Leland on the Airflo Fish Tec Fly Line
What makes the Airflo Fish Tec Fly Line an
unbeatable deal at $19.99?
First off, this discounted line is an all-polyurethane fly line made by
industry heavyweight Airflo. Polyurethane lines don't crack like PVC lines can, are highly resistant to UV rays, and don't even disintegrate in contact with DEET. So it's
super durable.
Second, the Airflo Fish Tec Fly Line is built on a
low-stretch core, for increased sensitivity, more powerful hooksets, and better casting (Imagine trying to form nice loops casting a bungee.)
Finally, the Fish Tec Fly Line has an easy-casting weight forward taper,
with a short head for quick loading and an extended rear taper for
easy mending and stability in the air. If you're looking for a steeply discounted fly line that will
perform admirably and last for years, pick up the Airflo Fish Tec fly line.
Specifications:
- Fly Line Density: Floating
- Fly Line Taper: Short belly, weight forward with front welded ‘Micro Loop’
- Running Line Length: 51 feet (for 5 weight line- varies by line weight)
- Total Line Length: 90 feet
- Core: Low stretch braided monofilament
- Line Weight: 5/6 (for fast five weights or mid-fast six weight rods)
- Color: Blaze Orange
Leland on Airflo Fly Lines
Airflo is a stand-out among fly line manufacturers in several ways, but one of their defining characteristics is their use of polyurethane (PU) instead of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to build their fly lines. As plenty of people know, PVC is non-recyclable, and its manufacture entails a less-than-friendly solvent process with controversial environmental upshots. PU, on the other hand, is easily recycled, lasts longer in UV environments, and doesn’t require plasticizers to stay supple over the years. Airflo is so confident in their PU fly line technology that they offer a 5-year No-Crack Warranty.
What’s more, Airflo fly lines are built on incredibly low-stretch cores – 6% or less. For strike detection and hook setting,
this low stretch is essential – ask any experienced tarpon angler. But
one of the less understood merits of a low-stretch core like Airflo’s
multifilament Power Core has to do with casting. If a line stretches less, it offers better energy transfer and enhanced loop stability, especially at distance. For those who haven’t spent any time around casting tournaments, it might be hard to believe, but low stretch fly lines like those from Airflo are less prone to ‘jumping’ and are invariably more accurate. Power Cores are also supple over a much wider temperature range than monofilament, making line management easier in a host of fishing situations.
Leland on Airflo
With a huge following in their native UK and across Europe, Airflo is undoubtedly one of the preeminent names in fly line manufacturing.
Since their start in the late 1980s under UK angler Paul Burgess – when
they defined themselves through a move away from the traditional
solvent-based PVC fly line technology of the day – Airflo has stayed at
the forefront of fly line design and development, with a slew of patents to show their industry leadership. Airflo was the first firm to develop density compensation (DC) and the welded loop, which are now industry standards.
One of the largest selling points about Airflo lines is their
longevity, which has its source in the material used in manufacture:
polyurethane (PU). Like other urethanes, which are used in car
dashboards, boat paints, and car paints, PU is highly resistant to UV and chemical damage, and won’t leak solvents over time to crack as other fly lines can.
Integral to the long-lasting performance of Airflo lines is Airflo’s two-layer extrusion method, called Polyfuse XT. Utilizing a specialized extruder which is like a ‘nozzle inside a nozzle’, Airflo can seal two separate layers of polyurethane around a fly line core, and adjust the ratios of each material as the core passes out the extruder. The middle layer contains the defining elements of the line (whether microballoons, for flotation, or metal dust, for sinking ability) while the outer layer seals the line and contains all the slick-shooting properties that should be concentrated on the exterior. As a result, Airflo lines are less porous and consistently last longer.
Whether you’ve been fishing Airflo for years, or have just started to catch wind of their virtues, you should know that Airflo fly lines are hugely impressive, and Leland is thrilled to have the opportunity to carry them.
Airflo on Airflo Fly Lines
Only Airflo lines are made from UV resistant super tough polyurethane.
There are no liquids used in the manufacture of Airflo lines and
therefore they last longer than PVC lines. With dry lubricant in the
outer coating, Airflo lines stay cleaner than other lines and don’t require as much care as PVC lines.
Use an Airflo Turbo Shoot cleaner or other thin non-sticky cleaner/protector
like STP Son of a Gun. By cleaning your line you help the front of the
line float and keep friction in the guides from degrading line
smoothness. You can use any brand fly line cleaner or conditioner on any Airflo fly line. Airflo lines are hardly affected by DEET
and other chemicals that would normally ruin a fly line. You don’t have
to worry about getting insect repellant on Airflo fly lines.
Airflo on Airflo
Not happy with the PVC fly line technology of the day, Paul Burgess, a mad keen flyfisher,
who also happened to be a qualified engineer, set about changing the
process by which modern fly lines are manufactured. Moving away from the
traditional tower system, Paul began extruding fly lines with computer controlled systems that allowed for control over production accuracy previously thought impossible.
That was the late 80s. Now, over 20 years later, Airflo is the world's leading manufacturer of solvent free fly lines
and is responsible for developing a series of innovations unparalleled
by any other line manufacturer during that period. Whilst we may not
have invented the fly line, innovation has been a keystone at every stage in our development, being the originators of Polyurethane coatings, creating the first welded loops, developing low stretch cores and even the world's first density compensated fly lines.
More recently, we've developed an advanced range of fly lines with Ridged coatings that reduce surface friction and improve shootability - each breakthrough offering a truly tangible improvement, not some invisible technology developed in the minds of the marketers.
'Green' or 'Environmentally Friendly' is something all fishing companies
like to claim, and whilst we are more than happy to make you aware that
our coatings are kinder to the environment, it was originally the search for a polymer that didn't leach solvents, was unaffected by UV and ultimately just lasted longer that lead us to pursue polyurethane as an alternative to solvent based PVC.
The final result is what we believe to be the world's most advanced range of fly lines and, judging by the bandwagon we've created with our continuous stream of innovation, most of our competitors would seem to agree.
