It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 15:48


New Topic Add Reply
Author Message
Post 16 Nov 2021, 16:37 • #1 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/11/06
Posts: 2516
Location: Nature Coast Florida
I was recently asked what I thought the best roll casting line is. My experience is limited because once I find something I like I usually stick with it.
So far I'm very happy with Cortland Peach 444 and Wulff Longbelly lines. On my longer parabolic bamboo rods I like the Wulff Triangle Taper lines.

The man asking me was specifically asking for a short Phillipson. Would appreciate the recommendations of others.

Thanks,
Barry


Top
  
Quote
Post 16 Nov 2021, 18:21 • #2 
Guide
Joined: 05/02/13
Posts: 213
Location: Almonte, ON, Canada
For single hand traditional single hand rod, low weight - Guideline Fario
For larger and longer rods, Airflo Spey Switch

And then when we get to Spey, SRO Vector and Galeforece ESH and eventually the 63 & 73


Top
  
Quote
Post 16 Nov 2021, 19:21 • #3 
Master Guide
Joined: 05/08/06
Posts: 796
Location: RenoNV/FranklinWV
Wulff TT fly line for standard fly rods.


Top
  
Quote
Post 16 Nov 2021, 20:08 • #4 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/21/06
Posts: 3081
Location: Orygun
As with most things.....it depends. If I fished a lot of soft hackles or smaller unweighted streamers, then I'd probably just roll with a good old fashioned double taper (444 is great for this as is the aforementioned TT line)), but for me, I don't fish with those very often and consequently, I prefer something a little more aggressive. Because I'm often fishing larger streamers and weighted streamers, I need more mass to throw that mass (hence my consistent 7+ wt rec's for folks really wanting to get into the serious streamer game), but, I've found that I really like the Airflo streamer dry line for my 6wt (if I'm only taking one rod with me). It's a pretty aggressive taper that will throw some stuff and it has a longer head than most streamer specific lines (head short enough to roll cast + shoot line, but long enough to allow for a decent amount of stack mending if I'm nymphing). Any longer head nymphing specific line works great for all of this (e.g. Rio Nymph, SA Anadro, Airflo Nymph), I just happen to prefer the streamer float with a slightly shorter head.

Anyway, that's my best roll casting line.


Top
  
Quote
Post 16 Nov 2021, 20:12 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
Triangle taper or Barrio GT 125/GT 90 The long front taper really is magic for transferring power down the cast and out to the leader. Presuming you aren't casting a ton of weight, or deep indicators.

If you need more power, probably a double taper line.

If you are casting less than 30ft, I don't know if it makes much of a difference.


Top
  
Quote
Post 16 Nov 2021, 20:16 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/14/06
Posts: 1227
Location: Panther City, Texas
Wulff TT for me.


Top
  
Quote
Post 16 Nov 2021, 22:08 • #7 
Sport
Joined: 01/21/17
Posts: 93
Location: US-WI
For dry flies Rio Trout LT


Top
  
Quote
Post 16 Nov 2021, 23:27 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
Short answer, it don't matter to me, as long as it's a floater. But the longer the level body and the shorter the taper the less work it takes. I generally go up one or two line weights from what a rod likes overhead if all I plan to do is roll cast.
My 6'6" & 7'6" Phillipsons work equally well with DT& WF in $12 green lines and 444 or with Wulff TT.
The TT or WF are kinda limiting though, because just about any long roll will get into the shooting line and it don't push at all, they work fine out to the end of the head/body.


Top
  
Quote
Post 17 Nov 2021, 00:24 • #9 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/21/12
Posts: 462
Location: US-NY
If I'm fishing dries or the rare time I'm fishing nymphs, then a dt line (really any dt line). If it's for streamers, then I like something with a more aggressive head. I agree with 7wt + like clarkman said.

I really do not like the brick on a string type lines, but if I'm only roll casting big streamers, then an ambush or OBS line is tough to beat. There are really only a couple places where I do this and it's probably less than 5 times a year.


Top
  
Quote
Post 17 Nov 2021, 07:05 • #10 
Sport
Joined: 02/10/17
Posts: 40
Location: US-TX
For me the 406 DT lines work perfect


Top
  
Quote
Post 17 Nov 2021, 08:55 • #11 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
@novisor12, with only 20' head on the Ambush are you fishing that close or are you shooting line with your roll cast? It's a line I've never used and Wullf doesn't seem to post profiles of their lines, so it's kinda hard for me to imagine.


Top
  
Quote
Post 17 Nov 2021, 11:03 • #12 
Master Guide
Joined: 04/02/14
Posts: 537
Location: US- Northern CO
im about 95% DT line no matter what im fishing and roll casting is at least half the fishing i do. H&H, Barrio, 406, and a furled laeder.


Top
  
Quote
Post 22 Nov 2021, 19:23 • #13 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
xNYKid great point about the furled leader, saw that for myself last weekend on my new 6ft Phillipson Fly Fox. When I have the furled leader on my roll casting improved significantly. I wasn’t using a furled leader with my Phillipson Pacemaker and maybe that is why the 406 DT was struggling with the roll casting? I’ll try that out here this week.


Top
  
Quote
Post 23 Nov 2021, 11:45 • #14 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/09/05
Posts: 2524
Location: US-CO
Bulldog is an excellent roll caster and he is also an avid Phillipson rod advocate. I am curious what he has to say.


