Hi All,

Took up the fly rod for the first time ever this year, after watching a chap fly fishing in a South Wales estuary back in June.
Really liked the idea of a couple of hours surfing followed by some swff'ing, so I've given it a go. I've managed one schoolie so far whilst holidaying in south Devon. Unfortunately, the week I spent in Devon coincided with the tail end of hurricane whoeveritwas so it was somewhat too windy at times but I still really enjoyed it. Also had a couple of carp on dog biscuit flies at the local lake, very entertaining that was!

The gear i'm using is an Airflo Bluetooth 9' 8/9wt rod, coupled with a Greys GRXi reel. I have WF9F, WF9 int & WF9 sinking lines (all cheapies).

I've had some casting lessons using the instructors gear (same make and model rod but I'm struggling at times to get distance especially with the floater, which is a NIWF line.

A couple of questions if I may.

By using "cheapie" lines am I restricting my casting?
Would I benefit from overlining by 1wt.
I can't, at present, afford to buy a range of lines to try out so I was wondering if other members might have some suggestions I might try.
Has anyone tried the Barrio flylines? I've been looking at a Barrio GT140 WF9F line but it is bright orange. Would a bright colour like that be a disadvantage?

Finally, is it worth fly fishing in Devon/Dorset at this time of year?

Thanks in anticipation

Try not to overline your rod, your casting will improve as you go on. The line i use for all my swff is the rio versitip, it comes with 5 different heads, floating inter and different sink rates. The line is a bit expensive but you do get to fish different depths with one line. Worth saving for, they do come up on ebay cheap so worth having a look time to time.
As for this time of year, we are still catching bass on the south coast just not as many.
I see you have a 9wt have you thought about pike fishing on the fly great fun and when the spring comes you can go back to bass fishing...
good luck Stephen...

Hi there,

Something you have to remember is floating lines are lighter than sinking lines Although the heads on floaters can seem thicker, keep at it and after a little time the whole line will be shooting out you'll be happy with where the fly is going

Thanks for replies folks,

Re the rio versitip flyline, they are pretty expensive but like you say it is 5 lines in 1. My gaffer regularly goes to the states so might see if he'll get me one next time he's out there.
As for pike on the fly, thats something i'm hoping to have a go at. Shall be putting pike flies on my xmas list. What is the best leader set-up for pike?
Hopefully going to go out to the local park this afternoon and get a bit of practice in if the winds drop off.
Cheers again
Mark

Keep practising your casting and your distance will improve. The cheapo lines (unless they are coiling and twisting badly) shouldn't have too much effect. If you want to try some different lines on a budget have a look at Mullarkeys mill end lines they're fantastic value for money and ideal for Piking and Swffing. As for Pike flies keep an eye out for novelty wigs, plastic 'feather dusters' , budget marabou and Christmas tinsel etc they are some of the materials I use. Pike Flies

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I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't.

Barrio GT140 and GT90 are great for very long and accurate casts and also very good buys. But to get the best out of them when fishing I usually underline by 1wt so rod action stays crisp when there is a long line out of rod tip. For fishing GT90 became my favorite. When there is no wind and enough room it is possible to cast 60 even 70Ft line loop. But GT90 also shoots when there is only 40...45Ft of line out because line starts thinning from 30Ft. I have fished with bright orange lines and it seems they don't scare fish but GT90 are olive and green. There is cream GT140 too.

They should weight the same if manufacturer use tight tolerance. Unfortunately too common that tolerances are bad.

Higher density makes same weight line sink faster. And heavier weight makes same density line sink faster.