What do you use and recommend?
For pulling flies I still can't see beyond good old Maxima Ultra Green. Inexpensive and good elasticity and shock resistance which is essential when fishing loch style.
For everything else I have used Rio Powerflex for years. Great diameter to strength but not great elasticity and shock resistance which is not an issue for dry fly or nymph.
This last NZ trip we used Stroft which is as good as Rio but a fraction of the price. All Rio Products are now just silly price wise. Sod paying that!
Only issue I have with Stroft and Maxima is the gigantic spools. I've seen neater hose reels on fire engines.
What do you think?
Rio Powerflex Plus if I am using tapered leaders (although pricey!). But these days I mainly use a furled leader to a Riverge tippet and a single dry.
I used to be a fan of Frog Hair but then I had a "rotten" spool and I do not forgive easily!
Someone on here recommended Yo-Zuri hybrid which is cheap and OK but seems thick for its BS.
I use Pete Drennans float fishing line for my surface work 2kg breaking strain at 0.18mm dia it turns over nice too. I do have some tapered leaders, but rarely use one.
Maxima Chameleon hasn't let me down in 50+ years using it. I have used it from 2Lbs to 20Lbs. I haven't found any other that matches its knot strength and breaking strain. I prefer the stiffness compared to the Ultra Green which I find too soft for my style of fishing/casting. Each to their own though and just use what suits you.
I used Maxima Chameleon for years Sandy but was concerned it might be visible in very clear water. The stiffness is an advantage with 2 and 3 fly casts for sure.
For river work I use Stroft ABR for both dries and nymphs. Although I've been using the Cortland premium (fluorocarbon) on and off this current season. It is £50 per 100 yards. Ridiculous price I know...
Fit boats/hill lochs I use airflo G3 sight free in a range of breaking strains from
6-10lbs. That covers wets, lures, buzzers and nymphs. If using dries I fish Rio power flex in a range of sizes depending on likely size of fish I'll catch.
I have fished some very clear lochs and rivers with it, where you could stand and watch fish feet below you swimming about as if you were looking in a fish tank, and still caught fish. What I can't say is that I may have caught more fish if I was using something else 🤔
Quote from: Fishtales on May 02, 2023, 06:31:00 PMWhat I can't say is that I may have caught more fish if I was using something else 🤔
This is one of the great imponderables. John Cargill and I often fished together on the boat on Loch Beanie and had about the same success rate over time. One day in calmish conditions I fished Maxima Chameleon and John fluorocarbon. John did well, I could not buy a fish. Was it the Maxima Chameleon or depth / technique or something else? :)
I am mostly on Stroft ABR good value and reliable, and very rarely flouro. I wipe down with a home made sinkant "mud mix" with dries as well as a piece of cloth in a tub which has some Surfex HD dampened into it.
Just checked it's Stroft ABR have too.
I assume that stands for abrasion resistant?
I mostly use Maxima Ultra Green for wet fly fishing especially if I'm fishing from a boat, and either Preston Power Pro or Gigafish Ultra for dries or nymphs.
I tend to buy it by diameter rather than breaking strain and generally go for .20mm for the Maxima and .16mm to .18mm for the other two.
I use stroft abr for dries and for pulling flies now. Stopped using fluoro
Maxima for me, i am almost always fishing teams of wets, the stiffness helps reduce wind knots and kinks.
I also find it gives the right amount of stretch I am looking for.
You go with what you have confidence in I suppose.
Drennan sub—surface for me (I rarely fish dry).
Not so much tippet, I just fish one continuous long leader of drennan sub surface for both wets and drys.
On one hand I have heard many people claim that fish get spooked if they can see your leader. On the other hand, I have had fish rise to my flies when they have been snagged around my fly line.
There is a debate currently raging on 'another forum' about tippet choice, and specifically the age-old nylon versus fluorocarbon controversy. Personally I am very happy with Maxima Ultragreen if I'm fishing wets, and I feel confident enough to use it in 6lb or 8lb for lochs which hold grilse and sea trout. It's about matching the tippet diameter to fly size to optimize presentation, but also taking into account wind and wave. For dry fly on the river (when I'm typically after small wild brownies in moorland streams) I find Reflo Power is excellent. My mate who fishes with me in the Hebrides is a fluorocarbon fanatic, and it does seem to work well in the specific setting of the sea-pools when the water is really clear. On the other hand, I challenged him to a head-to-head when we were boat fishing in Lewis last year, and Ultragreen was the clear winner. Add to that a certain ghillie who has frequented this forum not allowing fluorocarbon in his boat, and I think I know what I will be using until I'm pushing up the daisies.
Quote from: johnesmithson on May 03, 2023, 07:02:16 PMThere is a debate currently raging on 'another forum' about tippet choice,.
The usual good natured, respectful exchanges we all came to love I expect. ;D
Stroft abr for me on rivers mostly between 0.10 and 0.14mm diameter. On lochs I use fulling mill flouro
After binning fluro many years ago, I'm back on it with Grand Max over the last couple of seasons.
Guy I sometimes fish with put me on it though he's probably moved onto something else by now.
Anyway, the stuff knots well, turns a fly over and been more consistent than Rio. Also no cheap.
At the moment, fishing with Fulling Mill Xtra Copolymer (old spools), Maxcatch Copolymer and Maxcatch Chameleon (both bought last year).
Quote from: stonepark on May 07, 2023, 02:56:38 PMAt the moment, fishing with Fulling Mill Xtra Copolymer (old spools), Maxcatch Copolymer and Maxcatch Chameleon (both bought last year).
It amuses me when I read that :) I am using reels of Maxima Chameleon that are forty or more years old :)
Quote from: Fishtales on May 07, 2023, 06:22:57 PMIt amuses me when I read that :) I am using reels of Maxima Chameleon that are forty or more years old :)
I would say "This is not your Grandad's Chameleon though......" ;)
If line is kept in reasonable conditions it will survive, somewhere I have a spool of silk line that was my grandfathers, must be on the way to being a 100 years old. Not too sure if it has any strength though it was for coarse fishing not fly fishing, something he never tried, he fished for 80 years and passed aged 92, a record I would like to equal.
Currently on Fulling Mill tippet but don't really feel it's hugely better than Drennan or Maxima for that matter - maybe I just don't fish at a high enough level. :)
Oh dear, it's humble pie time. Having extolled the virtues of Maxima Ultragreen a few posts ago I have just been properly outfished by my mate on a very clear machair lough on the west coast of Ireland. He landed a succession of lovely brownies of a pound or more, while trout after trout rose to my flies but then veered off at the last moment or failed to take properly. Everything about our setup was the same apart from tippet material. As soon as I switched to Grand Max the problem was solved. It was as clear a demonstration as could be of the advantage of certain leader material in specific conditions. He has now written 'Do Not Ever Use Again' in indelible ink on all of my newly acquired nylon spools.....
Quotehe has now written 'Do Not Ever Use Again' in indelible ink on all of my newly acquired nylon spools.....
So what will you be using when you come up here later this year :-X
Arawa mentioned YoZuri earlier, it was Gordon who was suggesting that a while ago, not sure if he still uses it or not, not easy stuff to source.
Aha JM, that is the million dollar question! Despite my recent observations, I would be loathe to fish fluorocarbon for migratories in lochs because I don't like the idea of breaking off in a hard won and precious fish which needs to be returned. Touching wood, I have never broken off on a sea trout or salmon when fishing Maxima, but have seen it happen more than once to other people using fluorocarbon. So I think it's horses for courses.