Tarp Man
12-09-2012, 09:25 AM
This year I had the opportunity and took a chance and tried out a new line, the Scientific Angler Mastery Series Textured Trout Taper in a 4wt designation. Caveat Emptor: it was a demo line, not purchased. I will attempt to remain factual and not go completely cross eyed in the face of new technology.
Skill of Caster (myself): moderate
Locations used: stillwater fisheries in the BC Cariboo and Fraser Valley, small creek fisheries in the Cariboo and Fraser Valley
Number of Days used: 20
Conditions used in: Air temperatures between 10-30 degrees C, windy, sunny, rainy. Water Temps between 55-69 degrees F.
Rods used: Scott E2 9'0" 4 piece 4wt, Sage Launch 8'6" 4 piece 3wt, Scott V2 9'0" 4 piece 5wt.
Reel used: Redington Crosswater 4/5/6
I planned to use it on my only 4wt, a 4 piece, fast action 9'0" Scott E2. I realized going in that this particular rod would probably perform better with a 5wt line with a taper like this, or a "line weight plus" and I was proven correct. But back to the line. Casting it with this fast action rod required a larger portion of the line out of the guides to get the rod loading, given the gradual taper of the head. I preferred to fish it with a tapered leader of the standard 8-12 feet in a 4x, 5x, and 6x factory tapered leader setup. I also cut off the loop off the head of the line. In my opinion, a delicate taper like this doesn't need a loop connection as it is designed for stealth and delicacy of presentation. A simple, clean nail knot did the trick.
First impressions were cautiously optimistic. As it said on the box, the line taper was designed for placing dries at specific targets at a range of distances with delicate accuracy. Or something to that effect. I found that this was accurate, and that once the line was test cast a few times with a variety of flies, both weighted and not, it really started to show its strength. I began fishing it in the Cariboo spring, which is to say, nearly the start of summer for most of the forum members! I fished it with an indicator and chronomids/leeches, and while not ideal, the taper did turn over the setup reasonably well, out to distances of about 45ft. Past that, the taper was too delicate to wrangle all that hardware. Turning over a typical leader and tippet with a fly sized smaller than a #8 was no problem out past 60ft if I did my part. The taper lend itself well to fishing lightly weighted nymphs and soft hackles and subtle presentations. My favorite use for this line was fishing lightly weighted or unweighted nymphs in sizes 10-14 on a tapered leader between 7-10' in length. In this format it excelled, turning over the leader, tipped and fly with ease. Once the leader extended past 12ft, the fly needed to be unweighted and size 14 or smaller to turn over with consistency, based on my casting skill (or lack thereof).
With the colder temperatures I first used the line in (immediately after ice off), the line did not turn into a "slinky". It laid out well, floated high and dry (as a new floating line should), and picked up off the water with ease. Casting in windy conditions was a bit trickier as the taper is not designed for this, but with slight adjustments to keep loops tight, it punched through the wind passably. I also found that casting this line in a side arm style was effective, given the weight of the head was balanced over a longer length, vs a shorter, heavier tapered head.
Over the length of the season, I found that the line kept its floating properties longer and more effectively with no proper line care, than comparable lines I have used in the recent past. I also found it fouled less on itself. I would attribute this to the textured coating preventing the friction that can cause other lines to "stick" to itself in a coil on the casting platform floor. I found that the line developed minimal memory, being kept on a mid arbour reel between fishing trips.
Once I gained a basic performance baseline, I decided to try the line out on a couple medium action rods. For this I chose a Sage Launch 3wt, in the 8'6" 4 piece format, and a Scott V2 9'0" 4 piece 5wt. I have fished both these rods for several years and with a number of different lines, so I was quite curious how they would deal with the Textured Trout Taper. First the 3wt.
