Bluegill Fly Rodders

Comment

Comment by Leo Nguyen on November 19, 2014 at 1:01pm

Dick, the slick 50 stuff is called 303 Aerospace Protectant (the original). There are a few reformulation for different things, but the original is used primarily in the marine environment. The company also reformulated the original with a more powerful recoating UV agent this year. Once I use mine up, I'll order another gallon of the new reformulated marine's protectant. Crazy stuff.

Ray, whether it's freshwater or saltwater, after usages, clean and recoat. Why? if you believe warm freshwater is not as bad as saltwater, you're in for a big..big..surprise.

Comment by Ray Ditzenberger on November 19, 2014 at 12:56pm

I currently have 2 lines in service that are well over 20 years old. The one has seen very little service and has bee kept in storage loaded on a reel. The other is a 5wt and has seen a lot of service. It is a WF and the tip end got cut about 4 or 5' from the tip. I cut it off just above the cut and made a new loop in the end and she still works just fine. Actually I think I like it better now. Both lines are old SA lines. I also had a 9wt about the same age that I retired a couple of years ago since it was cracked all up and down the line. I fished it that way for over a month and it still worked pretty well as far as I could tell.

Yes, I would like to try the slick 50 to see if it will help these 2 old lines shoot better and I also have a real cheap 6wt that I would like to try it on. I may try it on some other lines as well. I seldom clean my warm water lines since the water I fish is quite clear. My salt water lines get cleaned after each use.

Comment by Richard Allen Rupp on November 19, 2014 at 12:53pm

Sorry about the auto correct guys.

My last comment is, whimever said it is right, buy the set you can afford.

And for all but 7% of us, a weight forward is the way to go.

Comment by dick tabbert on November 19, 2014 at 12:52pm

Leo, Carl calls it slick 50 but what is the actual name of it. I got some from Carl haven't used any yet mainly cause I have to retie everything I suck at fly knot tying.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on November 19, 2014 at 12:43pm

Mark nailed it. I used wf5f high end on a 5wt rod, only max out at 50ft. Put in the cheapy wf4f on a 5wt rod, and again that extra 7ft without the slick stuff, and 11ft with the slick stuff. Haven't try with the wf3f lines on the 5wt rod yet. May need to.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on November 19, 2014 at 12:38pm

David, Ray, if you want to give Cal's slick 'em, or slick 50, or "slip the bikini off real fast" protectant a try, let one of us know.

I've tested the specs on the solution on most front, primarily brutal conditions, and so far, I'm extremely please. I've used both on the rookie's fly rod combos, to the old and excellent combo, and will be testing it on the 3wt or 2wt combo soon (Christmas present..maybe?), the gain for further cast even by the rookies can be observed.

Comment by Mark Stine on November 19, 2014 at 12:34pm

I do ok with some pretty cheap fly lines, while I have a couple in the $70 dollar range I don't see a big difference from the ones in the $25 dollar range.  what does seem to make a big difference is matching the weight of the line to the rod and being familiar enough with your rod to know if you need to go up or down a weight to get the best performance.  Recently I took a high dollar wf7f off a 7 wt rod and replaced it with a dt8f and booyah!! ten more feet and a lot less wear and tear on my casting arm.  oh and I use loop connections too.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on November 19, 2014 at 12:31pm

Great stuff here!
Ditzy - I'm with you

Leo - you ARE a mad scientist!

Comment by Leo Nguyen on November 19, 2014 at 12:10pm

The line memory is more of an issue with lighter weight lines, similar to mono. I believe this is where I can see higher end proprietary formulated lines will be beneficial..but man, $60 to $80 for the line?

For the lines that are not being used, dress them up with your best dressing, and put them away in an airtight and vacuumed container. A bit drastic, but the the company's specs to increase/preserve the lines at their highest peak and longevity (25 years without exposure to UV and kept in cool dark place) is through this method.

Comment by Ray Ditzenberger on November 19, 2014 at 12:07pm

I forgot to mention that I do find that the more expensive lines do 'shoot' better. Some of the cheap lines will hardly 'shoot' at all. Shooting line is only really needed on long casts. I mostly use the loop to loop connection between leader and fly line. Easy to do and quick change. I also use loop to loop connection between the furled leader and tippet. Again easy and quick. I don't like messing with tackle while fishing. I want my fly in the water.

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