Airflo 40+?

[DAZ]

Moonshadow.

Thats bad news mate I am pretty sure if you got in contact with airflow they would sort you out though...They are a good bunch there.

DAZ.

[moonshadow]

Hi Daz
Thanks for that will do as stated really liked the line it was so easy to use but will take a while to get the cofidence back in the others I have got. But will start tonight will try the intermediate one. Like everything in life we are always learning.

Moonshadow

[sewinbasher]

steffan said:

sewinbasher said:

I was also given a Chalkstream which was also rubbish, mainly because of the over large welded loop which destroyed the presentation unless one wanted to use it with a polyleader.

Pair of scissors, cut the welded loop off, put your own method on instead. Simple. you would lose 2 inches of line at most.

Or was it just a general airflo bashing session, Sewinbasher?

TT.

That's exactly what I did and I even wrote to Airflo with what I thought was a constructive critique and suggested that as it was a double taper they should make one end with the loop for those who wanted to use a polyleader and have a fine tapered point on the other for those that prefer other links to the leader.

I got a fairly snotty reply the gist of which was that I should use a polyleader and shut up. This line should have cost about £60 and quite frankly for that money should do what it says on the tin - it didn't and I wouldn't pay £6 for one let alone £60.

I'm not having a particular go at Airflo although goodness me they deserve it, I have been conned into buying so many completely useless floating lines on the promise that all the problems were sorted only to find that they were as rubbish as ever.

I was even confidentially told at one stage by a senior Airflo sales guy that about one line in 10 was OK, my problem is that instead of chucking the other 9 in a skip they sold them to unfortunate punters. The result of this is that I shall never buy another Airflo floater no matter what the reviews or hype.

On the other hand their range of sinkers are the bee's knees and cannot be beaten.

Airflo make some good products, I've always admired their innovation, but they seem to want to get untried products to market too quickly and also make some absolute rubbish. If they did something about it they would not get a bashing from me or anyone else. Sadly, even if they do at last get the product and customer service right many are not going to believe it - once bitten etc.

[sewin2]

Hi all,
I have read this thread with some interest and am not sure where it is heading - either as a knocking session for Airflo lines or as a more constructive view of what lines we use and why we use them. I will try my best to address the latter as I find the former far too negative for discussion.
I have used 40+ lines for the last few years. I find the "Expert" version in both Floater and Intermediate an excellent line for saltwater fishing around our coast in fact I would look no further coupled with an 8 weight saltwater rod.
I have been working on developing fly lines for sea trout for 4-5 years and during this period have handled probably all the proprietary lines on the market and many prototypes. I had recognised that due to the nature of our rivers (I fish mainly Dyfi and Towy) that all full sinking lines from intermediate to fast sinking all suffered from three main problems:
1. Difficulty with line control when wading deep
2. Once cast there is no way one can "mend" them
3. At the end of the drift when retrieving quickly to recast the belly gets pulled down into stones and worse into scum and weed covering the flies.
The latter is due to the fact that our rivers by and large have the depth (and fish) under the opposite bank from which we cast. We want the fly to go down quickly at the beginning of the drift but to be able to bring it closer to the surface at the end of the drift. The only way to do this is to use a sink tip.
The 40+ acts as a full sinker in most situations under low water night fishing situations in the rivers I fish. I have used many prototypes and have found that 20-24' tips is the maximum which one can pull towards the surface on the retreive
I did use the 40+ lines for night fishing (the original ones) some three seasons ago and fished them on alternate nights to my then prototypes. I must admit that I found the sink tips more versatile in my hands and as 70%+ of all my big fish (8lb+) have come on square or upstream casts the longer sinking portion of the 40+ I found a bit of a hindrance.
Beauty is of course in the eye of the beholder for Steffan and Daz if they feel that the 40+ does what it says on the packet for them then they should stick to it. I must admit at the moment that I feel personally that there are other lines that will suit the needs of the sea trout fisherman better

[Teifi Terrorist]

sewin2 said:

am not sure where it is heading

I must admit that I found the sink tips more versatile in my hands

Beauty is of course in the eye of the beholder for Steffan and Daz if they feel that the 40+ does what it says on the packet for them then they should stick to it.

It was actually over with before you prodded the fire Sewin2

Both Daz and I love the 40+ lines for night fishing, but wouldn't advocate them as the sole line for night-fishing. If you remember our discussion about a month ago Sewin2 I did tell you that I prefer the merits of a sink-tip line, and do use them most regularly - even more so than the 40+ perhaps.

