Fly Lines & Fly Rods

[@MrSofthackle]

Scientific Anglers is my favorite brand of lines too. I started using Cortland and I was pleasantly pleased with how well the lines cast.

[@FlyFishDan]

Finally, a video about fly lines that everyone can relate to and actually understand. When I finally get around to doing one myself, I’m just going to refer any viewer to this video - nicely done Ben! I’ve recently switched to Cortland and I’m pretty happy its performance.

[@robertlouis24]

@flyfishdan - could not agree with you more, and, as an aside, I love your channel…🙏…

[@kellyhope4065]

maybe I'll just go full punk rock rebel and run regular 12lb test on my fly pole to really piss off the elitists.. 🤔

[@FlyFishDan]

@@robertlouis24 Thank you , I appreciate that :))

[@CloudyWaterflies]

The FlyallSZN stupid and annoying reference was diabolical 👀👀

[@edwardmlotkiewicz2343]

Great video with suuccinct observations on lines and over/underlining. I've used Orvis (older and newer) , Rio , SA and Cortland lines and found Orvis and SA to be long-lived lines. I just had a 10 year-old 4 weight finally fail and still have SA lines for 5+years. My Cortland DT lines haven't failed after years of use. Rio lines are usually overweight and the tapers are mostly front-loaded , good for saltwater. Life span is about 3 years, even with cleaning after every trip and dressing them frequently. Thanks for the video.

[@opensourceanglers8291]

Yeah the matching rods to lines thing is a freaking nightmare. I got some old fiberglass rods from my dad (that part's awesome) and they are like a full weight (or more) different from some of my modern graphite rods. It's just really difficult to get rods and lines to match up perfectly since the standards you refer to are non-existent. It's really not that big a deal for dedicated flyfishers cuz we'll find a way to struggle through amd make something work but it's very unfriendly to people trying to get into fly fishing. On top of the ridiculous price of gear it just makes it seem like more and more of a exclusive & snobby pursuit to many who would otherwise really enjoy it. Anyway, great video as always!

[@thomastero4662]

I've heard the criticism of Rio not being durable but in my experience they've hung on pretty well. I have a 5 and a 6 on my primary trout reels and a bonefish line. Each has well over 30 days of fishing on them with no obvious sign of degradation. SA is also very good line.

[@andrewouimette5389]

Same experiences here, thanks Ben. I've exchanged a few Rio lines, because they were so great for a month, then the slickness would wear off, and actually shuddered in the guides occasionally. I started with the Orvis Pro textured with the H4F, loved it, but wore it out after 9mo fishing every day. Put an MPX on (1/2 heavy) and behaves as such, easier to cast closer, harder to ward off tailing loops at max D

[@rootriverrodco]

I kept watching for the pictures haha. Great information.

[@barry4fish]

Rio still has bad longevity reputation, but their newer slick-cast lines (introduced about 3 years ago) are totally different formula. They have too much memory when new, need to be stretched and broken in to smooth them out, but in my experience longevity is better than it was. Airflo lines are made with polyurethane (instead of PVC like most others) which is resistant to insect repellant (DEET), so nice to have a couple of those for certain situations. People forget that some rods just pair better with certain tapers and weights, I have several that cast better overlined by 1/2 to one size heavy - so for those, I need a half size heavy to load right, and for some of them, a full size heavy is too much. But I agree that aspect of fly lines have gotten ridiculous, but so have the rods gotten away from standards on power, etc. good video, thanks.

[@wayneparmley4711]

Agree! Well stated. We live in a world of too many choices for choice sake, look at beverages. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. More versatile, vs too specialized, how much gear does one want to drag along, 2 lines, 4 lines, 10 lines, 30 lines. But there are those gear dudes.

[@WhiteBuffalo032]

Left lane...hahaha. thank you!

[@leejavins9100]

Best fly line explanation.

[@richardhiggins7644]

Your my favorite dude to watch for fly fishing

[@bmares41]

So well presented! Your overall description and analysis of the lines were top notch. Thanks for being an ambassador to the simple man. You’re Huge!