Sage characterized this rod as a medium action, and I had paired it with a Rio Selective Trout II 3wt line, specifically for targeting wild rainbows in the Skagit River. Once I adjusted for the more relaxed pace of this rod compared with the E2 4wt, the Trout Taper was right at home on this type of rod, even being a line weight too heavy. I fished this rod and line combo for several days on a couple local lakes targeting trout with unweighted nymphs and larger dry flies. I know from past experience, this rod will run out of power to put out too much line past 40ft. With the Trout Taper line, I was consistently laying out 50ft of line with little difficulty. Using a properly timed double haul cast, the line sailed out to 60ft with regularity. I would say this is due to the generally firmer feel of the line and low perceived friction, despite being quite supple. Fishing the line in close during a caddis hatch was just as easy. I was able to place size 10, 12, and 14 caddis dry flies without fuss or difficulty, in distances from 20-50 ft. I feel this was due to the gradual, balanced taper. Based on my past experience with this rod, I would say the Trout Taper showed its versatility in balancing well with a lighter, medium action rod.
As for the 5wt Scott rod, I have fished this rod since 2004, as my primary rod for anything other than floating line fishing for trout under 12". I have paired it primarily with Rio lines, based on the advice of my local flyshop. I have used the Rio Gold floating line, Mainstream floating, sink tip, and clear lines. I have also used a borrowed Airflo Tactical Ridge floating line. I felt that with its medium action, it would lend itself to the long taper of the SA Trout Taper, and really be able to send the line out to the limits of my casting range. I fished this rod and line combination on several different occasions. The end result was changing all my floating lines over from Rio products into the SA Mastery Textured floating lines. With the line being a weight lighter than the rod, it did require a longer length of line out before the rod really loaded properly and cast the line as it should. Once I determined the correct amount of line out of the guides, I found this line really was able to do all that it had with the 3wt, at even longer distances. The loop stability in the air was far better than with the prior line used on this rod, a Rio Gold 5wt. I also found that with the line weight below the rod, I was able to roll cast the line and mend the line with far more actual line out on the water (again, likely due to the line being controlled by a more "powerful" rod than initially designed for). The particular event that sold me on this line design and this particular taper was a specific caddis hatch that I hit, where the fish were sight feeding to caddis hatching in 4-7ft of gin-clear water. It quickly became obvious that these fish were "spooky", and would evacuate the shoal if you blew a cast and bombed a pattern down on top of them. With the 4wt Trout Taper on the 5wt rod, I was able to precisely and delicately set out a size 12 caddis dry fly out to distances of 50 and 60 ft with enough finesse to fool many trout that day. To this day, I doubt I would have been able to reach out as far and with the same level of stealth with my prior line. I also found that when a little less finesse was required, I could send out 70ft casts with a rod I had not ever been able to do that with before. I attribute this to the shoot-ability of the line, and low friction of the coating.
In regards to the "textured" technology, I found that over a season of use, the line picked up less residue from dirty waters, floated higher on the surface than a comparable, new line. I also found that when cleaning the line at the end of the season, it showed less wear and tear than the comparable line I used beside it during the same amount of fishing time. I also found it to "shoot" much easier than other lines, on the 3wt, 4wt, and 5wt rods I tested it on. I was not put off by the increased noise of the line running through the guides, nor did I find any "wear" issues on the guides or rod from the textured surface. I consider myself to cast more than necessary, for no other reason than the enjoyment of seeing a good cast lay down on the water, so there may have only been 20 days of testing, but rest assured, there was a lot of casting going on!
For its intended application, the Scientific Anglers Mastery Textured Trout Taper worked better than other comparable lines I have used in similar circumstances (Rio Gold, Rio Selective Trout II, Rio Mainstream Floating, Sage Quiet Taper) by a large margin. I felt strongly enough to go out and pay full price to invest in a proper 5wt SA Mastery Textured GPX floating line for my 5wt rod to replace the Rio Gold I was using prior to this. As for the Rio Selective Trout II 3wt line? That was replaced with the demo 4wt line. The slightly heavier head of the 4wt line pairs a little more effectively for the longer 3wt rod, and still possesses the finesse for up close and personal fishing in creeks and during hatches.
