If you already fly fish, you probably know how important fly line is. To me, all fly line is most certainly not the same! Personally, I am willing to spend quite the penny on a good fly line. Now, that’s not to say that I have always been this way. When I first began fly fishing, I purchased what I thought was a really nice fly line. When learning how to cast my fly rod, I felt that I could not cast as far as fellow fisherman. It looked so easy for them, and I struggled for quite a while on getting my fly further than 4 feet in front of me. If I am being completely honest, this almost made me give up on fly fishing. Through all the trial and error and with the help of experienced fly anglers, I realized that the reason for my struggle was my fly line.
As you may know if you have read my previous articles, I love using slow action glass rods. With slow action rods, and especially glass, it can be really hard to get a fly out a good ways. I have been struggling with being able to cast far on my 7wt glass rod, and so I looked into getting a new fly line. I like to use my 7wt when I am casting big flies to big fish, or when I know I will need to be casting far distances. I did my research and found the Scientific Angler’s Anadro fly line. I am going to just come out and say it- this fly line has changed the game for me!
I would like to add that because I use such slow action glass rods, I like to underweight my fly line. This is just my personal preference and what I have found works best for me. I have a 7wt rod, so I chose the 6wt line. I also use this in moderate to cold climates- so basically when I am trout fishing.
The taper on this fly line is absolute perfection. While I was loading my reel with this line, I took note of the taper and was truly amazed at how flawlessly it tapered from beginning to end. The very tip of the fly line has Sharkskin texturing to allow for supreme flotation. Also, the line has texture throughout, to allow me to make longer casts. I especially appreciate the texture because the whole reason for wanting a new line was so that I could cast further! Along with this, I noticed when using this fly line that I am able to turn over larger flies better than before. With my previous line, I had some trouble casting heaver, larger flies but this line allows me to chunk those flies further than ever!
The only thing that I could go without on this fly line is how loud it is gliding through my guides. Although this is a con, I would not change anything about the fly line to eliminate this because the reasoning behind the noise is because of the texture of the fly line. The reason my previous fly line did not make sound coming through the guides is because it was smooth and did not have texture to it. A reason for this fly line being so great is the texture on the outside of the line, and so I would rather deal with the noise than not have the amazing texture that allows the line to shoot like it does.
In conclusion, the Scientific Anglers Shakwave Anadro fly line is the ultimate fly line for me. I truly love everything that this fly line has to offer from taper to texture, and it really allowed me to enjoy using my 7wt more now that I am able to throw huge flies and cast all the way across the river.
