Nobody seems to carry it in fly shops. Anyone here use it?
LL ( who ordered some online and will report, but is curious about
YOUR experiences, nonetheless :-)
The quote at the Zipcast site says: "Other than taking a casting
lesson, I know of no other way to immediately add 10 feet to your best
cast.
That could be, but the new Sharkskin line by Sci Anglers added *twenty*
feet to my best cast. It is expensive but well worth the extra money
imho because it not only increases the distance of your casts, but is
the easiest mending fly line I have ever used.
I have used Zipcast on other lines, and it works fine. Sheesh - if
it'll add *another* ten feet to my Sharskin, I'll be casting into my
backing! BTW, the only thing I currently use on all my Sharkskins is a
mild soap and water bath/rinse.
Give it a try and get back to us on it.
Dave
I have a Sharkskin ( on a rod I don't use that much ) and find it
"OK" .... it was exceptional when brand new, but even a soap and water
bath doesn't seem to revive it ( for me ) Also, I don't care for the
rough feel after a couple hours ... and, I don't really fish at a
distance much. I don't think I'd part with the extra bucks for a
Sharkskin for my (90% of my fishing ) 4wt.
I currently have an AirFlow DT on it I got suggested to me by Rene
Harrop ( who is testing for them)/ It mends and fishes great ... but
is not a distance line. Best, all round (cept for longevity )
I've used the last couple years was a Rio Grande on a Sage XP .....
but I got rather poor life span from it
>
> I have a Sharkskin ( on a rod I don't use that much ) and find it
> "OK" .... it was exceptional when brand new, but even a soap and water
> bath doesn't seem to revive it ( for me ) Also, I don't care for the
> rough feel after a couple hours ... and, I don't really fish at a
> distance much. I don't think I'd part with the extra bucks for a
> Sharkskin for my (90% of my fishing ) 4wt.
What rough feel? I haven't noticed any on my 5, 6, and 7 weights. It
does make an irritating squeal, but I soon got used to it. For mending
big steelhead/salmon flies, it is invaluable. The fishing in Tierra
del Fuego this past winter/spring called for long casts and lots of
upstream mends to get the fly down to the right depth. With previous
similar fishing (same rod/different line) in Alaska, I can say that the
Sharkskin made life much easier.
Chocolate/vanilla, eh? d;o)
Dave
I just saw a can of this stuff at a newly discovered fly shop the
other day. It looked like an expensive can of PAM.
But, don't knock PAM. Years ago, when I was dumb enough to leave the
fireside, strap on long, skinny skiis, and wander around on logging
roads in January, there was some stuff that presented itself as "Balls-
off" [ sweartogod ], used to spray on the bottom of the skiis to
prevent sticky build-up of snow. I found PAM was cheaper and better,
as it flowed well in the cold.
But..........if it is veggie or petro oil based, will it exacerbate
breakdown of the line / coating ?
cheers
oz, who has had the skiis on only once in the last ten years....not
much snow here'bouts
Dave,
To me the easier mending means the higher floating...or am I missing
something...
john
>
> I just saw a can of this stuff at a newly discovered fly shop the
> other day. It looked like an expensive can of PAM.
>
Not the same stuff. The stuff I'm referring to is a liquid, comes
in a small bottle, not a spray, and is Teflon based, as opposed to
silicone based like the other line dressings
Now, is Teflon biodegradable?
I am, except the alcohol will leave a big dead spot for a couple of years...
John
I guess so. It is a good floater and when fishing in TdF I was using
big streamers and big nymphs, which do not float, with a weighted 6
foot leader which helped get the fly down. But, nonetheless, mending
with the line that was above water was very easy and effective. I use
it in Maine with both dry and nymphs and its mending abilities are the
best I've encountered.
Dave
And, as George Gehrke was wont to say, "Silicone attracts dirt." I
don't know if it does, but old George swore it did. There is no
silicone in Gink, surprise, surprise. d;o)
Dave
I swear to gosh I miss that old galoot
john
> The stuff I'm referring to is a liquid, comes
> in a small bottle, not a spray, and is Teflon based, as opposed to
> silicone based like the other line dressings
There are Teflon lubricants and cleaners for mountain biking ??
I do not know how it will react w fly line but some may work well
.
Fred