All in all, if you are looking for a new line to try for dry fly fishing, or floating line presentations, the Scientific Angler Mastery Textured Trout Taper line is worth a look, and worth the price.
Skill of Caster (myself): moderate
Locations used: stillwater fisheries in the BC Cariboo and Fraser Valley, small creek fisheries in the Cariboo and Fraser Valley
Number of Days used: 20
Conditions used in: Air temperatures between 10-30 degrees C, windy, sunny, rainy. Water Temps between 55-69 degrees F.
Rods used: Scott E2 9'0" 4 piece 4wt, Sage Launch 8'6" 4 piece 3wt, Scott V2 9'0" 4 piece 5wt.
Reel used: Redington Crosswater 4/5/6
I planned to use it on my only 4wt, a 4 piece, fast action 9'0" Scott E2. I realized going in that this particular rod would probably perform better with a 5wt line with a taper like this, or a "line weight plus" and I was proven correct. But back to the line. Casting it with this fast action rod required a larger portion of the line out of the guides to get the rod loading, given the gradual taper of the head. I preferred to fish it with a tapered leader of the standard 8-12 feet in a 4x, 5x, and 6x factory tapered leader setup. I also cut off the loop off the head of the line. In my opinion, a delicate taper like this doesn't need a loop connection as it is designed for stealth and delicacy of presentation. A simple, clean nail knot did the trick.
First impressions were cautiously optimistic. As it said on the box, the line taper was designed for placing dries at specific targets at a range of distances with delicate accuracy. Or something to that effect. I found that this was accurate, and that once the line was test cast a few times with a variety of flies, both weighted and not, it really started to show its strength. I began fishing it in the Cariboo spring, which is to say, nearly the start of summer for most of the forum members! I fished it with an indicator and chronomids/leeches, and while not ideal, the taper did turn over the setup reasonably well, out to distances of about 45ft. Past that, the taper was too delicate to wrangle all that hardware. Turning over a typical leader and tippet with a fly sized smaller than a #8 was no problem out past 60ft if I did my part. The taper lend itself well to fishing lightly weighted nymphs and soft hackles and subtle presentations. My favorite use for this line was fishing lightly weighted or unweighted nymphs in sizes 10-14 on a tapered leader between 7-10' in length. In this format it excelled, turning over the leader, tipped and fly with ease. Once the leader extended past 12ft, the fly needed to be unweighted and size 14 or smaller to turn over with consistency, based on my casting skill (or lack thereof).
With the colder temperatures I first used the line in (immediately after ice off), the line did not turn into a "slinky". It laid out well, floated high and dry (as a new floating line should), and picked up off the water with ease. Casting in windy conditions was a bit trickier as the taper is not designed for this, but with slight adjustments to keep loops tight, it punched through the wind passably. I also found that casting this line in a side arm style was effective, given the weight of the head was balanced over a longer length, vs a shorter, heavier tapered head.
Over the length of the season, I found that the line kept its floating properties longer and more effectively with no proper line care, than comparable lines I have used in the recent past. I also found it fouled less on itself. I would attribute this to the textured coating preventing the friction that can cause other lines to "stick" to itself in a coil on the casting platform floor. I found that the line developed minimal memory, being kept on a mid arbour reel between fishing trips.
Once I gained a basic performance baseline, I decided to try the line out on a couple medium action rods. For this I chose a Sage Launch 3wt, in the 8'6" 4 piece format, and a Scott V2 9'0" 4 piece 5wt. I have fished both these rods for several years and with a number of different lines, so I was quite curious how they would deal with the Textured Trout Taper. First the 3wt.
