Gentlemen
I need to get some tropical lines as I am told that my trout lines will go all limp in the Malaysian heat. I intend to stick a travel rod and some tackle in my rig bag but I need a line.
What makes and types work for you guys?
What no one?
Come on guys! What lines have you got on your reels? I could get sent straight to Miri when I get over so I need something on my reel. I use Shakespeare and Cortland lines and I doubt very much if they will work in the heat.
Justin told me some in a conversation we had but being the dipstick that I am it went straight out of my head.
quote:
Originally posted by Zeolite
What no one?Come on guys! What lines have you got on your reels? I could get sent straight to Miri when I get over so I need something on my reel. I use Shakespeare and Cortland lines and I doubt very much if they will work in the heat.
Justin told me some in a conversation we had but being the dipstick that I am it went straight out of my head.
Hi Zeolite,
Don’t panic lah.[:)] .. practically any trout line will do, especially for our freshwater species. Floating lines like the SA Mastery Trout or the Cortland 444 Classic will serve the purpose. For the salties, I would suggest any “Saltwater” line like the SA Bonefish or the SA Saltwater. Perhaps you may want to add an intermediate line too. In any case, you can always get hold of Nick at Tacklebox who’s got a whole range of fly goods… and at much cheaper prices than you can get in the UK for sure…no vat to start with..[:p][:D]
<><ICHTUS><>
Hi Zeo,
i wrote on your introductory post my choice of flylines for the tropics.
Rio Gold
Sage Equator Taper
SA Bass Taper
Rio Bass
… and bring along a bottle of fly dressing with you!
dennis
quote:
Originally posted by Steelhead
Hi Zeo,i wrote on your introductory post my choice of flylines for the tropics.
Rio Gold
Sage Equator Taper
SA Bass Taper
Rio Bass… and bring along a bottle of fly dressing with you!
dennis
Bottle of fly dressing is so so important. Dont let the line get sticky in the hot sun 
Speaking from experience ar Justin! haha!! Ben Foo also taught me a good trick to increase slickness… rub some of the stuff on your rod as well… it makes a lot of difference!
Fly dressing? Do you mean fly line dressing?
Any brands you recommend?
quote:
Originally posted by Zeolite
Fly dressing? Do you mean fly line dressing? Any brands you recommend?
Main problem would be we are used to using American brands and you are using European brands. Blame it all on our local tackle shop. 
Hard to recommend stuff to you Zeo hehe
A wash with liquid soap and warm water will suffice. If you want a slicker line, then there are plenty brands like SA, Loon, Orvis..etc…again, buy from Tacklebox … cheaper than UK.
<><ICHTUS><>
My opinion…
Line dressing can only help to a limit. Under extremely hot environment which is very common here, a non tropical rated line will turn soft. Like soggy noodle. Line dressing will not help much at this point because the line have turned not only sticky but also too soft too handle, a line management nightmare. Line dressing will help to solve this sticky bit but not much help in making the line less limp.
Most manufacturers have tropical rated line for saltwater fishing but none for delicate presentation fishing in freshwater on a very hot day. So my general rule of thumb is to bring a tropical rated saltwater line whenever I’m on a long trip. Having a stripping basket also helps.
Don’t know if these help:
RIO- they have a chart for their line coating.(I found this on flyfishusa)
Coldwater Rated- 30-60 degrees
Warmwater Rated- 60-80 degrees
Tropical Rated- 75-90 degrees
You can expect adequate performance ± 5 degrees on either side of these ranges.
I haven’t experiment with RIO lines enough but have some of its tropical rated saltwater and shooting head series and they are seems work very well in extremely hot condition.
My preference:
General fishing - I like to use Bonefish (both floating and intermediate). They are not always ideal for freshwater fishing because the taper is front heavy and cannot deliver delicate presentation. Also Bonefish floating line sinks a little in freshwater. However, because I use gurglers, clouser and poppers a lot for my freshwater fishing, I can live with these problems.
Nymphing or dry fly presentation - I use SA Bass Bug. Not a good choice for full day boat fishing because it is not tropical rated and do turn soft under extremely hot sun. But good enough for early morning or late afternoon fishing. I also use SA Aircel series for the same condition. Sage Quite and Performance Taper, Cortland 444 Classic or hard coat Lazer series are also good. All these lines do turn limpy under extreme heat but like I’ve said earlier, I’ll stop fishing when the line turned too soft or change to tropical rated saltwater line albeit the shortcomings of saltwater lines on freshwater.
Generally, I tend to stay away from SA non AST lines or Coldwater rated lines because even our lowland coldest day, tempreature never fall below 25 degree Celcius i.e. 77 degree Fareinheit. If we have to follow RIO’s standard strictly, our coldest day is on the high end of the Warmwater rated range. [:p]
However, all these are only my opinions. Other fly fishers have other way to cope with the overheating issue. I haven’t fish enough lately to form my own opinion of latest fly line technology such as those new finger-cutting sharkskin series but heard they can take overheating rather well. [;)]
Another thing. Having to cast long is common here because most fly fishing here are from the bank. Unless you are fishing at small river or pond or from a boat, you’ll cast out 80-90 feet of line quite often to increase the perimeter of your coverage area. Now imagine what if your running line is soft like soggy noodle and you need to cast at least 80 feet of line out.