[@rustyknott-W.D]

I'm hard on fly lines. For years I went down the rabbit hole of fly line selection. Tried a BUNCH of different ones and I've gone back to my first love, Cortland 444. I know what I'm getting and it performs well for me and that's all that matters. Great price point, too. Why shell out big bucks for lines when they all seem to degrade at the same rate? Fly lines are kind of like running shoes in that respect, but that's another rabbit hole.

[@jklavarta53]

I buy Maxcatch double taper for distance practice for my 5 weight and I surprised of the quality. So much more affordable than big brands. Getting a new fly line reminds me when I was a kid and getting a new pair of PF Flyers it’s the feeling.

[@timtollett8513]

I ALWAYS suggest to my clients to pair a 5 wt. rod with a 6 wt. line, unless of course they are fishing glass or cane, then stay with the recommended line size. Most of today's rods are built too damn stiff. They call them "fast action" but load them with a heavier line and they become a "moderate action" rod and are so much easier to fish! Especially for anglers fishing a few times a year. Great video!

[@ph1shstyx]

I picked up a couple of the WF airflo lines in their big sale last year and absolutely love how they cast but I also agree that "fast" action fly rods are definitely stiffer than a fast action rod from 10 years ago. When i'm looking for a new rod now I'm looking at medium fast rods for normal fishing, and glass for my small stream rods.

[@ronaldmcdonald3965]

I've had my 5 W SA fly line on my reel for 25 years. On my 25 year old Abel reel whose wooden handle just fell off Yeah, I have not fished too much But did fish a lot in 2024 and the line still performed well Did clean it and applied conditoner.

[@flyguy2021]

Something rough creates less friction than something smooth. Interesting physics principle.

[@DaddyT3T4]

Over many years of nerding out on casting and rods and lines, I've developed some exceptionally strong opinions about some of the topics discussed here. And in my opinion, the opinions Ben expresses here are pretty danged close to my own opinions. Well done, man.

[@Jeffwelch1440]

I just switched out a 6 weight fly line for a 6.5 line and my casts got significantly better/ longer. Love it.

[@jaynesjunction]

Good stuff - completely agree on too many options. Floating and sink rate should be the only two key core aspects. Too many options has also made it difficult to find a line that works well with your rod and your casting style.

[@thereallevel27]

I switched to a bankshot for my 8wt. Once I figured out the shooting instead of casting thing, it became my favorite setup

[@johnmadia5229]

Crushed it. Well done, Ben

[@bryanmorgan6217]

I have an Orvis Clearwater 6 wt 9 foot and found that SA 61/2 wf works well

[@sdaly]

Ben, without experience (read: conjecture), textured fly lines SHOULD float better. Think of a golf ball sitting on water, the divots don't touch so it should sit higher. Dirty wise, no idea, bet that depends on how good people are at cleaning often after.

[@carsonjewett3349]

I bought a redington crosswater 8 weight and put a SA bass bug line on it, which is 2 sizes overweighted. The rod crumbles over 50 feet

[@skiddyfishing]

I am a SA guy but won’t spend more than $80 on a line. Hasn’t deterred me yet. I have branched out to Moonlit Fly Fishing in Idaho too. Small company but their Intermediate line has landed som chunky trout on my 6wt!

[@Bulldoggy-v3c]

this was gold thank you so much bro ................champagne video mate :)

[@stevecall5744]

Surprised you didn’t mention double taper fly lines. Once the cost of a good trout line got to $100 I started using DT lines, so I can get double the use. Courtland DT lines are great. Also like SA lines. My experience with RIO lines is the same as yours - they don’t last. Yes, I’m one of those who can’t standing the sound of textured lines.

[@HugeFlyFisherman]

Surprised you didn’t watch the other video that I referenced where I talk about DT lines. Swish swish.

[@stevecall5744]

I’m sure I have watched it. Been a subscriber for years. But WTF I’m old. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

[@plugboot]

SA comments were spot on. I use Wulff triangle taper on 2 rods, and will continue prolly.

