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whats the best line used for pinks and src

4K views 42 replies 31 participants last post by  Peter Pancho 
#1 ·
Just curious what line to buy? I'll be running a 7wt 9' Sage fli.
 
#3 ·
You'll likely want a distance line/shooting head setup, like the Airflo 40+ or Rio Outbound. Many like an intermediate sink, or Striper/Clouser line, but I prefer a full floater for flies like the Leland's Miyawaki Popper and Roger Stephens' Floating Tube Sand Lance, but that's just me. I crave the surface takes. I'll carry a couple of Polyleaders if I want something subsurface. I recently picked up a 10' 7wt Fli and it rocks with the pre-Ridgeline 40+ 7wt and is really good with an older Outbound 6wt I have. Hope this helps.
 
#5 ·
When I got started I was advised to get a shooting head intermediate. It flat out rocks with a stripping basket...roll cast out the head, false cast, launch! I like the floating takes like Banzai...so I added a shooting head floater too. I have that type of setup on both my 6wt and 7wt rods that I use from the beach. Best of luck.
 
#9 ·
Well, this is a tough one for me, as I used a floater for years and never saw a reason to change -- until the day my fishing partner dredged up cutt after cutt while we were fishing from his boat.
Now, I carry a floater, a clear intermediate and and type 3 sinker. The clear intermediate is great because it doesn't bounce around on the surface as much as a floater. The line feels more sensitive, and the fly tracks a lot better on the retrieve.
Yet, I put on the floater when it's time to fish a Miyawaki Popper.
I carry the sinker as insurance for those days when the cutts are a little deeper and the current is a little faster....
Of course, it is crazy to carry three lines when a floater will work just fine 90 percent of the time. Then again, fishing for sea-run cutts is a crazy thing....
 
#10 ·
I use a switch rod but nearly the same setup could be used with a one-hander.

One reel, an extra spool and a wallet of 10' poly leaders and some tippet:

Spool 1 - Floating scandi shooting head used with clear floating or intermediate ployleader
Spool 2 - Clear intermediate integrated shooting taper (Outbound Short) used with intermediate or sinking poly leaders

If I was in a boat, I would include a sinking line (and a different rod).
 
#11 ·
If I was in a boat, I would include a sinking line (and a different rod).
iagree

I fish out of boat and always have two rods strung up. One rod has a full sinking line(subsurface patterns) and the other rod has a floating line(Rio Coldwater Clouser WF) for top water patterns. The Rio is a great floating line as it will easily turn over big bushy patterns. However, it would probably not be a good beach line as you need to "carry" quite a bit of line in the air to make long casts. From now until early Nov. it is my "go to" line for sea-run cutthroat and coho since I almost exclusively fish top water pattern during that period.

For pink salmon I use a full sinking line.

Roger
 
#12 ·
1) If you think you'll chase salmon more often than SRC, I'd go an intermediate integrated head line, like the Scientific Angler Streamer Express (the 250 for you), the Airflo 40+, or the Outbound. I believe you can get the Airflo with 2 different sink rates of intermediate head, and you can get the latter with a floating running line and an intermediate head, and an intermediate running line with an intermediate head.

These are all good lines, but I prefer the SA.

I'm not a fan of the Cortland Clear camo. To me, the integrated head lines are much, much better for fishing the salt.

The second line would be a floating line, either a standard WF line or an integrated head.


2) If you think you'll chase SRC's more often than salmon, then floating line first then the intermediate line.

A consideration: if you are budget minded, in lieu of the intermediate consider a standard sinking line, say a Type II. These lines will be less expensive than the integrated head lines. These lines cast really well, and are overlooked, much like old standard flies. They work, and work well, but they aren't the new cool thing.
 
#13 ·
Richard,
You are correct, there is a slow and fast intermediate in the Airflo 40+. I'd recommend the fast.

I've heard lots of good things about the new Outbound Short. It seems they've corrected the running line issue folks have complained about in the past. The new running line is thicker the the original Outbound. I haven't fished one yet, but I'll have one lined up by this summer.

If you have a multi-tip line already, that also will work. I fished for years with on and it worked well in the catching department.
 
#14 ·
I picked up a new outbound short, the new running line is a nice improvement. I never had much issue with the old running line, but I was pretty meticulous about stretching my line out when I would begin my days fishing.

I can't stand the airflo 40+, I ended up trading mine for another outbound. The connection between the running line and the head drove me nuts. I didn't like how it would turn over my flies to.

I think either one works great, just a matter of personal preference.
 
#15 ·
Like IBN says- it comes down to personal preference. I like the 40+ intermediate over the outbound. I have used them both and the outbound running line tangles too much for me with the way I cast. I have not tried the newer version of the outbound- it might be better.

I have a 6 wt FLI 9 ft- and like the 7 wt 40+ with that rod.

Mike
 
#16 ·
I like the 40+ line, I have a rio outbound right now and am not a fan. It seems to have cracking issues, the running will cut my finger after about ten casts and as was said already tangles a bit. From when I have used the 40+ I have been very impressed as it requires little false casting and bombs the line out... Just my 10 cents...
 
#18 ·
I have caught far more salmon (pink, silver, chinook) on my intermediate SA Streamer Express lines (6wt, 8wt) than any other fly line. It is a very solid choice. Give it one quick stretch and it will fish well all day long.

For surface action I use a Jim Teeny floating line the "Long Shot", and I've been pleased with it (casting slider patterns off the beach).

