Godshall running lines are amazing. They last forever. Shoot well. Not very expensive. Hard to beat in my book.
Coated Running Line Crowd - solution?
- Thread starter Divad
- Start date
Dustin Chromers
Legend
I've tried a gauntlet of running lines. Mono, standard, revolutionary, flat, round, you name it. And I understand that many heads actually benefit from the friction a standard line provides in the guides to keep the loop open and traveling well without collapsing or the front passing the the back. So with all that in mind I have come to the conclusion that if I'm running a mono it's big game. I'm unceremonious in cutting it. I'm imprecise when spooling it up. It's cheap and i know how much I'll need by eye. For standard lines I like the airflo ridge. It floats well, doesn't tangle, and has that right friction in the guides to do what I need of it if I'm using it. Make no bones about it. If I can I'm using big game. It's cheap and works.
The running line off a Gaelforce spey line makes an excellent running line for heads.
Divad
Whitefish
I completely agree and in my case on this rod and shooting a compact head I need that friction. Much harder to get the head to roll over without that friction.
Seen the airflo line as I’ve been looking, I’d say it’s between that and the wulf. The local godshal lines still not counting out. Have to buy something this weekend before coast trip next week.
I'm of the mindset that if I'm just swinging flies, it's always mono. Stren catfish for me. But, I also enjoy stripping flies in which case a coated line (I'm not terribly picky there) is the way to go, or better yet, a steamer specific line, but they typically don't spey cast as well.
Dustin Chromers
Legend
I like the Wulff but have had issues with the loop and line being durable.
Divad
Whitefish
Have you ever used Airflo below 40 degrees, say 35ish? Mornings are usually still pretty cold and I think that’s what killed the pvc coating on my SA. Which is also the same coating on Wolff.
Edit: well bought the Airflo as it’s not pvc coated and the rep said it’ll just be slightly stiffer in sub 40. Not necessarily a bad thing.
Learned a lesson, I’m not a fan of the pvc coating for winter. I’ll take a little extra weight and as a backup have a spool of SA Flat Mono
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Dustin Chromers
Legend
Yes, airflo has held up well for winter steelhead at all temps. Seems to have great range. My favourite SA line was the dragontail. It had a taper before the head that smoothed out the loop on many of the early heads.
Matt Burke
Steelhead
I still use flat mono. I was cutting all that factory crap off. Make heads out of old line or buy heads. Cut everything and make new loop connectors and flat mono running/shooting line every year. Factory loops will break but I trust them for a couple years. I've watched many a head go flying downstream. I retrieved all garbage except one but someone else found it.
BNF861
Smolt
While not a coated running line, a line that may be of interested if you can find it is Airflo Miracle braid.
I’m not sure if it is discontinued or just hard to find but I found a couple spools a while back to give a try and like it. It is a mono braid that has a similar diameter to coated running lines so it is easier to hang onto than than mono but in my opinion shoots better than coated lines, has no coating to crack and I find it doesn’t coil very much like straight mono does.
I’m not sure if it is discontinued or just hard to find but I found a couple spools a while back to give a try and like it. It is a mono braid that has a similar diameter to coated running lines so it is easier to hang onto than than mono but in my opinion shoots better than coated lines, has no coating to crack and I find it doesn’t coil very much like straight mono does.
Paige
Wishing I was fishing the Sauk
I have some and yeah, its slick as fuck and you can't hold onto it to break off your fly if hung up!!
B
bennysbuddy
Guest
I'm slow to change I still use Slick shooter or Berkley big game for trout spey & scandi heads
Divad
Whitefish
No doubt I use mono (slick shooter) for my trout spey applications its a great running line on light duty applications. Cannot beat the diameter and slickness.
I like flat mono running lines ( ie: Slickhooter and Guideline Comp), as I believe they shoot better than round profile mono, or coated running line. I find any mono retains coils when it first comes off the reel, especially after long storage, but I always pre-stretch each 3' pull at the start of the fishing day. The thin, flat profile lines can tend to come out the side of an open-face reel between frame and spool, but I solve this problem with a dot of UV Knot-sense to narrow the gap on those reels.
Something to take note of as Herkileez mentioned. If you enjoy using mono you will need to stretch it before use. The smaller your reel arbor is the worse it will get. Simple fix, hook your flie to a tree and start walking until all your mono is out. Apply pressure slowly and evenly until its tight. Your good to go for a day's fishing.
Another trick which works exceptionally well with Varivas floating running lines is to soak them overnight. It softens the lines and they become more manageable especially if your shooting long lengths of mono over 100' for comp casting or just having fun with long lines.
Another trick which works exceptionally well with Varivas floating running lines is to soak them overnight. It softens the lines and they become more manageable especially if your shooting long lengths of mono over 100' for comp casting or just having fun with long lines.
At the start of my day, I strip out any running line I expect to use, 3' at a time, pulling tight while blocking the reel on my hip. This takes the coils out and it lays in big loops instead of tight coils.
I use coated running line. It goes far enough, it's easy to handle, and with the new non-stretch cores it seems to hold up.
There are occasional tangles when the loops in the water get roiled by a weird current but they are seldom and easier to untangle than a baitcaster backlash!
There are occasional tangles when the loops in the water get roiled by a weird current but they are seldom and easier to untangle than a baitcaster backlash!
Yep I actually thought the dragon tail concept was pretty cool. In my mind it comes down to personal preference. Use what you have or what your comfortable with. Speycasting evolves, experiment frequently and try new things, keep it fun. We are pretty lucky to live in a time when we have so many options.
I’m one of the ones that rave about it. Love the rubbery feel and the GSP is zero stretch.