If you had read this post Sewin2 you would have seen both Daz and my opinions regarding fly-lines, whereas this thread was of particular reference to the 40+.

steffan said:

My advice on lines would be as follows:

Firstly, what Daz says is sound; try before you buy, if it's possible.

Secondly, depending on what size river you are fishing, try to look for some heavy front taper lines which will aid turning over of flies quite a bit. They will load your rod a lot quicker, and are far more applicable to the majority of our rivers than the long headed lines, which are more for resevoirs etc. Alternatively, overload your rod rating by one.

floating: ridge line (if you need a wf8, then get a wf8, they are fairly well matched). 40+ extreme, great line for heavy and bulky flies, also great for roll casts etc. and loads your rod very quickly. age old favourites like the cortland peach 444 or white 333 are superb, but I would go one heavier on these.

sink tips; cortland ghost-tip is a superb line, but you may want to overload that one by one, too.

intermediate/sinking lines; I prefer the control that you get from sink-tips, as you can control the floating section whilst allowing the tip to do its business. Wet cell produce some great ones, and there's a Di-3 sink -tip coming out through aiflo soon which is a cracker. standard sinking lines; wet-cell 2 is a firm favourite, as is the mastery stillwater. I am convert to the 40+ range though, sooo much easier.

Hope that clarifies matters for you.

TT.

[buzzerman]

there is a new range of lines with sink tip from 2up to 5 sink all on an 8,weight floater with 15ft of sink or intermediate tip at www.wellardandscott.co.uk might be worth looking at price £45.00

[Teifi Terrorist]

buzzerman said:

there is a new range of lines with sink tip from 2up to 5 sink all on an 8,weight floater with 15ft of sink or intermediate tip at www.wellardandscott.co.uk might be worth looking at price £45.00

Yes Buzzerman, they are airflo sink-tips - the ones that I mentioned on here about 3-4 weeks ago. Nice enough lines, intermediate version is very nice but faster sinking than the cortland version.

TT.

[buzzerman]

hi Steff i still have one of the proto types an eight weight floater with a 17ft or 15 ft 3 sink tip , i all ready have a fast intermediate [full line ] so what would you recommend mate I'm looking for the3 sink tip and a slower intermediate, the weld on the proto type wasn't the greatest if you know what mean so I'm in the market for two lines and because i use orvis batten kill reels they not known for holding much backing ,i am in the market for two reels and three sparespols ,any thoughts on that mate not to bothered about the price ,ps are you talking about the sewin fisher lines mate i am meeting up with sewin 2 on the 14th of june [fishing the dyfi] and will be tryng the said lines out so i will know more about them let you know how i get on cheers billy p

[Teifi Terrorist]

Hia Billy,

yeah the 15ft di-3 is part of the range, have used it a couple of times and it's 'ok'. Yes, I am talking about the sewincaster lines, tried them in the fishtec open day and picked up a couple to try.

For a clear sink-tip you can't really go wrong with the cortland ghost-tip, tried and tested etc. and I probably catch most of my sewin in a season on this line - I prefer to adjust the fly weight on most nights rather than lines i.e. put a copper/brass tube on the dropper whilst still fishing the slower sink-tip, rather than putting on a 'grain' sink-tip' or something and lighter flies. I usually carry 2 rods though, with the one having a sink-tip on and the other either a full sinker on or a faster sink-tip.

The new one with airflo, 15ft ghost-tip, is an excellent lines and I have been using it for a few nights now - performs very well, and I'm very happy with it and happy to recommend it. As for the welded loops, I get on 'ok' with them, especially on any line that sinks. If you don't then just cut it off and attach your prefered method. Attaching loops etc to clear lines it a pain the arse, as such, I find the welded loops of particular use with these.

For the faster sink-tip I would either go for the Airflo 15ft di-3 or wet-cell produce a really nice one - sorry can't remember the model.

As for the reels and the spools; I use the airflo T7 and have never had a problem with it, good, smooth drag etc, and hold plenty of backing with the line. Other than that there are loads on the market and I would probably advise going to a local shop and having a feel and a play.

Good luck on the Dyfi and let us know how you get on.

Steff.

