Bluegill Fly Rodders

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Comment by Marty Lemons on April 4, 2015 at 2:29pm

I stopped by my Orvis dealer yesterday and told him my fly line was 15 years old, and that Climax was always my favorite line.  He said that the Rio bass line WF was as close to the old Climax as any line out there and said it would work great for Panfish. The Climax would roll out as nicely as any line I ever used, as well as their leaders.

Comment by carl hendrix on April 4, 2015 at 1:38pm

David- im super easy to please on fly line myself- but i also know that if a line isnt ( right) it makes for a long bad day! the thing i am trying to get at is simple;; instead of buying a lot of different types of line to try out ( which can be costly) ;; does any body have a favorite type of line they prefer?  the RIO line- from what i have seen is kind of costly. so is many of the higher end lines;; some cost over a hundred bucks!   courtland makes a good descent line in 333 for around 36 dollars. courtland 444 is also good- at around 60 dollars i believe.  the scientific angler line i bought a few years ago-- i hated!! did not perform to my expectations  at all!!  and i was only roll casting short distances!  it could have been just that one line;; but i doubt if i ever have another one !!

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on April 4, 2015 at 1:00pm

Thought it was timely, seeing that ad after having this discussion.

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on April 4, 2015 at 12:59pm

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 4, 2015 at 11:09am

David, aka, "McScruff"
See Carl, I'm real easy to please.
With all the different lines out, there I reckon I can't test em all. So my attitude is to adapt to the line.
Then when I find one that works the way I prefer, I order a couple. Same with the rod... I'm about to buy another of my faves.
The reel is last in my list of worries.

Bear in mind, Im beating bluegill and bass with it; maybe the occasional other fish might leap in now and then. The reason why I focus on these fish is simple: They're not demanding and things that work for them are common - aka, inexpensive. For specialty uses, I'm sure my choices would be wholly inadequate.
So now that I've blabbered on,
If I was to answer your question as best I could (which ain't sayin much), Id name not one single line maker to go with, but two:

Scientific Angler
Cartland

And I wouldn't be afraid to try some of the house brands from BPS, Cabelas, Sportsmens Warehouse, etc. For the most part they are designed for a generic, wide range of uses.

See the problem is, YOUR gear in YOUR hands is a uniquely tuned system.. It's the same problem we all face. None of us are perfect casters, by the textbook. So it's impossible to create a single line that works the same for each. But you stand the best chance of a good match with a general purpose line....and I'm certain Cos is right.

There's probably only a handful of places around the world spinning this stuff out. A few here, a few there.
Odds are good each has a general use line that comes pretty close to the mark.

And for the record, WF all the way. I can tinker with leader and tippet if I want finery. My goal is to get the dang thing out there.
And oh dear, I blabbered again...

Comment by jim cosgrove on April 4, 2015 at 11:03am

i think you'll know a good line when you see it.bad line is stiff has memory .i bought the tfo 3wt combo from cabela a few years ago.it included a good wide arbor reel with drag line backing and rod.i really lucked out as they were out of the mid grade line that was included in the package,so they gave me some high end rio weight forward line.it is nice stuff but i would never pay 80 bucks for a fly line.i bought a modern glass 3 wt last year and bought some 30 dollar line and the same reel.the difference is not that noticeable to me.if i needed real distance for large saltwater fishing the high end line would be worth it if it gave me that extra 30 feet of distance needed.

Comment by carl hendrix on April 4, 2015 at 10:42am

hahahaa  yep David  i know I;ll get a lot of different answers;; but also-- we might be able to narrow down to some good - descent line to!!    i have tried those ( special buys) - hated them!  and a trade up to a few what i thought was good- turned out not to be not as good as i wanted!!  with fly lines pricey cost with some lines;; and to try to stay away from the ones that dont work well;; just thought if anyone had- or has a good line;; let us know!!   in fact-- i just bought a fly line- says it has low memory coil- stretch.  havent tried it yet hope to this week.

Comment by jim cosgrove on April 4, 2015 at 10:41am

there are dozens of brands of flylines but i doubt there are dozens of manufacturers.i suspect less than a dozen.same goes for hooks.mustad and several others are now made in china,i am now seeing good quality off brand hooks.some very high quality at prices that seem impossible.

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on April 4, 2015 at 10:21am

Should add that BPS has frequent sales on the White River lines; I think I paid $12 for a ST line so I could try and find out that I hate it (ST in general, nothing wrong with the line otherwise). 

Comment by Andy is OptiMystic on April 4, 2015 at 10:12am

Ray's comment has me wondering if I should try taking off a little of the taper on my beach combo. Like McScruff, I have been known to frequent the off brand aisle, especially since I have a BPS nearby. Their White River fly line comes in at least a couple of grades - Journeyman (~$30) is made in the USA and Hobbs Creek (~$20) is imported from another part of the world. I can't tell much difference and if I could they would happily take it back.

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