Top
  
Quote
Post 23 Nov 2021, 11:49 • #15 
Guide
Joined: 09/11/19
Posts: 134
Location: Canada, Alberta
Also, can people speak more about the furled leaders and how they might benefit roll casting?
I roll cast about 75% of the time and would like to learn more about improving it.
With the furled leaders, I would like to learn more about types used, whether floating vs not, anything added to the leaders for floatation, etc.
Thanks!
Jason


Top
  
Quote
Post 23 Nov 2021, 13:12 • #16 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/24/11
Posts: 1144
Location: Belgium
You are absolutely right being happy with the Cortland Peach or any other conventional line for that matter.
Obviously it's problematic to roll cast once the running line is out of the rod tip - so DTs or long bellies are called for if you need particularly long roll casts.

There are singlehanded spey lines (like the Barrio SLX) that are basically long front tapers followed by a short heavy belly with a running line attached. These will be fantastic for roll casting at a given range (when just about the entire head is out of the rings) but they will be suboptimal at short range since the front taper is long and fine and will not load the rod sufficiently. Similarly these lines will be useless once the running line is out of the tip top but you can of course shoot the head quite effectively. However mending the running line after you have shot the head won't accomplish much.

It comes back to the DT being the most versatile line with the long belly WF like the SA Anadro or SA Trout doing quite well too.


Top
  
Quote
Post 23 Nov 2021, 13:52 • #17 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/25/16
Posts: 1069
Location: Rocky Mountains - Colorado
My shortest Fly Rod is a 7 1/2 foot Phillipson X Rod, and I use a 6 weight Cortland 333 Weight Forward taper General purpose line...and it roll casts like a dream. Its big brother the X86 roll casts the same line so well I get to thinking I am a better fisherman than I am...


Top
  
Quote
Post 23 Nov 2021, 18:03 • #18 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/21/06
Posts: 3081
Location: Orygun
Trev wrote:
@novisor12, with only 20' head on the Ambush are you fishing that close or are you shooting line with your roll cast? It's a line I've never used and Wullf doesn't seem to post profiles of their lines, so it's kinda hard for me to imagine.


I can't answer for @novisor12, but for me, I always treated the Ambush as more of a skagit style head, where you attach a sink tip and single-hand skagit cast (in truth, it's more of a combo skagit/skandi type head), but it's pretty aggressive, meant to cast a large payload.


Top
  
Quote
Post 23 Nov 2021, 21:52 • #19 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
giorio,

Have you used a Bario SLX?
I have one and I haven't found a use for it. I have a 7wt and it weighs in at 230gn so it really will load the rod, but I don't find it works well with a glass 7wt. In fact it will bend a fast graphite 7wt more than I like. It isn't too bad with a glass 9wt, but it isn't what I would call a roll casting line. I find it more of a true single hand spey line for throwing streamers. Any time I think I might want to use the SLX I feel a sink tip line is a better fit.

I'm wondering what your experience with them is.


Top
  
Quote
Post 23 Nov 2021, 23:06 • #20 
Guide
Joined: 05/13/20
Posts: 250
Location: Lake Junaluska, NC
I am still liking the 444SL. Roll casts well for me with the Wonderods and Fenwicks. Usually the WF6F.


Top
  
Quote
Post 23 Nov 2021, 23:26 • #21 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/21/12
Posts: 462
Location: US-NY
Trev wrote:
@novisor12, with only 20' head on the Ambush are you fishing that close or are you shooting line with your roll cast? It's a line I've never used and Wullf doesn't seem to post profiles of their lines, so it's kinda hard for me to imagine.


Trev, with ambush I'm shooting line with the roll cast. You could fish it in real close if you want though. I'd either a sink tip or heavy split shots on the leader for that.

Clarkman, yes mostly singlehand Spey with a sink tip. I kind of lump Spey casts into roll casts


Top
  
Quote
Post 23 Nov 2021, 23:36 • #22 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/21/06
Posts: 3081
Location: Orygun
"I kind of lump Spey casts into roll casts"

yeah, I do too. All variations to the same theme....water-load


Top
  
Quote
Post 24 Nov 2021, 05:15 • #23 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/19/12
Posts: 1007
Location: Beantown
Same for me with the Ambush - I find it works well for shooting line in a roll cast with big weighted streamers. Whether what I'm doing is a proper roll cast or a bastardized spey cast is a question I can't answer. But it works for me ...


Top
  
Quote
Post 24 Nov 2021, 10:29 • #24 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
Thank's guys, although I have never seen a Skagit (or true Spey) cast and watching the videos did not enlighten me much. Shooting line, I understand but doubt I'd like that line.
The trouble with it that I foresee with it is having to pull it all in before making the next cast, while with a long level body, a couple of flicks puts the fly back in the target area.


Top
  
Quote
Post 24 Nov 2021, 13:43 • #25 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/24/11
Posts: 1144
Location: Belgium
Quote:
Have you used a Bario SLX?
I have one and I haven't found a use for it. I have a 7wt and it weighs in at 230gn so it really will load the rod, but I don't find it works well with a glass 7wt. In fact it will bend a fast graphite 7wt more than I like. It isn't too bad with a glass 9wt, but it isn't what I would call a roll casting line. I find it more of a true single hand spey line for throwing streamers. Any time I think I might want to use the SLX I feel a sink tip line is a better fit.

I'm wondering what your experience with them is.


I bought this line with a specific river in mind with very high banks where there is no room for a back cast but still the need to cast up to 40'-50'. Haven't been there in years so I never did get to use it.

I think I could use it for swinging flies quite effectively but I would much rather have a DT or long belly on my reel because they are so much more versatile when using a mix of "tactics" - which is how I like to fish.


Top
  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  

New Topic Add Reply



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: gdelston and 18 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
Google
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group