[@RandyYoungbuck]

U sold that beer about 4 sec in 😮

[@franksmethurst2199]

Ben, you rock overall. It's a big world out there and the lines you didnt know are where some amazing lines reside. All due respect to SA and Rio, but both Cortland and Airflo keep it pretty simple offering wise, and particularly the Airflos last far longer than everything.

[@wjb442]

Agree 100% Well-said Ben.

[@Comrade_Akimov]

Cool gloves!!

[@austinelliott2798]

I like SA too. I haven’t tried any Orvis branded lines.

[@mikea9365]

They're made by the same people. Same, Same

[@gnathman]

I try to clean my lines and apply dressing periodically. I don't know if it make them last longer or not but it seems to.

[@robbeason]

This was useful. Thanks.

[@ReelFishyGuy]

You fit a certain bill of fly angler😂 take that how you will. I can attest to SA fly line though. Great line, love using it. I’ll also agree rio line is good for about 5 trips then you notice it cracking and deteriorating

[@FishDR]

SA's headquarters is located in Midland, Michigan, along with Dow Chemical - where they source their raw materials. I wonder if orvis sources from Dow too..mhm

[@philipvankampen3394]

7:39 Welcome to North Carolina.

[@Mark-nd8eb]

Buy Cortland DT Peach 444 and call it a day.

[@richardfisher3656]

You just helped me a ton !!

[@Skip-n1c]

Great video Ben. The line review was very informative. Have you done any casting with a Skagit line setup. It seems to punch a lot of line out without to much effort. Especially the lower/ lighter weight lines.

[@stevey4192]

I like SA lines because they print right on the line what it is. I got tired of trying to figure out which line was which based on color -- trying to decide if a line was "ivory" or "cream," for instance, was annoying (to quote a famous fly fisher).

[@EE0971]

Hahaha! Love that you take shots at flyallszn. That guy is the worst. Great video.

[@connorlee7156]

I don't understand the hate on flyallszn

[@EE0971]

He’s king of the hot spotters.

[@JohnOravetz]

the heel was unexpected and disgusting. Great job!

[@gushertz2696]

Well done, Ben, and I hope some industry people watch this too. Been using the same fly line for 10-15 years, finally had to replace it - wow, was I in for a fun ride. I did laugh at the longevity piece. No, really 10-25 years, same three lines.

[@locomtn16a2]

100% agree that ALL flyline MFG suck as far as shopping online. Why the hell don’t they provide more information AND have better filtering options for searching? I just replaced fly line on 3 rods. I put a 5wt SA Anadro (1.5 times oversized) on a Orvis 9ft-5wt and holy cow! Perfect match for that rod and nymphing on the Juan! I got lucky on this one. It casts heavy nymph rigs and mends 1000X better than it did with the factory Clearwater line it came with! The other 2 rods did not see improved performance. NOTE TO ALL FLYLINE MANUFACTURERS……. YOUR WEBSITES SUCK. WE NEED MORE INFO!

[@skiddyfishing]

I laugh every time I see Fly All SZN in these videos 😂

[@PhilTerrano]

Some good points here about the line weight discrepancies and the ridiculous amount of line options. Both a result of fly industry marketing. People think they want faster and faster rods like they are sports cars. Faster just means stiffer, not smoother, and not more powerful. Just like overly specific fly lines- there is no rhyme or reason. I'd bet your leader has a lot more to do with how the fly turns over than the molecular structure of the line coating.

[@handyandqu]

Lol, the timing, Orvis is supposedly dropping their own branded lines going with SA branding from now on. Manchester store pretty much all switched over. They are from people I've spoken to at Orvis, materials wise technically the same, but the tapers were actually different. Orvis seems to be downsizing and stream lining with closing stores and letting go the magazine group and shutting down the one office building moving headquarters back (all 15miles) to Manchester. They are supposedly also letting fly section managers make region decisions on what flies to carry and other products so they should... Should actually be getting better at selections regionally and not locked into all being the same which is positive.

