I am a line junky. I live to know that I have the best line for the situation that I am in. There is one line that I absolutely love to f...
I am a line junky. I live to know that I have the best line for the situation that I am in. There is one line that I absolutely love to fish out of all of the lines that I have, and I have a storage bin choked full of lines.
Rio’s new LightLine is the best line I have come across for
presenting dry flies. Now I have to get
into some details here. Not all lines
work well on all rods or for all scenarios. Lets start where I would not fish this line.
The first is big water from a boat. Take the Madison or South Fork Snake or Clark
Fork. Those are big rivers. I would prefer a heavier line to pick up a
fly quickly and smack it into the bank.
A delicate, accurate presentation is not as important as being able to
get the fly near that thing like right now! Get out of the boat to work a riffle, give me the LightLine!!!
 |
| It's a little windy in our hometown here! |
Another scenario in which I don’t like this line is in heavy
wind. Heck, I don’t really like fishing at all in heavy wind, but here in the Columbia River Gorge, we don’t get much of a
choice about fishing in the wind if we want to fish at all. Steady, 30+ mph winds are common as the kite boarders
and windsurfers we can see from the shop here will attest to. I would prefer a heavier line and rod for
pushing through the big gusts that keep me cursing like a sailor.
A third scenario where the Light Line is not ideal is
matching it with that ultra-fast rod that you just bought. Matching a rod with the right line makes all
the difference in the world. You wouldn’t
put mud tires on a sports car, even if they are both the best on the market. Matching a line to the rod is critical. It can make or break your fishing
experience. The best rod on the market
will feel dead with the wrong line, but your $30 garage sale rod can bring
you great joy if you get a good line on it.
Hint: that line may cost you three
times what the rod did, but it will mean the difference between becoming an
avid fly angler and hanging it up because you never “got” your cast to work.
So where do I like this line? Why is it so great? I love it when I can present smaller dry
flies on smaller rivers and creeks. It
is really easy to cast, feels light and presents the most delicate of flies
accurately to picky fish without having to push your rod at all. That day that I can show up to the creek with a rod, a bottle of Gink and a handful of dry flies in the brim of my hat is my ideal day of fishing.
I have a bunch of lines,reels and rods, and this line is by far my
favorite. But it only excels when matched with medium or slow action rods. I have it matched up with a Redington ClassicTrout 8’ 4wt. It works great with my
Winston Boron IIIx, but it does not fish well on the faster action Sage that I
have. In fact, I was disappointed with
the line and the rod when I tried them together, but once I loaded that Sage up
with a heavier line it started to grow on me. I have tried it on glass rods (love it) and even had a go with it on a Sweetgrass Bamboo rod (saving my pennies for that rod).
Nymphing with the LightLine is possible, but there are
better lines for that. Even larger
dries like Chubby Chernobyls and hoppers are not as easy to fish with this
line as others. When I tie on that #16 Parachute Adams, my rod sings and connects
with the river exactly as I want. If I even think that I might have to throw a nymph, I am choosing a different set up.
There are lines that will perform better in multiple
scenarios. The Rio Grand is a great all around line for the fastest rods and especially for beginners with fast rods. It is so heavy that it practically casts itself. The Rio Gold is less aggressive, but it is still a great all
around line. Both of those lines do just fine with nymphs, large and
small dries, and can even huck a streamer a mile.
But the LightLine kicks butt when it comes to dry fly presentation with moderate action rods,
and that is how and where I love to fish.
~Andrew Perrault
Big Y Fly Company