[buzzerman]

thanks steff im a bit confused her mate, is the ghost tip an intemediete and is it slow or fast mate ,do you recomend the new sewinfisher lines or the other airflow sink tips dont want to sound daft but i have used snowbee all my life but i need to try others as a dont want to be putting different sink tips on a ll night i like the idea of dsticking to one tip and changing the weight of the fly cheers billy p

[Teifi Terrorist]

buzzerman said:

thanks steff im a bit confused her mate, is the ghost tip an intemediete and is it slow or fast mate ,do you recomend the new sewinfisher lines or the other airflow sink tips dont want to sound daft but i have used snowbee all my life but i need to try others as a dont want to be putting different sink tips on a ll night i like the idea of dsticking to one tip and changing the weight of the fly cheers billy p

Hey Billy,
no probs mate. The ghost-tip is a clear 15ft intermediate sink-tip, it's quite a fast intermediate - faster than the cortland, of that I'm sure. The Sewincaster lines are airflo lines. Airflo also produce depth-finder sink-tips, but they are too fast for what you're after. I definitely do recommend the airflo/sewincaster 15ft clear/intermediate line, but will keep trying the di-3 version for a while before commenting further. There won't be much of a difference in sink-rate between the intermediate and the di-3, probably 1/2inch an inch a second, perhaps.

Sticking to one tip and changing flies works well for me, but I think that it's also me being slighly lazy at times ;D it all depends on the water you're fishing.

Best advice for the lines Billy is to try them with Sewin2 and see what you think.

Tight-lines.

Steff.

[buzzerman]

thanks steff i will do that billyp

[sewin2]

Steff,
I was certainly not trying to stoke the fire! My apologies if I misunderstood the gist of the thread. I missed the earlier references to your preferred armamentarium and technique of which I would fully approve!!

Illtyd

[lancsflyman]

Hi what is the differance between a intermediate and a sinking line ?

Correct me if am wrong, as i think the intermediate line sinks in the middle to bring the flies down and up.

Where as a sinking line just stays at one level, is that correct ?

thanks Paul

[stumpyguy01]

Got to agree with Steff's set ups,i also fish with two rods and one has a cortland ghost tip(found this rather a hard line to cast at first,stretched it well first etc,might just have been me with a new line)and fish a worcestershire medium sink on the other rod which i have started to add one steff,s braided sink tips posted on forum the other month to get deeper later on in the night if i need to.can cover nearly all situations with these two set ups(but i do carry a floater on a reel in my waistcoat for jambo,s etc)

stumpy....

[Teifi Terrorist]

sewin2 said:

Steff,
I was certainly not trying to stoke the fire! My apologies if I misunderstood the gist of the thread. I missed the earlier references to your preferred armamentarium and technique of which I would fully approve!!
Illtyd

Totally no need to apologise, Illtyd. It's great to have someone of your calibre on here, and your input is always appreciated.

Pob hwyl.

Steff.

[Simon, SJF or Otter Startler]

Well I've just bought a couple of the Sewincaster lines, the floater and the Intermediate Sink Tip. I'll post how I get on with them when I'm back in blighty.

[waddington]

With the recent recommendations for the 40+ Extreme I decided to buy a couple cheap from Tackle Bargains. Tried the floater last night and I have to say that I was delighted. It is so different from my usual lines and loads the rod instantly. In fact the way the line flies I thought I was back sea fishing chucking a 5oz lead! It also turned over large flies very well. Although the line is obviously not designed with presentation in mind I found it acceptable. I suspect the instant loading of the rod helps casting consistency at night for 'worlds worst fly casting competition entrants' like me.
So Thanks for the Tip Guys
Phil

[tuniwes]

waddington said:

With the recent recommendations for the 40+ Extreme I decided to buy a couple cheap from Tackle Bargains. Tried the floater last night and I have to say that I was delighted. It is so different from my usual lines and loads the rod instantly. In fact the way the line flies I thought I was back sea fishing chucking a 5oz lead! It also turned over large flies very well. Although the line is obviously not designed with presentation in mind I found it acceptable. I suspect the instant loading of the rod helps casting consistency at night for 'worlds worst fly casting competition entrants' like me.
So Thanks for the Tip Guys
Phil

Echo your comments Phil, I've been using mine for SWFF and it flies out. Also have to say that have not experienced any problems with fabled Airflo memory on floaters and the running line is superb.( mine is the pre ridge running line)

Ian

[DAZ]

Good news that mate.

They do take a little getting use to in the beginning and you will find your flies in the trees on the opposite bank more often than not ;D....I still do it myself on occasion .....But once you have the feel for it,and know how much power to apply on the forward stroke"they are a joy to use"...and really do make things that much easier at night.

DAZ.