Testing a prototype fly-Line

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Clear intermediate lines are designed to fish shallow water or to present flies a few feet below the surface, especially when imitating damselfly and mayfly nymphs clear intermediates are  worth their weight in gold.


I was recently approached to test a new intermediate fly-line under development for Scientific Anglers. As someone who always likes to experiment and try new and different things on the water I naturally jumped at the opportunity. This new fly-line is being developed to cast a little further and, more importantly, to have less memory.


In cold weather (air temperature less than 8C and water less than 5C) clear intermediate fly-lines are notorious for having memory in cold weather. This memory is seen as the line coiling up from being wrapped around the reel. These coils results in a line that twists on itself, a nuisance when casting, and a line that does not lay out straight in the water. Therefore developing a line without this problem is a big step in the right direction.


I tested this line with unweighted mayfly and damselfly nymphs this past spring. This line was very effective presenting flies in about 10-feet of water. Based on its sinking rate I would rate it as a Type 1.5 line. This line also allows for some long casts with very little effort. I was able to get consistently an extra 15-feet compared to my other intermediate lines. Now some will be critical about this, as they will point out that fly-fishing is not about making long casts. The simple answer: a fly that spends more time in the water catches more fish than a fly in the air.


I received the line when water temperatures were already above 10C, so I was not able to test the most important feature: lack of memory in cold weather. Check back again in the Fall for a report on this.


Note: my previous experience with clear intermediate lines includes earlier Scientific Anglers lines, Cortland and Rio lines.