The Board

That’s what I work on too Sakke. I’ll go through your table in the morning. Apart from true AFFTA what do you find most important measurements?

Cheers, Paul

Hard to quantify, but if in addition to AFFTA I get realistic taper description, full head weight, full line length and running line diameter, I am more than happy.

Ok, just got my hands on Flats Pro WF11I. Quite much what I expected it to be. I wish this line would have been on the market earlier, would have saved me from a lot of trouble.

It is like improved Leviathan intermediate. The head is lighter and longer (the holding line is actually just part of long rear taper). The 50lb running line is thinner (1,02mm vs 1,24mm) but still stiff and is easy to stretch straight. The coating feels like that of Levithan; quite hard and durable. So, this line casts way better and suits more rods than Leviathan and has at least as wide temperature range (Leviathan works already in surprisingly chilly conditions). The AFFTA weight for the WF11I was actually 25,2g - so in the high end of #12. I wanted a #12 line, so I bought the 11 and got what I wanted. I think I'll get another one and maybe the 10 which is really 11.

Expensive as hell, but usually when a good line is in the market, it gets soon discontinued and there is nothing that would tick even close all the same boxes.

I got a Direct Core Tarpon WF9F last week to test for Snakehead shots on the HT10. I'll spool it up this week. I *think* Graeme brought a Flats Pro when he came over. Certainly someone has had one here fairly recently. Or maybe that's the line I have on the HT12... Jesus I need to write this stuff down

Cheers, Paul

Not me. I brought a SA Tarpon line. True 10wt line.

Ok maybe it’s me then. Sometimes it amazes me that I can remember by own name.

The old SA Mastery Tarpon was a good line. I have the floating 12. The intermediate I unfortunately never had.
barstool Tropical Tarpon clear intermediate was also a great line (one weight heavier as is/was the norm for barstool). But it got discontinued and eventually replaced with some horrible ridge stuff. Cortland Tropical Intermediate is really nice, just if it was a bit longer and stiffer. And none of these were with high b/s cores.

For me if the head was a bit different, the intermediate flats pro would be perfect tuna line. Now it is very close. So close, that I don’t think there will be any better.

In floating I think I would go with the Tarpon version over the flats pro. Personally I use Sage Equator II, Mastery Tarpon (if warm enough) and back up is Hardy Tropical flats (the 11-12 aren’t as good as 9-11 (too thick running line).

Remembered wrong, the running line wasn't 1,02mm but 1,04mm.

Here are measured tapers (inches & ft) for Rio Flats Pro WF11I and Cortland Tropic Plus Intermediate WF12I

I know that it all comes down to the type of shots/casting that we are doing. And normally I use long heads! But when Jono Shales was visiting a couple of years ago he brought over a tropical Redfish line from SA, that I found really excellent for the shots I use here in Malaysia. (The pick up length with this line is a little bit longer than optimal).

I got in touch with Bruce and subsequently Josh at SA about this line to say how wonderful I thought it was and they sent me an Infinity Salt which was in prototype stage at that time. For PUALD shooting shots this really is the best I’ve used. It makes false casting shots too, but I rarely get to make them

That’s one reason I asked Simon at RIO for their new Tarpon line, because the profile looks in the same ballpark. Basically I’m looking for lines that I can recommend for the HT series. Line selection has become a nightmare with weights all over the place, and I’ve long been at the point where I have to recommend individual lines for the rods in order to get the performance that was intended.

Cheers, Paul

Has anyone used or tried the Wulff Bermuda Triangle clear intermediate line? A buddy has found the heavier weight (11 or 12) to be his favorite for tarpon.

I cast it on his Xi2 and was unexpectedly surprised. It feels thin for a heavy line, slick, and he said it seldom tangles.

I should have some Monic lines coming, but unfortunately no clear intermediate over 9 weight... yet.