Sage characterized this rod as a medium action, and I had paired it with a Rio Selective Trout II 3wt line, specifically for targeting wild rainbows in the Skagit River. Once I adjusted for the more relaxed pace of this rod compared with the E2 4wt, the Trout Taper was right at home on this type of rod, even being a line weight too heavy. I fished this rod and line combo for several days on a couple local lakes targeting trout with unweighted nymphs and larger dry flies. I know from past experience, this rod will run out of power to put out too much line past 40ft. With the Trout Taper line, I was consistently laying out 50ft of line with little difficulty. Using a properly timed double haul cast, the line sailed out to 60ft with regularity. I would say this is due to the generally firmer feel of the line and low perceived friction, despite being quite supple. Fishing the line in close during a caddis hatch was just as easy. I was able to place size 10, 12, and 14 caddis dry flies without fuss or difficulty, in distances from 20-50 ft. I feel this was due to the gradual, balanced taper. Based on my past experience with this rod, I would say the Trout Taper showed its versatility in balancing well with a lighter, medium action rod.
As for the 5wt Scott rod, I have fished this rod since 2004, as my primary rod for anything other than floating line fishing for trout under 12". I have paired it primarily with Rio lines, based on the advice of my local flyshop. I have used the Rio Gold floating line, Mainstream floating, sink tip, and clear lines. I have also used a borrowed Airflo Tactical Ridge floating line. I felt that with its medium action, it would lend itself to the long taper of the SA Trout Taper, and really be able to send the line out to the limits of my casting range. I fished this rod and line combination on several different occasions. The end result was changing all my floating lines over from Rio products into the SA Mastery Textured floating lines. With the line being a weight lighter than the rod, it did require a longer length of line out before the rod really loaded properly and cast the line as it should. Once I determined the correct amount of line out of the guides, I found this line really was able to do all that it had with the 3wt, at even longer distances. The loop stability in the air was far better than with the prior line used on this rod, a Rio Gold 5wt. I also found that with the line weight below the rod, I was able to roll cast the line and mend the line with far more actual line out on the water (again, likely due to the line being controlled by a more "powerful" rod than initially designed for). The particular event that sold me on this line design and this particular taper was a specific caddis hatch that I hit, where the fish were sight feeding to caddis hatching in 4-7ft of gin-clear water. It quickly became obvious that these fish were "spooky", and would evacuate the shoal if you blew a cast and bombed a pattern down on top of them. With the 4wt Trout Taper on the 5wt rod, I was able to precisely and delicately set out a size 12 caddis dry fly out to distances of 50 and 60 ft with enough finesse to fool many trout that day. To this day, I doubt I would have been able to reach out as far and with the same level of stealth with my prior line. I also found that when a little less finesse was required, I could send out 70ft casts with a rod I had not ever been able to do that with before. I attribute this to the shoot-ability of the line, and low friction of the coating.
In regards to the "textured" technology, I found that over a season of use, the line picked up less residue from dirty waters, floated higher on the surface than a comparable, new line. I also found that when cleaning the line at the end of the season, it showed less wear and tear than the comparable line I used beside it during the same amount of fishing time. I also found it to "shoot" much easier than other lines, on the 3wt, 4wt, and 5wt rods I tested it on. I was not put off by the increased noise of the line running through the guides, nor did I find any "wear" issues on the guides or rod from the textured surface. I consider myself to cast more than necessary, for no other reason than the enjoyment of seeing a good cast lay down on the water, so there may have only been 20 days of testing, but rest assured, there was a lot of casting going on!
For its intended application, the Scientific Anglers Mastery Textured Trout Taper worked better than other comparable lines I have used in similar circumstances (Rio Gold, Rio Selective Trout II, Rio Mainstream Floating, Sage Quiet Taper) by a large margin. I felt strongly enough to go out and pay full price to invest in a proper 5wt SA Mastery Textured GPX floating line for my 5wt rod to replace the Rio Gold I was using prior to this. As for the Rio Selective Trout II 3wt line? That was replaced with the demo 4wt line. The slightly heavier head of the 4wt line pairs a little more effectively for the longer 3wt rod, and still possesses the finesse for up close and personal fishing in creeks and during hatches.
All in all, if you are looking for a new line to try for dry fly fishing, or floating line presentations, the Scientific Angler Mastery Textured Trout Taper line is worth a look, and worth the price.