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Just a few weeks after I wrote my front page about Fly Line Marketing, in which I praised Scientific Anglers to offer a proper and really serious form of advertising their fly lines, I now had to read a different language written about the new Scientific Anglers fly line Sharkwave.

Attributes like "friction-free" come along with that new fly line. If it would have been the target to prove me having been wrong about the "serious advertising", then SA did well within just that short context. Simply there will never be any fly line available in "friction-free" as far as I understand that term. Of course fair to say, I may have a total different understanding of friction-free though.

Anyway reading the whole description of the development of the new line, it was this part:

"The benefits of the textured lines were numerous: increased surface area allowed the lines to sit higher in the water, offering less drag, easier mending, less water spray, and easier pick-ups; the micro-textured surface trapped air to provide increases in both shootability and flotation—all while decreasing friction;"

which really made me think.

Increased surface area = higher floating. Ok, seems logical to me.

Offering less drag. What kind of drag? Probably drag based on contact between water and line surface.

A lot of instructors over the years have been telling me, that a roll cast as well as all kind of Spey casts won't work on grass. This was because the water provides a higher resistance for the anchors as grass does.

Now I don't agree, that Spey casting can't be done on grass either. But in fact I do agree, that the higher reistance water offers to our anchors is a significant benefit. Seems to me like the sharkskin based reduced drag should be a disadvantage here. At least if all the instructors are right here that would be.

Some time ago Aitor Coteron and me have made quite a number of slow motion videos from the bird's view, while performing Spey casts. Always the anchor started to slip backwards to some degree, before the anchor left the water in order to move forward. The more the anchor slipped backwards first, the less effective the cast was!

You may want to check this: Roll Cast Issues.

Having all this in mind I am wondering, if a high flotant, reduced drag fly line would really be the best choice for D-loop casts (Speys, Rolls etc.)?

Personally I don't think so! But of course I might be wrong. I am pretty sure Sexyloops soon will provide the answer to this!

At the moment am pretty busy organizing the German fly festival and teaching fly casting/fishing. As soon as I will have some spare time, I shall give the sharkwave fly line a go and compare it with other fly lines. Yes, slow motion will be included. I'll come back with some serious answers hopefully.

If you have a total different meaningabout the ultimate fly line, feel free to start a thread on the board to help all of us to learn something here!

All my best

Bernd

p.s.: I also doubt, that increased surface area will result in less friction between the air and the line surface during accelerating and unrolling the fly line. In fact I could think of the opposite as well!

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