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Difference between SA Mastery and SA mastery that's a couple years old?

1K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  zlenart1 
#1 ·
is there really a difference between the SA mastery series saltwater for this year and a couple years ago?

I need to buy new fly line and I want to spend around $55 or less on it. I found some SA mastery saltwater from a couple years ago for this price and was wondering if it's a good deal. Or if you guys have any suggestions on better deals
thanks
 
#2 ·
Can't tell you whether an older line (new, old stock) is as good as a current offering - but I have had some experience buying older lines -and it wasn't good.... Found a handful of "close out" lines (Scientific Anglers, of course) at my long time tackle shop. They were clearly old lines, at least ten years old. Great price, but they didn't hold up well at all -the plastic coating was just plain brittle compared to a new line (and there's the problem - every plastic made these days has a planned lifespan and will simply begin to fall apart after a certain number of years). Hope this helps
 
#3 ·
Yea I'm agreeing with Capt Lemay if the lines are older then say 4 to 5 years old, then I would stay away from them.  I can see where Bob had a problem with 10yr old line.  The coating is poly and tends to dry out over time.  However, I've had lines that lasted over 10 years because I dress the snot outta them before I store them back up.  Keeps em from dryin out!

IF (the big "if") the shop promises its only about 2-3 years old and says they will take them back if they are shot, AND, they fit your fishing situation and needs, then it should be ok and worth the savings.  You can check to see if they have a really dry feeling to them or stickiness to them.  Those lines should have the AST impregnated coating to them.  On the new or near new lines, they will feel slick but not oily.  That AST film will leach out of the poly coating over time, keeping it supple and a slight coating to help it to shoot well, until one day it dries up becoming hardy worth using.

So if you get them for that price if they are only a "few" years old and in new shape, dress the heck out of them and keep them that way and they should last for a good while.  I recommend "Glide" for a good dressing, but you can also be cheap and dress it with some Armorall and a good soft rag.  Remember, you should clean the line first before you dress it and do that every time you put the outfit away.  You'll keep the line good for years to come and add about 10 extra feet to your cast by doing that.  One other note, properly and slowly stretch it out before you start fishing it that day and do a quick re-dressing.  That will add an extra 10ft on top of that to your cast!   I've had many people ask me to show them how to add an extra 10-20ft to their cast and I tell them by doing those things alone, you will add that distance to their cast.  ;)

Ok then.....

The OTHER question is.... "what lines are they?"  If they are something that are hardly used and normally undesirable to guys who are "in the know" of what is a good line to use overall, then maybe that's why they have sat on the shelf for so long.  I see many guys out there with good rods and very expensive reels and then "crap" for their fly line or the wrong flyline for their fishing situation and they wonder why they can't quite get the fly out there.  I can turn a junker fly outfit into a beautiful instrument with a very good quality fly line that fits their fishing situation.  So that leads to the statement that "the flyline is as important to the fly fisherman as the fly rod."  The fly reel (and the quality thereof) comes behind those two.

So the point is, you may be happier paying the extra $20-$25 on the "Right" flyline as opposed to getting a deal on something that is not quite optimally designed for that fishing situation and conditions, or even your casting skills.

So with that said, tell us what your looking at (there are around 20 different models of SA Mastery series), where and what you will be using it for and your casting level?  Then you will get a more accurate "thumbs up or thumbs down" from the guys of this board who know the stuff.

Ted   :cool:
 
#4 ·
Ok thanks for the info. The one I'm looking at is mastery saltwater and it has the AST logo on the box, it's 45$ which would be awesome to spend. I also found what appears to be the current saltwater mastery for $55, and I found the Rio general purpose saltwater premier series for $65. I'm gonna be using it mainly for redfish and snook, but I'd probably say 90% of the fish will be redfish.
 
#6 ·
Ok I'll check them out. I've also been told to overline by one weight by some of my friends. Is this a good Idea? I've been casting pretty well with my 8wt line on my 8wt BVK

edit: Sierra Trading post has Sharkskin saltwater for $62 or airflo sniper tropical bonefish for $50 so those are options as well
 
#7 ·
Over lining a rod by 1 wt makes it feel like a slower blank. I personally hate that feeling. Find the rod that has the flex you like rather than trying to impart that flex by increasing line wt. Some manufacturers tend to be on the heavy side across the entire product line, while other are true to their weight.

Is this line going on an 8wt bvk? If so I'm sure you could get a consensus here on the best lines and tapers to go with. On a side note I have heard nothing but bad stuff on the sharkskin.
 
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