shark skin? worth the money?

i was thinking about picking up some shark skin steelhead taper fly line this year.. because mine is pretty shot. i was just wondering if any body has used it. and what are your thoughts.. i would appreciate both pros and cons on the line.. money isnt and issue 100$ for fly line that will last me and preform well is money well spent 

byahn - I use the Rio steelhead and atlantic salmon line for my steelhead fishing and I like it. Has lasted for some time now also. A very slick line that casts well. I do have the sharkskin line for my 5 weight though and I must say that this line is amazing. If you can get past the "zing" noise it makes when your false casting, it really shoots better than any line I've ever used. I was a bit concerned that with the type of construction of the line in that there are small bumps on it, that it would wear the guides over time but Scientific Anglers assures that won't happen. Like pxatim says though, you really don't need a high end line for Erie steelhead (although the Rio was $60.00) Where the sharkskin really outperforms all other lines is it's shooting ability when false casting. And when double hauling --- well that's where it really shines. If you can swing it though, I would think that the steelhead taper of sharkskin would be amazing. If you can - get to a flyshop and try casting it. I think you'd be amazed.

well i mainly fish erie for steelhead.. and being only 22 i find it hard to travel but i do go to alaska almost every year for salmon.. so i wanted a nice line for long river casts.. im planning on using my 7wt sage for sockeye and kings next summer. i know 7wt is light for kings.. but ive caught them on ultra light spinning gear before.. so im expecting the fight of my life on a 7wt lol

I gotta laugh when everyone says its a waste to get a good flyline for erie. I fish elk and walnut all the time and make some longer casts in the open areas to stay away from the already spooky fish. Not everyone fishes an indicator set up, so I think you should get the best line you can. With that said I would not buy the SA Sharkskin simply to protest the unreal pricing of the line. SA, Cortland and Rio make plenty of good mid-range priced lines that will cast great and last many years.

ORIGINAL: byahn32

 know 7wt is light for kings.. but ive caught them on ultra light spinning gear before.. so im expecting the fight of my life on a 7wt lol

 
I've fished a 7wt for early Ontario kings. I hope it's a strong 7 cause all you're going to be able to do at first is hold on.
It ain't fun standing there with no more rod flex / pressure left to apply. So make sure you have a heavy tippet and very good reel to play em' so you won't have to flex the rod so much.
Good luck with it. Keep your hands on the cork. Never on the butt/ blank. 
 
As for a line. Hook n Hackle will do you fine.
 

Is it worth the money? My opinion, no.

It casts fine. But so does a $15 level line!
The noise is ear wrenching.
It didn't add any extra distance to my cast.
It has an annoying zing when it slips through the guides.
The tiny grooves in the pattern make it harder to clean than other lines.
I want to slit my wrists when I hear someone casting it 70' away.



Mike

ORIGINAL: mikeg

I would love to have a shark line. I love casting the lake with streamers, and like eyeofhorus said, I also find myself casting some distances on bigger water.

If you plan on stripping streamers in still water, where your hands are wet alot, better tape up your fingers.  I've sen pics of some brutal abrasions from that line on the hands.

i decided to go with scientific angler nymph line instead.. not that im not going to get shark skin ill just get it for my 9wt switch rod which im also taking with me to alaska