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Meridian Line Choice

5K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  Canebrake51 
#1 ·
Anyone with experience with the 8 wt Meridian, what lines have you found paired best with the rod?
 
#2 ·
Sa grand slam. I don't own the 8 weight but I played with that line in 8 on an 8 at the shop before I got my 9. It was a close call, almost got the 8. Now my 6, 9, and 12 all have the sa grand slam. I tried the sa bonefish on my 6 and it's fine but I like the feel of the gs more. Edit: these are 9' 4pc rods.
 
#4 ·
In my search for the best rods for me last year it came down to the meridian and Exocett. Was lucky enough to do a side by side comparison with the two with multiple lines 10’ leader and fly. My favorites were rio bonefish, btt, and sa saltwater. All depends on your casting style and what length head you prefer. The grand slam was a cannon but too aggressive for me.
 
#10 ·
I'd been wanting to try a different line with my 12 and with a $20 discount at the local shop I figured now was the time so I grabbed a liquid crystal guide and just came in from the first casting session with it. Woah. Theres a new favorite. Compared with the sa grand slam this line gives a lighter swing (It's 1/2 size heavy vs around 3/4) while still retaining the feel and it shoots great. Granted it's still new and I haven't cleaned the sa for some time, but I'm sold. Excellent control and turns over well without slapping so hard as the sa does. Memory out of the box wasn't perfect but it seems to relax a little with a few casts, and it's not exactly the same conditions I'll be fishing the line in so I'm thinking it'll be even better later as it gets broken in.
 
#13 ·
I love my 8 wt. with the Tropical Punch for fishing the everglades as it can handle throwing bigger flies and poppers. I used to fish the SA Grand Slam which is pretty much the same line as the TP, makes sense as Bruce Chard designed it for SA. So happy to not be fishing the textured lines anymore, they are super hard on the hands.
For beach fishing I use the WF8-FI Rio line, I like the clear intermediate tip, it's stealthy and I'm not usually casting poppers on the beach.
Interesting to note though on my 10 and 11 wt. Meridians I use the Airflo Tarpon line, it's not as front heavy as the TP and puts the fly down nice and gentle. Love the no stretch cores on Airflo, so good so setting the hook.
 
#15 ·
Never cast a solar. I have cast thehelios 3d. & meridian. The Exocett won the race. Sa saltwater is a booming line and amplitude tarpon is a rocket!srupidly easy to cast and very accurate. Also handles an intermediate better than any other rd I’ve cast.
 
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