New "4th Generation" Sharkskin Fly Line

[jack]

Got a new WF7F Steelhead Taper SA Sharkskin line to try as a general purpose line for my WW 1134 Trout Spey. Just got it spooled and took it out to lawn cast and feel it out. I want to use it on bigger water(Like the Columbia River at Castlegar) for long leader (20-25') weighted nymphs and buggers, as well as dries in July, using two-hand and single-hand spey casting methods.

Now, I have always like the concept of Sharkskin, but at first, had to ignore the "ziiiiip, ziiip" of my single-hand 5wt floater line, sort of lived with the low profile on the water, loved the "flexed like a string" even in almost freezing water. BUT this new one is a pure rocket, quiet, flexing like a string in freezing air temps and two-hand speys with 25' of leader and a weighted fly like it just isn't there. Water test on the Columbia at Easter. Will advise.

j

[Taco]

And double the price no doubt

[jack]

First thing I looked at was the pricing on the website. Same. I am thinking that at some point the price should ease a bit, with the Canuckbuck and Yanquidollar being close to par.

j

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

when they are done "tweaking" it i might give it a try....

[headscan]

Did they tweak the part that tears your fingers up when stripping streamers? I think it's fine as a dry fly line but I'll never use it on a spey rod again.

[jack]

Did they tweak the part that tears your fingers up when stripping streamers? I think it's fine as a dry fly line but I'll never use it on a spey rod again.

 

The very first lines that came out a couple of years ago were pretty raspy, alright. Although, even in ice cold still water, when the lake surface was freezing over, I never experienced the alleged "finger-cutting".

This new line has much less pronounced dimples on it, but then so does my "old line" that I still use for stillwaters. I'll be stripping streamers on the Columbia at Easter so that should produce some similar conditions.

I was never convinced about the rationale behind "premium-priced" fly lines, but, after having the opportunity to use many types and brands of lines over the past five years, I am sort of "semi-convinced" that these ungodly-priced lines do last and do provide much better ongoing performance than some of the other lines that are "out there".

Every spring, a friend and I swap "test lines" that we have received from manufacturers at the fishing shows over the winter, so we compare notes on different stuff. As much as he dislikes the Sharkskin "zip,zip" noise, (he's into the quiet, stillwater meditation thing), he does admit they last a helluva lot longer than anything else and during open water season he is out most days, as well as hitting a local open river on most warm winter days.

 

j(dedicating himself to "research". )