TR: Sylk

@#$%! I just wrote this damn post, and deleted it before I sent it.

Equipment:
South Bend #24, 8 1/2', 2-piece, 6wt. with small guides. Precisionbilt
Mosquito reel, with backing and 444 Sylk WF6F line. #12 Olive Wooly Bugger.
Famous Grouse Scotch.

Location:
Neshaminy Creek at Dark Hollow: tree-lined stream, some under-cut banks,
some cold-water seeps, some blow-downs, some riffles, runs, 3 -4' deep
pools, submerged rocks, easy to wade, 8 1/2' rod is needed for some deep
flat water, a little tight around some narrow tree-lined spots. Stream has
smallmouth, sunfish, rock bass, carp, some largemouth, bullheads, pickerel.
Water was cool and slightly turbid from heavy rains the previous evening. I
started at noon and quit around 5. The day started calm and overcast with
low clouds, and became sunny and windy.

The Sylk line is smaller in diameter than the 333 WF6F I was using on the
same stream the previous day. The Sylk is very supple, and pretty oily
feeling. It is mustard yellow with black speckles, and might look sort of
like silk a little from a distance in the right light, maybe.

The Sylk doesn't load the rod like the 333 does, and I'm not convinced it
isn't a 5 1/3 weight line, not a 6 weight. I'm guessing that Cortland
reduced the number of microspheres to reduce the line diameter, and
compensated with the extra-oily finish, but trimmed down the weight a tad
too, to further reduce the diameter.

Because it doesn't load the rod as much, I couldn't cast the 444 Sylk as far
as the 333 - maybe a loss of 10 or 15 feet. But, because of the super slick
finish, the line slides right through the fingers and guides and really does
shoot out pretty nicely. I found that on closer casts I was overshooting
the mark - the line went farther than I thought it would. But for distance,
it didn't have the oomph.

Now the good news: the line lays down in the water super sweet. Just as
gentle as feather - this wasn't due to skill on my part, my casting sucks -
the line just floats down onto the water as easy as can be.

Bottom line: more fish caught, bigger fish caught - a dozen smallmouth from
12 - 16", but only 4 little smallmouth. 7 jumbo sunfish, but only 4 or 5
little ones, and 3 nice rock bass, including one bruiser. It appeared the
bigger fish weren't getting line spooked, and were slamming the fly before
the little ones had a chance to get at it. I couldn't cast from quite as
far away, but far enough, and with such a dainty presentation, that the
smallmouth bass were leaping for joy at the prospect of soon meeting such a
fine fisherman. O.K., the turbidity of the water was masking my approach
somewhat - I admit that now - , and my little black Brittany is learning to
stay at my side in the water instead of swimming through the pool I'm trying
to fish, and the planets were in perfect alignment, and the Gods had so
arranged the Solunar tables to favor me, but I still think this line alights
so gingerly upon the water surface is a real boon to my otherwise laughable
technique, or lack thereof.

Even though the line feels oily, it doesn't leave an oil slick in the water,
or a mess on the hands or tackle. It picks up nice, and floated fine all
afternoon, with no additional dressing - better than the 333.

So, I'm a little disapointed it doesn't ~really~ look like silk line. But
if the Sylk diameter trade-off is a little distance for a much better
presentation, I'll take it. Even if it does look like dirty mustard.

Timothy Juvenal