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Striper line

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  juro 
#1 ·
I just started striper fishing this year. I have been steelheading and salmon fishing for some time. Well long story short.

My friend Jim and I went out in his center console to a undisclosed location (Jim said he would kill me if I said anything). Well, we were going along and Jim yells there they are. About 200 yards straight ahead of us the calm water was white with fish. Jim said he'ld work just down wind of them and we could cast into them. I was so excited I almost peed myself. I jumped up on the bow of the boat and readied myself with my custom 8wt (Dancraft FT1080). I had my Rio Andromadous series versitip line on and a type 8 sinking head. The fly will remain nameless until its next of kin can be notified of its fate. So as we glide up on the crashing fish I ready myself and pull line from my reel. Jim says "Now, give it to em!" I start to cast out and then it happens. My cold weather line is like overcooked spagetti coated with superglue. All I could manage were 30-50' casts and they were hard as hell. I did manage to destroy my fly on striper teeth but I realized that I need a warm water line for fishing the salt for stripers.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a good striper line? BTW my best was 35" and over 20lbs released of course to be caught by someone else.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
You might want to rethink the warmwater line. It would maybe get use for about a week here. It really does not get warm enough here to warrant a full time warmwater line. In the spring and fall (and most of the summer) it will become useless. Most warmwater lines are designed for water 75 and above which is a rare occurence here.

Now that being said some lines are better than others. I use RIO outbounds and skagit lines in the salt all season and have not had the issue you describe. Airflo lines are also good all year around and are probably one of the more popular lines going for east coast sinking line fisherman.

It could just be the line but I would look at other coldwater lines first before you pick up a warmwater line. You may like it for a couple weeks out of the season but will be cursing it once the fall blitzes start. If you fish from a boat all the time you may be able to extend a warmwater lines use out here but still not by much.

-sean
 
#3 ·
Sean,

I have to disagree on the no warmwater line theory. Personally I think that is overrated marketing hype that you need such different lines for the salt. I have experienced the issue jhicks described and it is frustrating to no end. Last year especially when my coldwater Airflow intermediate was a pile of goo when SBFT were blowing up in front of me. I really like the new lines with the braided line core. I just got a new SA Clear Tip and their Striper Sinking line. They are some of the best lines I have ever thrown. Only tangles were from the occasional line twist which is easily cured with a fly free drag behind the boat. I have used the Bonefish and Tarpon lines as well with no issues. I think it is the coldwater lines that only have a very limited season in the Northeast, especially on the hot deck of a boat.

Just my $.02

Sean
 
#4 ·
I will give it to you on the boat. That is a little different and a hot environ most of the time. I do have tarpon and bonefish lines and just do not like how stiff they become in colder weather.

I could see investing in one if you are a boat angler full time like yourself. Shore guys not so much.

There are some new gelspun core lines out on the market from monic I would like to try that are supposed to be all weather lines. I also like the idea of a no stretch line.

I have not fished a intermediate or sinking line since a few days in the beginning of the season so my experience is just with floaters so far this year. They all have braided cores. A lot of sinking lines have mono cores which I really dislike. A braided core line no matter what the makeup will be a better all season line than mono cores in my experience.

-sean
 
#5 ·
I fish a few lines most all of the time, and am a shore-schlepper, beach bum and flats rat so can't say I have the same requirements as a hot deck dude.

FWIW - I am ecstatic with the quality of the lines that are available today. The Rio Outbound, new redesigned SA striper, Airflo 40+.

I do buy separate lines for bonefishing and stripers and there is a difference, albeit not as big as they make it sound. I did my first few trips with a steelhead floater and caught fish but when I switched to the bonefish line it was definitley a lot less "gooey" in Sean McD's terms than the coldwater line was. Another large reason - I use 7-8 for bones and 9-plus for stripers. Therefore it makes sense to buy different lines for some of us.

Sorry to get off topic - you said you need a more manageable striper line for the boat. If it was as bad as you described, I would not hesitate to buy another line. As Sean R. pointed out the coldwater line you have now will perform great other times of the season, which in our part of the country will change very quickly and not go away soon enough!
 
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