RMNP Fall Colors

[Scott Spencer]

Sorry to bump and old thread but David, I was wondering if you might recommend a good 3 or 4 wt line to use in the park? I've recently acquired a 7'9" TFO finesse in 3 wt and will be spending a week is estes park just after July 4th.

Thanks!

Scott

[David Knapp]

Originally Posted by Scott Spencer

Sorry to bump and old thread but David, I was wondering if you might recommend a good 3 or 4 wt line to use in the park? I've recently acquired a 7'9" TFO finesse in 3 wt and will be spending a week is estes park just after July 4th.

Thanks!

Scott

Scott, I think you will enjoy RMNP. On light rods, I often recommend that people consider getting a double taper line since you normally won't be casting far. Personally I stick with SA and Rio lines with probably the majority of my lines being Rio. Also, consider the action of the rod when choosing a line. A lot of lines today are made a half size heavier. Since the finesse is a rod with a softer action, overlining is probably not the best idea. I would choose a true 3 weight line. If you're not sure if the line that you are considering is a true 3 weight or a half size heavier just check with the fly shop staff. Daniel at LRO can help you here...

Also, if you are interested in company on the water when you are out here, give me a holler when the time gets closer and if I'm around I'll see if I can join you and show you some of the water I fish for a day.

[tnflyfisher]

Originally Posted by Scott Spencer

I was wondering if you might recommend a good 3 or 4 wt line to use in the park? I've recently acquired a 7'9" TFO finesse in 3 wt and will be spending a week is estes park just after July 4th.

Great dry fly rod... although not much for battling the wind and or dry/dropper rigs.

I own the 4wt and 5wt with the 5 being my favorite of the shorter Finesse rods due to its versatility.

For strictly dry fly action, SA Mastery Trout in a 3wt hands down...
If you don't mind your line singing to you when you fish... the new SA Trout Stalker in a 3wt performs fairly well as an all purpose line. It will help with mends, wind, turnover and distance all a bit more than the Mastery series...

Tight Lines,

[Scott Spencer]

Thanks for the tips and advice. My other rods have Rio line and I think I'll try to stay with that. If I can't then I'll go with the SA.

I've been to rmnp a couple of times David but never fished it. We're flying in Jul 7 and leaving the 14th. Can't remember the name but we're staying about 2 miles from the park. I plan to bring my TFO 5wt pro and the TFO 3wt. My wife is bringing her 4wt Ross.

I'd love to fish with you and thanks for the offer!! I will definitely get in touch before we head out there.

Scott

[tnflyfisher]

Originally Posted by Scott Spencer

Thanks for the tips and advice. My other rods have Rio line and I think I'll try to stay with that. If I can't then I'll go with the SA.

Scott, I wanted to jump back on here and mention that while Rio makes some popular fly lines, they are often not true to line weight. While the Rio Gold is actually advertised to be a half weight heavier, the other lines are also heavier just without being advertised as such...

The only reason I mention this is due to you having the TFO 3wt finesse. Again, they are soft rods and at times often benefit from being underlined. I am not trying to start a Rio vs. SA battle because Rio lines also fish extremely well but in the case of the finesse, I would recommend you give the 3wt Mastery Trout a try. It is a true 3wt line and will feel like heaven while tossing small dries to those hungry mountain trout...

Tight Lines,

[David Knapp]

Originally Posted by tnflyfisher

The only reason I mention this is due to you having the TFO 3wt finesse. Again, they are soft rods and at times often benefit from being underlined. I am not trying to start a Rio vs. SA battle because Rio lines also fish extremely well but in the case of the finesse, I would recommend you give the 3wt Mastery Trout a try. It is a true 3wt line and will feel like heaven while tossing small dries to those hungry mountain trout...

Tight Lines,

Good point. For some reason I thought the Rio Grand lines were true to the proper weight. Anyone know anything about that?

[tnflyfisher]

Originally Posted by David Knapp

Good point. For some reason I thought the Rio Grand lines were true to the proper weight. Anyone know anything about that?

DK -
I confused my lines actually... sorry, I don't use Rio. I meant the Rio Grande is in fact the line that is advertised as a half weight heavier, like the SA GPX. The Rio Gold however is not advertised as being heavier but really it is as well. Even the Trout LT series is a bit heavier from what I understand. I like SA lines but it is just a personal preference. About like Canon vs. Nikon in the photography world, both are great camera systems and both have die hard fans...

That's why the SA Trout is a very nice true trout line for the weight listed. It is however more of a dry fly line so keep that in mind on your intended use. I will say that after fishing the troutstalker, I am going back to the mastery trout when it comes time to change out my line again. I recommend it for anyone who hasn't tried it yet...

It is just hard to find a true line weight these days without actually weighing the head yourself...

Tight Lines,

[Scott Spencer]

Excellent info on the Rio lines!! I'll go with the SA mastery trout and hopefully that will do the trick.