Fly Line ?'s

[Dylan33]

Hey guys- forgive my ignorance, and my rambling post...

I fly fished a bit 10-15 years ago, with a cheapy starter set-up until it was stolen out of my garage....anyway, since then I've always been looking at getting back into it, but because I just don't get out much anymore with 2 little kids at home, and when I do, I usually bass fish, I could never justify spending any money to get started.

Well, I just inherited a fly rod from my grandpa (nothing great, but it has a good feel to me), and i picked up a cheap redington reel from hsolist for a great price. Now i need to put line on this thing, and have a horribly stupid question...Does the line REALLY matter that much? I'll fish panfish and bass. Prices for line can vary greatly and I'm just curious if it will really make that big of a difference.

Thanks

[mainbutter]

For panfish and bass, IMO no line does not make a huge difference. You don't need a soft presentation, you don't need a graceful cast, and you don't need to be able to get 100 feet of line out.

Getting the right weight line to pair up with a rod is important, but sometimes difficult on inherited rods.

Have fun catching fish, there is no more productive way to catch panfish than small nymphs that SLOOOWLY sink, and there is no more FUN way to catch panfish than on a popper or dry fly

If I was in the market for buying a new fly line in 4-8wt, I'd hit up the fly tyer's dungeon and buy the "bull frog" line sold there. Under $20 and will definitely cast flies and catch fish.. it's just a simple and basic weight-forward floating fly line. Heck for just about anything fly-fishing related other than rods, FTD has some of the best prices around.

[ted4887]

You'll probably see a lot of different opinions on this matter. IMO, yes, fly line does make a difference. The more expensive lines, in most cases, will shoot further, last longer, have less memory, and float higher in the case of WF lines.

It also depends on what you're throwing though. Some bass flies can get rather large and heavy, making a line that will turn those over well all the more important. For instance, I've taken a liking to Scientific Anglers Magnum Textured line. It's got a heavy head, making it easy to sling and turn over bigger flies. It's a line that prices out at about $80. For trout and panfish rods, I really like Rio Gold (~$80). However, there are plenty of really great lines for very little money. Cabelas lines for instance, cheap and will do the job just as intended.

[itchmesir]

I bought $10 fly line 2 weeks ago.. thursday it broke.. i got home.. emailed them.. they are sending me another line.. no questions asked.. didn't even have to hassle with sending it back(like the big boys make you do).. and i sh!t you not.. its some of the best fly line i've cast.. has very little memory... So is it a sign that it broke in 2 weeks make it crappie line or does their customer service justify the price either way?