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Thread: Shooting Line.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Idaho Falls, Id
    Posts
    448

    Default Shooting Line.

    Looking for a shooting line for for a Skagit setup, on a fixed-income budget (something cheap). Found a line made by P-Line called Hydrofloat. Appears to have a couple of good characteristics, low stretch and it floats. It's made in 50lb and bright green.

    Have any of you Spey/Switch guys tried this line? I've got a spool of 40lb Big Game that's usable but the "Floating" aspect of the P Line is attractive. Any comments on this line, positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Bishop, California
    Posts
    756

    Default

    Mark Kranhold turned me onto the hydrofloat for my lighter spey rods (5wt and down). And boy was he spot on! That line shoots like a son of a bitch... it has no stretch so you feel anything that looks at your fly. At 13 bucks for a 150yd spool, thats about 4.25 per standard length of shooting line at 100ft each. It's cheap enough to try and if you don't like it, someone on here would gladly take it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Citrus Heights
    Posts
    35

    Default

    I've been using this for over two years now. Shoots extremely well, no stretch as mentioned, and is not slippery like verivas. Easy to do great bimini's with UV cure coating over the knot. I do turn the running line around as the coating will get rough up front after months of heavy use. I use it on everything up to an 8152 for steelhead. Can't beat the price.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Idaho Falls, Id
    Posts
    448

    Default

    I am encouraged. Thank you guys! Just ordered a spool of 50lb and one of 30lb. Any special knot for a loop?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Bishop, California
    Posts
    756

    Default

    A triple surgeons with UV cure over the knot has served me well.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Humboldt
    Posts
    249

    Default

    I've gone through all the coated lines from Airflo, Rio, and SA but find that i have gone back to good ol' Berkeley Big Game. It's cheap and shoots great. Once it gets stretched well it seems to stay fairly limber for a few days. I use 40lb for most rods and 25lb for my 3 wt spey. I take it that the hydrofloat doesn't have any memory? What pound test are you guys using?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Idaho Falls, Id
    Posts
    448

    Default

    The Berkeley Big Game works very good actually. I'm resurrecting my 15' 10/11wt rod (mostly because of boredom) and looking for something to go along with the 810 grain Airflo Skagit head I found on Kiene's closeout table. I'm thinking the 50lb might be the best for this big of a outfit. Depending on how the stuff works my switch rod might get updated with 30lb. Hoping to use that 15 footer to take a Chinook next year.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Grass Valley
    Posts
    174

    Default

    I'm on the program now too. I just got a spool of 50 lb Hydrofloat to see how it works with my 5 wt switch rod (300 grain head). Would 30 lb be a better choice for this setup?

    Sounds like the knot to use at the forward end is a Bimini Twist with some Knot Sense over the knot to smooth out the knot.

    I'm thinking I'll just put 150-200 feet of line on the spool and just cut it off as it gets frayed on the end. To me, that's even easier than switching the ends as it wears.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Bishop, California
    Posts
    756

    Default

    Joe, I like the 50lb for spey even down to my 3wt trout spey. The 50lb has a very small diameter to hold onto as it is. I wanted to try the 30lb on my single hand 3wt with a 150gr commando head but haven't got a head yet to try that. I think after you fish with the 50lb, you'll see that you wouldn't want any thinner than that as it is difficult to hold onto and if you snag, it's just thick enough to barely not cut into your finger.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Martinez
    Posts
    97

    Default

    I've been using 30 lb. Berkley Big Cat on my 3/4 switch. I think I would like a little thinner diameter on this set up, but on my 12' 5/6, this would be good. Just give a good stretch before fishing and it's okay. About the same amount of tangling as the Rio Slickshooter I was using before...

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