I can’t even remember what I was researching at the time, but a few months ago, I started reading about silk lines and I asked myself why people still use them. Surely they are just a throw-back (back-cast?) by people who prefer nostalgia? Didn’t we move beyond those old lines for a reason? We’ve got high tech materials and tapers now, so why are people still clinging to a technology that’s been superseded?
My preconceptions had me believing silk lines are expensive, high maintenance niche lines, only suited to trout fishing on bamboo rods (while wearing tweed jackets and smoking pipes).
However, the more I researched, the more intrigued I became: Some guys were using silk lines on graphite rods and STILL raving about them. I had to find out more, I had to work out why these things are still selling when they cost up to 9 times as much as the great modern lines we have. (There is a Japanese silk line maker selling his wares for US$550 each, and he can’t keep up with demand.)
My research led me to believe that the main reason we moved away from silk was profitability for the line makers. The lines we use today can be mass-produced cheaply and a myriad of designs are possible (great for the marketing guys and great for us too). The lines we now have wear out quickly, so the makers get to sell you another line a few years from now. Of course, the designs we have now are great, offering solutions that just can’t be gained any other way, but that doesn’t mean we must discard the old technology completely.
The benefits of silk lines that I located online were as follows:
- • Silk lines will last more than 20 years with constant use and good care. (Many people buy 50 year old reels simply to obtain the silk lines that are on them!)
• Being thinner than equivalent modern lines, they slice through wind efficiently.
• Silk lines land on the water more delicately than modern lines
• Silk lines will either float or sink, depending on the application of grease. (Without grease, they act as intermediate lines.)
• They have no stretch, allowing better feel for takes and fly movements.
• They have no memory, allowing better line management and also allowing for better feel of takes and fly movements (no kinks = direct contact with the fly.)
• Being thinner, reels gain backing capacity when fitted with silk lines.
• Silk lines improve with age. They are a bit stiff out of the box, but after about five sessions, they are broken in and only get better until they are completely worn out.
• Silk lines can be refurbished
Of course, it is not all milk and honey. Many people online have been dismissing silk lines for the following reasons:
- • They are expensive
• They require a lot of upkeep, requiring drying and dressing after each session.
• They will rot and fall apart if they aren’t maintained as above.
• They only float for about 4 hours before you either switch from dry flies to streamers, or reverse the DT line and use the fresh (floating) end that hasn’t been fished that session.
• They require the additional cost of a line winder
I bought a DT5 artificial silk line made by Terenzio Silk Lines in Italy. I’ve had it two months now and I’m really impressed with it. I bought it specifically for bream and other “bream-sized” fish. It has actually changed my impression of DT lines: it shoots so well but it also casts to short targets. It enables a lot of line to be carried on long casts and mending is a breeze (not that I mend often ...). The feel of the line in the stripping hand is extraordinary, too.
It has lived up to its promise except for being a “floating line”. The grease usually does not enable it to float for more than about 1 hour under normal salt water fishing conditions. I’ve been told that giving it a wipe to clean crud off it will make it float again for some time in that session, but by and large, I actually don’t want it to float when I’m chasing bream. (Note: Silk lines do not float via the same mechanism as modern, buoyant floating lines. Silk lines are heavier than water, only floating due to surface tension. Once the line breaks the surface, it sinks like a heavy intermediate line, whether it has been greased or not.)
The line cost me $190 (delivered), bought from Taransky Bamboo Rods in Canberra. It has been worth every cent so far. If it lasts as long as they tell me it will, I expect the cost to be amortised at between $10 and $20 per year. (As opposed to a new PVC line that costs $80 this year, plus another new one in three years at $100, plus another three years later at $120, and so on ..,.)
Terenzio makes silk and artificial silk lines in both DT and WF lines of half-class increments. Because he is a single-person operation, I contacted him with a request for a pair of custom built fly lines. Although his English is not great, I was able to convey my design request with pictures and text, and he has delivered those lines to me within 5 weeks of placing the order. They arrived yesterday so I haven’t had a chance to fish with them yet. (Both lines are a sort of hybrid between an integrated shooting head line and a long-belly WF line. One is to be used on my 6wt rods, and the other is for my 9wt rods.) The cost for these two lines was $410 delivered. I’ll report further on how these lines go after I’ve broken them in and caught a few fish.
As you can probably tell, I really enjoy my DT5 artificial silk line. They reckon that in fly fishing, the line is the most important factor for success and enjoyment. For me, this line proves the adage to be true. I’ve now bought three artificial silk lines and I’m probably going to buy a 4wt DT too..
However, I don’t think these lines will suit everybody, nor every fishing situation. If it’s a floating line you must use, I don’t think this will work for you in salt water. I don’t know how it will handle abrasion, and I don’t know how it will handle heat (although I think it will be just fine as there are no plasticisers to consider.)
Cheers,
Graeme
