Recently I shot down to the South Carolina Low Country in search of redfish on the fly with my girlfriend. We were incredibly excited and immediately hit the water. No sooner than we began seeing feeding fish, I tore my old floating 8-weight line in half on an oyster bed. So we headed to the closest fly shop to pick up a fresh line. Immediately I was drawn to the Scientific Anglers Grand Slam. It’s heavy, weight-forward shooting head promised easier casting in winds and accurate fly delivery. We picked it up, put it on the reel and headed back out to the wading flats. Here are a few reasons you should pick up one of these lines for your next saltwater fly fishing trip:
This Line is a Breeze to Cast Into the Wind
We got cursed with heavier, on our trip to the Low Country and quickly realized that our other lines we’re punching through the wind as we needed. Luckily (or unfortunately) my line snapped, so I scooped up this line and we headed back out to the marsh. Right away, I noticed my flies were going where I needed and with minimal false casting partly due to how slick this line is with the AST coating.
Turns Over Flies Easy
As many of us less-than-perfect casters, turning over heavier flies without pile casting or lining the fish you’re casting to. This line made turning over the heaviest crab fly in our box a piece of cake, and we noticed our casts were landing right where we needed them to, a rare occasion with the old line.
It Shoots Line
With an aggressive weight forward profile, this line is designed to go as far as you need it to with minimal false casting. Designed to be the only line you need when chasing the “Grand Slam” (Tarpon, Permit, Bonefish), SA built this line to send 30-50 ft casts with just the head of the line hanging from the rod tip. As we both cast this line, we found ourselves breaking old bad habits line using way too many false-casts and double hauling too hard. It quickly became the main rod and reel we reached for when bigger fish were around.
How to Match It to a Rod
We’d recommend either matching the line to the rod weight or going just a half-size heavier with the MPX taper Scientific Anglers offers. Going a half size heavier will help you turn over heavier flies easier in the wind, but make sure your rod has a fast action if you do so. On a slower action rod, we’d recommend staying with the matching line weight.
Pick up your Scientific Anglers Grand Slam Floating WF line here!
Photos by: Dan Zazworsky.
