John, My favourite line for use on cane rods are modern silk lines. To be more precise: Phoenix Silk Lines, were made by a gentleman in the UK by the name of Noel Buxton. Production has now been taken over by another Brit, Mike Brookes, who relocated the production to France.
Why? Well: + thinner diameter than 'plastic' lines of the same line size. + beautiful taper. + extremely fine point, allowing me to have thinner diameter butts and getting away with shorter leaders. + which in turn gives me better accuracy. + longer lasting. + optionally turns from floater into an intermediate line. Downsides: + not exactly an inexpensive line ; ( + for it to float high, it needs to be dressed. + does not float so well/long in 'dirty' water. + noisier Distributor for Phoenix lines in the US is a Philly based company called Belvoirdale (www.belvoirdale.com) When the Phoenix lines were still manufactured by Noel Buxton in the UK I had the opportunity to meet with Noel at his home and witnessed the lines being braided. Fascinating! Traditionally silk lines required considerable care and attention. Things are not nearly this bad with 'modern' silk lines. Much has changed as can be seen when one reads the instructions which come with the Phoenix lines. Here are the relevant bits: + Prior to a day's fishing you apply the (Red Mucelin) grease in the traditional manner. Run the line out and apply the grease with a soft cloth, allow to 'air dry'. + At the end of a day's fishing you wipe the line and reel dry and remove any grit. + During the close season the line is hung in loose coils, preferably in a warm, dry area. Prior to opening day clean the dust and old grease from the line with a soft cloth LIGHTLY dampened with turpentine. And for your enjoyment/information, from 'Introducing the Phoenix line': ... In producing... this (the silk) is wound onto "cops" ready for braiding. These "cops" are then loaded onto a braiding machine where the taper is built into the line as it is braided. To give you some idea of the skill and care that this requires, it takes 45 minutes to braid the 4 foot tapered sections of a double tapered line and the tips of a size 5 line contains 120 ends of silk. ... ... The lines are then impregnated, under pressure, with linseed oil to ensure that every strand is penetrated and are hung to dry. They are then impregnated again with other oils to completely fill the braid and again hung to dry, this time in controlled, heated drying cabinets. Now they are ready for varnishing and when the last coat is on, they are left to mature, before finishing and boxing. For a trout line, this has taken eight weeks from braiding to boxing. ... And how do I think they compare with modern synthetic lines? Well, they do not constitute my line of choice for the majority of my fishing, but there are times and circumstances where I think they are superior to plastic lines. Because they are thinner in diameter, especially in their tip, they work very well over shy fish and into a wind. And because of this smaller diameter, they go very well with (classic) cane rods which tend to have smaller guides fitted compared to most graphite rods. Cheers, Hans
