they don't help you present small flies delicately to Bonefish on the flats. All of these lines will definitely get the job done if you're a competent caster, but there's probably a better line (and maybe a worse one) for a particular style of fishing or casting ability. These lines were tough to review because they didn't stand out in any way due to the fact that there weren't any really significant differences in their performance. If you hear us refer to a line as 'average', refer back to this paragraph.
The Reviews
Below you'll find links to each individual fly line review separated by brand. If you're curious about points, data, and weights, continue down the page to see our data and results.
- Airflo Saltwater Fly Line Reviews
- RIO Saltwater Fly Line Reviews
- Cortland Saltwater Fly Line Reviews
- Royal Wulff Saltwater Fly Line Reviews
- Orvis Saltwater Fly Line Reviews
- Scientific Anglers Saltwater Fly Line Reviews
- Winston Saltwater Fly Line Reviews
If you want just one line rec...
If you forced us to pick one fly line to fish on an 8-weight on a desert island... it would be Scientific Anglers Grand Slam.
Recommended Lines
If you don't want to read all of our reviews individually, here's a table of our favorite lines broken down by fly size and conditions. If you're having trouble reading any of these charts, find a pdf version below each chart.
Lengths, Weights, and Points
This is the section with all of our test data in three different charts. The Taper Length Chart shows computed taper lengths using our taper charts broken down into tip, front taper, belly, rear taper, and overall head length. The Grain Weight chart shows grain weight measurements taken for 10'-20'-30' and the full head of the line. Finally, we scored every line and crowned a winner in the Scoring section.
Taper Length Chart
Grain Weight Chart
Scoring
Finally, we decided to score every fly line in the test. While there's no fly line that does everything really well, different fly lines are 'the best' for different situations. If you're looking for the fly line that's the most versatile and does almost everything really well, this point system will help you choose that line. We recommend checking out our section on 'Recommended Lines' above to choose the line that fits your fishing style best. Nevertheless, this section will help those looking for a non-distilled version that helps you choose the best line without reading the entire shootout.
Questions?
Give us a call here at the shop at (888) 413-5211 or email us anytime at [email protected].
Thanks for your efforts. I enjoy your insights.
A ridiculous standard: we all have to cast the front taper, and it is difficultl, at home, to consistently weigh fly lines without the front taper. That aside, the traditional weight for an 8wt line is 210 grains, with a range from 202 to 218 grains still in spec. At home, I weigh the first 30' of line, including the taper, for purposes of marking my lines, knowing that my measured grain wt is going to be a little lighter than the first 30' of line minus the front taper. In your grain wt. chart, it looks like that you, too, simply measured the first 30' of line, including the taper. The range of grain wts you measured is astounding. The average grain wt you found for the lines was well into the 9wt class, and heaviest measured at an 11wt. Clearly, the line weight assigned to a line, and to a rod, is meaningless. That Scott Meridian is not an 8wt by any measurable standard. Indeed, we have no useful standards.
Fly rods can cast a wide variety of line weights these days. A rod that is used for dry fly fishing might work best with a 5 wt. line. Use the same rod for nymph fishing and a 6 wt. works better, for streamers, a 7 wt. Rod makers don't make that clear and continue to recommend a single line weight only, regardless of application. That has forced line makers to deviate from the AFFTA standard to give anglers lines that work right for each application. We are losing the AFFTA line weight standard as a result, the only meaningful standard we have in fly fishing. Hopefully AFFTA will step up and fix the problem.
Bruce Richards
Line makers being forced?...
I think they are more than happy to make all the specialty lines (for fast rods and species related) so they sell more lines...
What do you mean with "We are losing the AFFTA line weight standard as a result, the only meaningful standard we have in fly fishing. Hopefully AFFTA will step up and fix the problem."?
The AFFTA line weight standard is one of only two fly fishing standards we have (I exaggerated a bit). The other is a standard for reel feet size.
If we have a standard but no one follows it eventually it will be come meaningless. Now a line maker labels a line as a 7, but it could actually be a 9, or heavier, according to the standard. If someone really wants to know what a line weighs they have to do some research, in the past a 7 was a 7, period.
Of course line makers are happy to make any and all specialty lines but the way they are being labeled is causing confusion and that's not good for customers, or sales. There are a couple of ways to handle the problem but someone has to step up and do it and that has to be the fly fishing industry trade assoc., AFFTA, they maintain the standards.
Bruce
1. Include both charts in one, easy to read spreadsheet. Pair down a lot of the TMI type info and use Manufacturer, Name of Line, Taper Type, Head Length, AFTMA Weight, Total Head Weight, Length of Line, Temperature Rating >> then do a separate chart with the less meaningful TMI numbers (which are cool, don't get me wrong).
2. Rather than just do 8 weight warm-water lines, expand to cover all line weights for each type of line. This way, we customers could match our 9-10-11 & 12 weights along with our 4-5-6 & 7 weights with confidence.
Then, when you do your review, stick with speaking to only 5wt and 8wt lines. Providing more information would be amazing, because it will lead to many more sales for you. For example, I'm looking to purchase at least a half-dozen lines this year alone. I am left having to do much, much more research & that's going to cause me to click on numerous other sites for technical info.
If you make it easy for any customer to line any rod, then all that remains is to purchase the line(s) they are looking for. Each year, you can update the chart as needed. Lastly, rather than using a PDF format, provide a downloadable, sortable spreadsheet. This way, if I want to study which Intermediate lines my 8wt & 9wt need for fishing on Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Rhode Island this fall, I can sort based on my preferences. I prefer Intermediate lines with longer bellies, because I fish from shore when I'm on the Vineyard. However, if I take the skiff out, I might want a shorter head for blitzes. If I could sort head length and total head weight with two clicks , I would have all the info I need. Then, when I purchase the next rod, I'll know exactly what 3 or 4 lines to buy for the rod - providing I understand the general load characteristics of the blank in question.
I've been "making" my own charts as described above for years. Usually, each company will send me a line spec sheet, which I use as the basis. I love that you guys are measuring and weighing and checking and it looks like you do find discrepancies.
Let my note serve to inspire you to take what you're doing to a whole new level. You should consider creating a Fly Line "Bible" that you would simply need to update once per year. It'll help you sell more rods and more line and probably more reels as well.