Scientific Anglers recently released a new series of clear floating and intermediate tropical fly lines: "Magnitude". An earlier thread discussed the high cost of these lines ~$180 each. I recently purchased two of these lines and fished with the "SA Magnitude Bonefish Plus Clear 10 foot Float WF9F" for a week on the flats. Some thoughts are summarized below for those who are curious about these new clear fly lines:
1) It cast nicely in close and at distance
2) It handled a breeze easily
3) The 10 foot clear head did not yellow or fog, despite being pulled through coral heads by dozens of bonefish, trevally, emperors, and a Indo-Pacific permit.
4) The clear head did not coil, nor did the running line.
5) After a week, the running line did tangle at times from twisting behind me in current as I walked the flats. Cleaning the line and carrying the line in coils helped.
6) It is a very good bonefish fly line, 50 foot taper. However, it does land a bit heavy if you don't allow the loop to unfold above the target zone.
7) A 12 to 13 foot leader is still required to target spooky bonefish and permit, despite the 10' clear head.
8) The 10' clear head made landing the fly close to a permit more challenging. It was harder to watch the loop unfold and spot the fly landing (especially with a long permit leader).
9) The 10' clear head was not a critical advantage to catch bonefish, and may have been a disadvantage to presenting a fly close into spooky permit. This was all wade fishing, not from a boat.
10) I fished just as well, if not better, when I switched over to my "Cortland Bonefish Tropical Plus Series WF9F" fly line. This nonclear bonefish line landed a bit softer and it was easy for me to watch my loop unfold for more accurate casts close into spooky bonefish and permit.
Overall, I like the new Magnitude fly line series. The clear tips are better than prior attempts. There are times when a clear tip is helpful to fool spooky flats fish (less line shadow), but the angler must be very good at seeing the loop and fly during the cast. I'm looking forward to using the "Magnitude Grand Slam 1O' Clear Float WF9F" fly line for juvenile tarpon and Atlantic permit (fishing from a boat) sometime in the future.
1) It cast nicely in close and at distance
2) It handled a breeze easily
3) The 10 foot clear head did not yellow or fog, despite being pulled through coral heads by dozens of bonefish, trevally, emperors, and a Indo-Pacific permit.
4) The clear head did not coil, nor did the running line.
5) After a week, the running line did tangle at times from twisting behind me in current as I walked the flats. Cleaning the line and carrying the line in coils helped.
6) It is a very good bonefish fly line, 50 foot taper. However, it does land a bit heavy if you don't allow the loop to unfold above the target zone.
7) A 12 to 13 foot leader is still required to target spooky bonefish and permit, despite the 10' clear head.
8) The 10' clear head made landing the fly close to a permit more challenging. It was harder to watch the loop unfold and spot the fly landing (especially with a long permit leader).
9) The 10' clear head was not a critical advantage to catch bonefish, and may have been a disadvantage to presenting a fly close into spooky permit. This was all wade fishing, not from a boat.
10) I fished just as well, if not better, when I switched over to my "Cortland Bonefish Tropical Plus Series WF9F" fly line. This nonclear bonefish line landed a bit softer and it was easy for me to watch my loop unfold for more accurate casts close into spooky bonefish and permit.
Overall, I like the new Magnitude fly line series. The clear tips are better than prior attempts. There are times when a clear tip is helpful to fool spooky flats fish (less line shadow), but the angler must be very good at seeing the loop and fly during the cast. I'm looking forward to using the "Magnitude Grand Slam 1O' Clear Float WF9F" fly line for juvenile tarpon and Atlantic permit (fishing from a boat) sometime in the future.
