After almost a week with the temp in the 20's and 30's (plus an ice storm), I bolted for the door when the thermometer hit 55 degrees today. I figured the water would still be very cold so I took a few different 1 wt lines to play with on my Orvis 1 wt Superfine (current full-flex 5.5 Trout Bum model). It was pretty interesting, and despite the cold water I managed to hook a few fish.

The lines I compared are:

• Orvis Wonderline Gen 3 Trout WF1F -- the current "standard WF taper" 1 wt line from Orvis

• Orvis Wonderline Advantage Superfine WF1F -- the previous generation of the "Superfine taper", I believe this has the same taper as the current Gen 3 Superfine line, but does not have the welded loop and has a slightly different coating (I think)

• Sage Quiet Taper II WF1F -- This is the now discontinued WF version of the Sage Quiet Taper lines, and is also the line that Bill Byrd lamented the loss of on his UL site -- http://www.byrdultrafly.com/newline.htm. I guess Sage no longer produces a WF Quiet Taper line in any line weight.
  

The Gen 3 Trout is the line that Orvis threw in when I bought the rod. It works very well with the rod. It's loads easily with just a little line out; it casts very nicely in the 15' to 40' range; and it floats very well. You can tell the taper is a little heavier than the other two lines because it makes a little bigger splash when it lays down, which is usually not a problem for the type of fishing I do. The only real issue I have with this line is the memory which has been addressed before. Now before I begin fishing I pull out about 40' of line and stretch it to straighten it out. It's fine after that. Of the three lines this one was by far the best in the wind.

This is the first time I've tried the Advantage Superfine line and it seemed like a good line if you need a slightly more delicate presentation than the Gen 3 Trout. I lays down noticeably smoother than the Gen 3 Trout and is a little quieter on the pickup. It *doesn't* shoot line as well, nor does is turn over the leader and fly as well on some of the heavier #12 beadhead nymphs I tried on it. For the #16 and smaller nymphs it worked great for me. It was a little harder to feel the rod load with this line until I had 20' or 25' out, although it wasn't really a problem. It handles the wind (10mph today) without too much trouble as long as I concentrated.

The Sage line is one I've had for a while and tried on this rod before. To me it feels like it just doesn't quite load the rod properly. I have a Quiet Taper 0 wt and love it on my Dan Craft 0 wt rod, and I think this line would be great on another rod--it just doesn't feel right on the Orvis. It does cast sparsely tied #16's and smaller very nicely, it lands with almost no splash and picks ups beautifully, but it didn't work well with weighted flies--even small #16 or #18 beadheads. And if the wind was blowing it was pretty much hopeless.

For an all-around line I think the Gen 3 Trout is the way to go. If you need some added stealth I'd go with the Superfine. I'll save the Sage for a different rod--I just don't think it's suited for this Orvis.

As for actual fishing, the sunfish were extremely lethargic today. The few I managed to catch fought like they'd taken a couple valium to start the day, but I did manage a shiner (what else?) that made a couple of splashy jumps and added a little excitement to a slow afternoon.

Jerry

Jerry,
I'm not a big fan of the Orvis lines that I tried several years ago. The one's that I had the opportunity to use ( Silver Label ?) were tacky and wouldn't shoot worth beans. They also were prone to excessive memory and the tips sank like a rock. Has Orvis improved their lines in the last few years or did I just get a couple of bad ones? I usually skim right over them when I see them for sale due to past experiences but have noticed a few on sale at various places for a good price (read cheap).

Doug

Doug, in my experience the memory problem is worse on the Wonderline's that it was on the Silver Labels, but the Wonderline's shoot WAY better. Other than the memory, the Gen 3 Trout taper is really nice to fish. I also have a 5wt Wonderline Power Taper and it's a great line on my Sage RPL.

I fished a Silver Label on my Sage 2 wt for a couple of years around Austin and liked it, but I was fishing small streams back then and rarely needed to shoot line. When I tried it on some of the ponds up here where I was trying to cast a little further it felt like the line was sticking to the rod, so I know what you mean.

If I'm paying full price then Orvis lines aren't the first on my list, but when you can pick them up for $30 or less I think the Wonderlines are a good deal (just stretch them first!).

Jerry thank you sir!