AirFlo Polyleader

image courtesy of AirFlo http://www.flylines.com/

Some while back, on a whim, I bought two AirFlo Polyleaders at Barlow's Tackle. No idea what I was going to do with them but the little gremlin on my shoulder was whispering that I really did need to buy them just in case.

Finally, just the other day, I concluded that I needed to test this stuff out. I was mildly concerned as I have read all kinds of stories about hinging and getting hit in the back of the head etc.

Today I ran a test session out on the grass at work. Pretty much as I'd expected but not so awful bad.

I was using an Wright &McGill Eagle Claw Featherlight 5/6 weight with a Cortland Ten Meter DT five weight line. Now, casting the Ten Meter line itself on this rod was a sort of polka-ish, oompah kind of speed. Think of slow, tuba and accordion music. A nice gentle pace. No tight loops, but it gets it out there as long as you don't get in a hurry.

Then I added the four foot Extra Super Fast Sinking Bass/Pike Polyleader. Now its like you had hung up in some elodea and were dragging the streamer out - surge, acceleration, heavy inertia felt as line comes flying back. Wait for it, wait for it (oompah, oompah) ugly fearsome loop-like thing is at it's rearward apex. Forward cast, dragging it like a piece of snotweed is attached to the hook. As it passes overhead I am thankful that there was no hook involved and that I'll be casting this well off to one side when its armed with a fly - suddenly the line hanging below the reel in loose array takes off like the harpoon rope in a whaling boat that is about to leave on a Nantucket Sleigh Ride. I was never able to shoot line with this rod before; man am I shooting it now! Physics at work.

Until I sorted out the stroke I created some unique and fascinating knots in the fly line, the sort of knots ordinarily reserved for bait casters or tippet on a windy day and a fat fly.

I think that if I keep it close with this rod I'll be OK. For any real distance a much stiffer, faster rod will be more ideally suited.