I mostly beach fish, and I always carry 2 rods with me during the north sound July-Oct salmon season. One rod has the Streamer Express with some type of baitfish pattern, and the other has a slider and a long leader. Things change on the beach very fast so I'll change up often depending on what the current and fish are doing.

Also, buy an Orvis or used LL-Bean hard plastic stripping basket with cones. It will make your casting much more efficient, and it's all about quickly putting the fly into the zone as often as possible.
 
#20 ·
h

I have caught far more salmon (pink, silver, chinook) on my intermediate SA Streamer Express lines (6wt, 8wt) than any other fly line. It is a very solid choice. Give it one quick stretch and it will fish well all day long.

For surface action I use a Jim Teeny floating line the "Long Shot", and I've been pleased with it (casting slider patterns off the beach).

I mostly beach fish, and I always carry 2 rods with me during the north sound July-Oct salmon season. One rod has the Streamer Express with some type of baitfish pattern, and the other has a slider and a long leader. Things change on the beach very fast so I'll change up often depending on what the current and fish are doing.

Also, buy an Orvis or used LL-Bean hard plastic stripping basket with cones. It will make your casting much more efficient, and it's all about quickly putting the fly into the zone as often as possible.
iagreeiagreeiagreeiagreeiagree

I like the Streamer Express the best of the integrated head lines. I wish SA made that line in a floating format, too . . .

The Outbound and 40+ are good, although I would prefer the latter of the two. Stonefish has one on his Redington CPS, and I bet his average cast is 15' farther with that line than with standard WF lines, and with 1/3 the work. Roll cast, water load, one false cast, and lob 'er out there, and he gets really good distances. Of course, he's a great fisherman and caster, which helps immensely.

Another buddy fishes Outbounds on his Winston BIIx's, and he bombs some nice casts. He swears that as his other regular WF lines wear out, they're all going to be replaced with Outbounds . . .

And, regarding a stripping basket; never leave home without it.
 
#21 ·
I just bought a new Outbound. It has a new, sinking running line and is much better with the tangling problem. It roll casts very easily and the new running line is nice and slick so it shoots out well. I had only one small tangle on the first day. It might be worth trying if you like the Outbound performance.
 
#22 ·
I have VERY limited experience with all of this, but I did pick up a RIO Outbound short and really love the way it shoots out there...I was getting way more distance than I've ever gotten with any other line. I did find that it did tangle a fair amount even after I stretched it before I started...but, it certainly casts a country mile.



any tips on solving the tangling problem?
 
#23 ·
:thumb::thumb:...I agree with Richard & Dimebright also! Love that SA intermediate...far better than my Outbound !

Jc :)
 
#24 ·
Quick question for those of you who love the Streamer Express. How is the clear head? I had a SA clear line two years ago (after they supposedly corrected the coiling issues) and it was the worst, most frustrating line I have ever cast. I stretched it hard and it still coiled bad. I can't see a slinky shooting very far no matter how good the running line is.
 
#25 ·
I’m with DimeBright Coach and Richard, I was a big fan of the Courtland clear intermediate when it first came out and used it for number of years but the line coils were frustrating, haven’t used the Rio so I can’t comment. Courtland has sense improved it but compared to the SA Streamer Express integrated line the SA line is hands down a tool well above what I have used in the past. If your not using integrated lines you are dealing with line connections snagging in the guides when retrieved to the beach or boat. I fish from a boat and to me its very important to fish the fly all the way back to within view. I don’t want a line connection hanging up in the guides every time I retrieve or set up for the next cast.
 
#26 ·
I love the 40+ by Airflo. I bought a used reel with a SA Streamer Express that was a year or two old and despite regular stretching (and putting a good pull into it) I still get a bit more tangling. Both make me feel like a casting champ even though I'm bombing out about 60' at best. I did just pick up an Outbound for a song and look forward to stringing that up and seeing if I can cast 62' with it. All of mine are integrated lines, so far I've only fished heads with running lines on my two handed experiments on some slimy rock rivers and beach casting tests.
 
#27 ·
Obviously there are a lot of opinions on which particular brand of line is the best. We carry all three, I fish all three and I think that the differences between them are mostly overstated.
Imagine you were on washingtontrucks.com. “What half ton pickup should I buy?” Chevy!!! Ford rocks!!! Dodge…
The point is that the Outbound, 40 plus and Streamer express all do basically the same thing. A floating line simply won’t do. I know that I’ve just offended a lot of Sea Run Cutthroat guys, but the original question had to do with “Pinks and SRC”. Say what you want about Cutthroat, but a sinking line will produce Salmon with much more consistency.
Anil
 
#28 ·
My personal order of importance in fly lines.
First-Intermediate: SA Streamer Express
Second-floater: SA Salmon Steelhead Taper or Teeny Longshot (a sleeper of a floating line that deserves more attention}.
Third- deep sinker; Teeny or SA fast-sinking Integrated head {for beaches like Lincoln Park that get pretty deep and you need to get the fly down a ways, or way down.
These three line types will, in various weights, will cover all the bases in the salt from Hartstene Island in South Puget Sound to Prince of Wales Island in SE Alaska.
Les
 
#29 ·
After using an Outbound then a StreamerExpress and now a Forty+, I'll rank them like this:
1- StreamerExpress. But the running line started cracking after two seasons and eventually broke.
2- Forty+. Love the feel of the running line but hate the splice to the intermediate head.
3- Outbound. OK line but I felt it tangled too much.
 
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