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Post 18 May 2019, 19:16 • #1 
Sport
Joined: 07/09/18
Posts: 46
Location: US-TX
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Part of the fun in collecting vintage fly reels is the bonus of receiving fly lines in the deal. Can anyone hazard a guess as to the maker of this line? I’ve tried to get the color just right; I’d call it a shade of pumpkin; It is a DT6F and is one of my best performing lines for the FF79 in the picture.
I’m thinking maybe SA, Aircel, or Cortland (it’s definitely NOT peach). If it’s still in production, I’d like to purchase another as this one is definitely a little long in the tooth. Aside from just being perfect for this rod, I just think it’s the perfect color (think October dry flies, lol)


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Post 18 May 2019, 19:45 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5568
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
You could try Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice fly line ;)


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Post 18 May 2019, 19:51 • #3 
Guide
Joined: 02/04/18
Posts: 208
Location: US-MN
I acquired a line that color also on an old reel and found a reference somewhere (sorry no link I can't remember the exact source) that led me to believe it was an old SA color that is no longer offered. I like the line and mine still feels good so I use it on one of my more used reels.


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Post 19 May 2019, 07:20 • #4 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8933
Location: US-ME
I'd guess Cortland "Olympic," "Fairplay," "Silver Stream," or another of their trade-brands. An SA-made line comparable to their Aircel would be likely as well. The colors have varied over the years; that might be hard to match. Either is/was an excellent line with a meat-and-potatoes DT profile perfected in the fiberglass heyday just at the time of rods like the one shown in your pic. Most of the techno changes in lines since have been for performance traits of graphite rods and/or for fishing techniques not in wide use at that time. Not sure what the current versions of the Cortland or SA basic DT lines are named now. "Basic" does not mean "low quality low performance junk" as marketing conditions techno-babble geeks to think. Two or three such basic lines with basic reels and two or three basic fiberglass rods will do more high performance fishing at less cost then one over-specialized high-dollar fly line. As WF lines became more popular along with graphite rods, some of the basic line offerings were reduced to WF only.

Curious, what's wrong with the one shown? It doesn't look abraided or even dirty. If it is slightly stiff or coiled, it may relax just fine. Just extend the whole line in a moderate current and let it trail and wave in the current for a few minutes. Has it ever been turned around so the backing end becomes the fishing end?

Even if you can't identify the line for certain, you can get a basic DT line that will perform about as he one you have. I'd think that a 406 line, to use one make that gets good reviews here often, would be one example.


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Post 23 May 2019, 17:50 • #5 
Sport
Joined: 07/09/18
Posts: 46
Location: US-TX
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Curious, what's wrong with the one shown?


Whirlpool, thanks for your reply! The line has been turned around, as the other end was pretty banged up. It really plays well with my FF79. I have since acquired peach 444’s in 5,6 DT, and a 7WFF. I really love those lines on my growing Fenwick collection as well! I just really thought that pumpkin spice latte color was aesthetically pleasing on these old gems!


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Post 28 May 2019, 15:14 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 03/30/09
Posts: 1525
Location: Hamilton,Ontario,Canada
It might be one of the old Sue Burgess fly lines from back in the 80s.I had one of their lines with a similar colour.Good luck on finding one now.I know I have a lot of fly lines that came on reels that I don't have a clue about.I have one that I think may be a Teeny T-200.I may give it a try on an 8 wt. some day.


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Post 28 May 2019, 16:09 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2513
Location: South of Joplin
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or Cortland (it’s definitely NOT peach)

So, not "peach" pink or not the same quality?

I don't recall 444 being called "peach" (or exactly that shade of pink) when it first came to the nearby bait shop (that passed as a fly shop at the time) but my first reaction your picture was to say old 444. If the taper and quality are different than 444, my next guess is what whrlpool said, more or less. Colors have varied over time with dyes used and plastics used and I think with marketing whims. It could be any brand in the world and still work well, it is my belief that very few factories make all the brands and did make some brands that are no longer sold. In the "old days", as it is now, you could get your own line of merchandise manufactured from fly lines to shotguns.


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Post 29 May 2019, 11:43 • #8 
Guide
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 153
Location: Lower slower delaware
I would say a Cortland. I still have two or three a round here from when I was teaching for them and got all kinds and colors of lines from them. That color came at the time with kit outfits. So it had a number of names. I still use a wf12I that I made into a running line to use with a bunch of Rio heads. You could say I was being cheap, because I got the heads free and needed a running line to go with the heads, so I made one from that line to match rio's running line. I still have it but don't use it any more. Of forgot, if you like that line try a 333 dt. You should find that it match in every way except color. At least if the new owners didn't change the 333. Also standard Cortland colors where 333 ivory, 444 peach, 444sl green and laser yellow or some called it a florescent yellow. They also made some specialty line of different colors in all their 333 and 444. I still have some really crazy colors that they were trying out.


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