Anybody had a chance to form an opinion about the new Cortland Sylk fly line? Or how about the Precision line (the one that comes in "half weights")?

I'm considering lines for a 3 wt 7'6" Tiger Eye and an 4 wt 8' St. Croix Legend Ultra (the old kind), both with Fuji Alconites.

I understand the Sylk line is very supple and has a small diameter (all the better for those ceramic rings). On the other hand, I believe that the Tiger Eye CC's out at around a 3.8 and the StC LU at around 4.6 -- seems like a 3.5 and a 4.5 line Precision line would be great.

Any idea whether the Sylk line gets too limp unless very cold? Or about the overall quality of the Precision line?

As always, thanks in advance for the great advice.

I cannot offer any info on the lines you mention. I will say that it may take a few months before any reviews will be accurate on a new line as it takes time for problems to show up. Case in point is the new Orvis Wonderline Advantage. I was impressed with the early hype about this series until I read a review last week. A Pro Guide noted how the Floating lines had started to sink aftre a few outings. according to him the company had left out a critical coating during production. Granted that is just one review but, until I learn more and am convinced that the problem (if real) has been fixed, I willl be steering clear of Wonderline Advantage. So I suggest giving a new fly line some time before expecting a true evaluation. There aer plenty of tried and true fly lines out there..just make sure you are getting fresh stock.
Dave

I have used the orvis line and found it to be to Stiff. Held pig tails. The cortland 444 lazer line is nice The cort land 555 I think is also stiff.
I think the Half Line weights are unnessary

I also had a couple of floating Wonderlines that sank , the same explanation was given to me from the dealer . 3 different lines , same wt...........all didn't float, switched to a cheap 333. I just lined up an XXD that I'll give a whirl today . John

Got Fish ?

Hello,

People seem to love the sylk line for bamboo. It is thin and works well with a soft action.
Don't know anything about the other one.

Dave N

I haven't used the new Cortland lines, but don't happen to think a half weight is really needed. I use mostly med-fast rods and I don't think I'd like the supple Sylk line that much, but you might? I think if you know the distances you will be fishing at and the rod you will be using you can simply move up or down a line weight to make it all work. Buying extra lines to get more versatility out of one rod is cheaper than buying more rods, albeit not as much fun. I have resorted to using several lines on one rod, and it works fine once you overcome the mental fixation on the factory line rating for the rod. I use SA Supreme 2 lines, which I think are excellent lines for the money. I do a lot of spring creek fishing and don't much care for the ivory white or bright orange factory colors, so I dye the white line with RIT dye to produce light gray lines. The dye has never harmed the line and several of my lines are going on multiple years of use. Some may diagree with this, but with a little line maintenance it has worked for me.

I didn't notice my DT2 Sylk being particularly supple. The Sage Quiet taper seems softer. The Sylk didn't work very well on any of my graphites, but I am sure I will find a rod that it likes. The Rio Pocketwater easily outperformed it.