Hello gang-

I've been out of the fly game for so long, I'm amazed at the some of the new products and techniques I've seen since I plunged back into it. This site has been a fantastic resource, and I thank you all for the collective experience here.

I recently purchased an old Pflueger Medalist for a much loved cane rod. It's a humble Southbend with the "lite lock" type reel seat. My Dad accidentaly sold my original Medalist many years ago, and as nothing else seems to fit that seat, I had put the rod aside. New (old) Medalist in hand, I ordered a new fly line, and that's when I learned of the Sylk lines. I haven't fished it yet, but I like the looks of it - rather understated in appearance, and it even looks a bit like the old oiled silk line my Dad had when I was a boy.

I will be fishing this one as soon as the river goes down a bit, but what has your experience been with this? Is it all marketing, or do you find something in its performance that you really like? I need to order another one soon for yet another rod, and I would enjoy reading your opinions.

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I've fished one with a Steffen 3/4 fiberglass rod and enjoy the line.
I enjoyed fishing it enough to spool a second reel with it.
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It loads the rod well, casts the distances I want to fish, and I enjoy using it. I'll admit that at least part of the enjoyment of it is the aesthetic. It feels and looks more classic and understated without needing to deal with drying silk. I think you'll like fishing it.

I have a 4, 5, and 6wt Sylk line and really like they cast. Being a Slimmer higher density line they cut through the wind nicely, and you get better line speed with less effort than traditional lines. They also stay limp in colder weather. Definitely worth owning.

I fish a DT Sylk on a couple of “newer” built cane 4 weight rods that are faster than a classic cane rod. The thinner diameter of the line makes hauling more effective and doesn’t “seem” to create as much disturbance when landing on the water as an apparently thicker 4 wt line does.

That being said, I haven’t used it on any glass rods since I am a devoted 406 Line user on 3-6 wt glass rods.

I have a 3wt and 4 wt sylk. They are much softer and more flexible than a cortland peach. I like them a lot, if I find myself in need of another dt for trout theyll be a top pick. Ive found that they are a good choice when a wf causes a lot of tip bounce. Maybe not the very best line for bigger flies, but they work for sure.

I'm not a particular fan of the SYLK but I don't feel it is underweight...

The SYLK has a 10-foot front taper that is longer than the front taper of a 444 Peach, 406 or Sci Angler's Mastery DT. Long front taper lines require more fly line out past the tiptop to get to the belly of the line and subsequently load the rod.

This is makes the line feel light(er), especially on short casts or even longer casts when compared to other true to weight lines at the same distances. The light feel is even more pronounced with a longer leader or bulkier flies.

I'm sure you realize this already but bamboo rods of recent vintage use the same sized guides as fiberglass or graphite rods of similar vintage and therefore should throw any modern line with the same ease as their graphite or glass counterparts.

The small guides on bamboo rod thing is mostly an issue with rods built prior to the 1950's and even then the effect is isn't as much an issue as the line manufacturers want you believe. Case in point, until recently when I switched to real silk, I fished all of my bamboo rods using standard plastic lines with no issues related to smaller guides and fatter lines. That includes rods from the teens, 40's, 1960 & 1970's.

The ONLY problem I had was with my 1948 Orvis Bakelite which I used to fish in the dead of winter. That problem was the smaller guides iced up faster. I solved that problem by not using it anymore in the winter.

FWIW - The late Tom Morgan believed in smaller guides on rods to reduce line slap...

In regards to the SYLK floating lower in the water, that is because the coating is thinner and on plastic lines the "float is in the coat(ing)" so the less of it that you have, the less buoyancy.

In regards to the lighter feel, try using a leader a few feet shorter to compensate for the SYLK front taper being 2 feel longer than the Peach.

Thanks Mark and Dan.
Never used this line before after the initial first generation was said to have stickiness issues.


Surely indeed something to know when fishing with bulky or heavy flies like weighted nymphs.