[@jasonsfishingagain312]

I had no idea Orvis owns Scientific Anglers. A few years ago I bought an Orvis line for a 5 weight, it was garbage and cracked after a few uses. On the flip side, the line I replaced it with was a 10+ year old Air-cel that still worked well enough, but the first few inches began to sink. Instead of just cutting it off, I decided to treat that reel to a new line. The Air-cel is now on a loaner rod and still fishing from time to time, the Orvis is sitting on a roll for some reason and a Rio Gold has replaced it, no issues yet. My most used rod is my 4 weight with one of those 180 dollar SA textured lines. I fish a lot, and I fully hope to get many years out of it. 🤷‍♂️

[@HugeFlyFisherman]

The $180 lines don’t come in 4 wt.

[@gzeppe4671]

I was wondering how much of cortland brand was dumping into marketing myself, they almost have me sold but i don't know. I bought an expensive fly line 3 years ago and I fish at least 30 times a year and I am still using the same line. I think its still working just fine... Still catching fish so I don't see why need to replace it.

[@DrRHThorndyke]

Highlights of this video - Ben dropping an epic amount of knowledge in less than 10 min and the hard cut to a picture of SpotBustAllSZN at 4:03! ☠️

[@jimholland1592]

Thanks😉☕️☕️

[@leewiren8404]

You know, if you’d just switch to Tenkara there’d be a whole lot less to complain about lol😂

[@rbleevi]

I love Scientific Angler and Rio lines, the Rio Golds been my go to for trout rods and held up amazingly. That said, every time you referred to Scientific Angler as SA got me like it was one of those predator vids with an aggressive Karen referring to certain assaults in an overly pc manner.

[@MikeMouradian]

Goodexplanation

[@desertflinger11]

LOL. Well explained.

[@waxknucklebearingjuice5592]

Fly fishing is already inaccessible to lots of people.

[@coreytohme9861]

Why are fly lines so long? I can only cast about 30 ft.

[@armysapper12b]

Same reason any fishing set up has excess line, fighting the fish. I have been to the backing a few times on big fish.

[@HugeFlyFisherman]

Corey if you don’t need the back end you can turn it into a cool bracelet.

[@coreytohme9861]

@@armysapper12b Sadly, I have only once seen my backing come out my rod tip.

[@coreytohme9861]

@@HugeFlyFisherman This is the suggestion I needed.

[@josephkrejci4574]

FlyAllSzn get rekt dork

[@jonh.1585]

😎

[@lheftw1376]

Hahaha overweight fly lines had me laughing like crazy with those fat hogs you put in the video 😝 😂

[@petevonschondorf4609]

I only wish I saw this a month ago. Cortland rules.

[@johnparrish5681]

I literally merged into the left lane at the exact moment Ben told me not to

[@GeckoTrekker]

I am going to interpret his statement as “don’t hang out in the left lane indefinitely, but you should use it for passing”

[@andrew_9732]

Is there any truth to the rumor that overweight lines are easier to cast in heavy wind?

[@bulvij81]

Ooooohhh my gosh! I am DYING!! When you said “Stupid and annoying!” And showed that kid/guy, I could not keep myself from spit my morning breakfast all over my work desk!! I cannot agree with you more about that guy. He is both of what you said…stupid and annoying! Hahaha!! I don’t mind Dallin his buddy, but he is stupid and annoying.

[@fishfoolishness4222]

Stupid and annoying and catches way more fish then any of us in a lot better places.

[@jameslim1310]

"That's what." - She

[@kirkstark3870]

Who was getting flipped off by the sore middle finger

[@yamati150]

Get off of my lawn!!! 😉

[@wildjohnack]

“Don’t drive in the left lane!” Reason #1 why you are glad you don’t live in MD anymore. 🤬🤬🤬

[@maxbigelow8805]

Be more like Joe

[@idaraz]

HAHAHAHHA left lane drivers....FOMO folks in subarus

[@shaneclark207]

I always appreciate the guy who makes a dumb comment on your videos and lets us know you're there reading them. And hats off to Kinco Gloves. And thanks for the intel. Good stuff. 👊🏼👍🏼🤙🏼

[@milehyandriver]

Hello my Monday morning porcelain throne friend.

[@davidpelo-w3g]

The sport would benefit from decades of being uncool. M/47/Cortland 444 DT 6wt