I wonder when will line designer starts making tropical rated floating line of 3,4 or 5 wt. Maybe they never heard of tropical freshwater fly fisher’s plight or they could not be bothered because of the small market size. He he he…
Cheers
Hi Zeo, if you do, like me, fish in the rain, then bring your trout lines to Malaysia as I find that the usual Tropical Bonefish lines become too stiff on a cold rainy day.
Hi Zeo
You are most welcome to visit our FlyShop, TackleBox Adventures when you are in town.Almost all our fLY lines are for Tropical weather.
Thanks
nick ooi
quote:
Originally posted by Dr.No
Hi Zeo You are most welcome to visit our FlyShop, TackleBox Adventures when you are in town.Almost all our fLY lines are for Tropical weather. Thanksnick ooi
He…he…he…
Here comes the evil Dr.No.
Most all of Dr. No’s patient has a cronic disease. each time i visit his clinic (TackleBox), my wallet will be a bit lighter. [;)]
Sorry was busy lately for a while. (sadly not with making flies or fishing hihihi)
When people discussing about fly lines I always have to think back in time when I bought my first ever carbon fibre fly rod (a President weight 7/8 from Shakespeare for salmon fishing in Norway) a brand new reel and line and that happened a long time ago. The new outfit looked perfect to me but I wasn’t able to cast at all. It drove me crazy until a German fly fisher, who had a lot more experiences then me in those days, tried my equipment. It didn’t took him very long and the answer was simple, the line that they sold me had little but a minor mistake and therefore was completely out of balance. He gave me a Cortland and the problem was fixed and I still use Cortland lines today. It was my experience how important a fly line really is.
Over the last 30 years and while became more skilled in casting I even have build up a very good relation with Cortland and even was involved in some line development as well.
Not many people know it but before the new millennium, lines only last for 300 hours in use so the more intense you fished, the quicker you have to replace you fly line. It usual takes me 1 whole fishing day before a line really settles and get smooth and start to cast very pleasantly and I swap them after each trip. I mostly fish in Arctic regions so 18 hours fishing a day is not a problem at all when you have 24 hourls light in summer time. Because I used only Cortland privately and for my workshops and casting classes as well, I know exactly how to treat those lines in best way so they last longest too.
If you don’t treath your lines well they don’t last very long. Believe me.. Clear water also leave traces. Invisible cracks do a lot of damages. For cortland lines I use silicone all my life especially for the old generation fly lines (before 2000), it make them very smooth and they perform exactly as I want it and like it the most… but discussing about line favorites is extremely hard especially because every person has his own prefereces. I prefer smooth and soft lines without any reel memory. I really hate every line that have reel memory and when they have I drop them in the dusbin. I simply can’t fish with them, especially when nymphing and need to do slow retrieving techniques.
For the new generation of lines I just use the fly line dressing as it is recommended by the factory but for old pvc lines which I still use a lot I still use silicone dressing! (it has been tested by the factory for me so it is safe)
My experience with fly lines it that they are store very badly. I have seen hundreds of boxes store at places in the warmest temperature of the shop and in daylight too.
Because I have many lines for my classes and workshops I have usual quite some in stock so I can swap them directly when needed.I always have store them in pitch dark and at a cool place. The chemicals inside will last longest that way!
In my workshops I teach my students how to treat and handle their fly line too. I tell them always to clean and treath it before, during and after the fishing. The dirtier the water the more cleaning sessions I advice.
Don’t leave your fly line on the reel when you don’t use the reel for many months but take it off. It will last not only longer but will reduce line memory as well. Replace your backing at least once a year. I know not many people do that.
When I once had a workshop about my how to connecting your fly line to backing and leader properly I let every participant take their reels with them and while testing their backing fly line connection in a serious way I broke off 75% of them and not even used that much power. It is not a joke and really happened.
About heat and fly lines… I went trough several heatwaves in the Arctic with temperatures 35 degrees celcius for weeks on row but never had any serious problems with my lines in that heat.
I also have fished in Malaysia, not as intense as usual and certainly not for 18 hours a day because I had no clue where to go in those days and it was early dark too but I was playing in several waters and the heat was indeed immense but I didn’t had any problems with my cortland fly lines either. I only discovered that reel memory was a little serious because the hotter alround temeratures and my equipment was just in the back of my rental car.
Ok so that is a little vision that I have on fly lines.
Some helping stories written by a very good friend of mine the late Leon Chandler
http://www.ffinternet.com/html/equipment_lines_care.htm
http://www.ffinternet.com/html/equipment_lines_evolution.htm
this one is written about Leon and the factory so you have a good idea how fly lines are made as well:
http://www.ffinternet.com/html/lines_chandler2.htm
have fun
Hans
Hans..So are you saying that my Cortland 333s and 444s will be OK in Malaysia?
i was thinking of testing them by soaking them in warm water and trying them. What kind of temperature would be a good average for Malaysia?
I had no problem with them, but don’t leave them in the car for too long (at least not unprotected)
Hans