Scientific Anglers BALANCE Fly Line Review - A Tale of Two Tapers
Breathe in. Breathe out. Feel the Balance in All Things.
Zen enthusiasts, rejoice! Balance has been restored to the world of saltwater fly lines. No more clunky overweighted heads. Away with oversized, gluttonous fly lines. Magnitude Balance fly line is here. Magnitude being the line series, Balance being the taper design itself (just in case you're new to all this).
But do we really need yet another taper? Your wallet says no but your heart says YES.
If you haven't yet tried ANY of the new Scientific Anglers MAGNITUDE Series fly lines, it's well worth considering. They are SA's most popular tapers but made in an all new material, in addition to having very good clear tips (or full clear line as an option, but don't choose that if you are new).
It's likely that I personally sell more Grand Slam lines than almost anyone on Earth. It isn't perfect but it's a very good choice for most customers and their target species of fish. I still prefer SA Bonefish PLUS for nearly everything 8wt and some 9wt applications, but keep in mind I also fish lighter flies than most. Regular SA Bonefish is very enjoyable to cast but sadly hardly anyone buys it anymore ever since Bonefish PLUS came out. Nobody buys Infinity Salt unless they are just really particular and somehow can't get along with the other two options, or even a Tarpon taper in 10-12wt. RIO Flats Pro line is a full size heavy, that is getting obese. As the sales rep for Rio (a world-record-setting fly fisherman himself) once said to me: "It's for people who can't cast." And I agree. But that's a lot of people so maybe Rio knows their customer base.
Balance taper now gives customers a brand new option to argue with me about (oh boy), with a 30ft weight of 235gr in 8wt, for example. Which might sound familiar, because it's the same grain weight as... wait for it... Grand Slam. But that's not the entire story here so put down your pitchforks and pay attention. This taper was actually developed and tested in the Keys by a famous saltwater fly fisherman in Key West to his own preferences, centered around his love of Permit, Bonefish, and Tarpon. The idea being that he wanted a more advanced and versatile line for proficient casters to deliver better long shots when needed but also be able to turn around and hit a quick shot up close just in case. This job description does sound a lot like Grand Slam (which again, for those reading this who may not know, in fly fishing means catching a Bonefish, Permit, and Tarpon all in the same day).
The measure of the 30ft weight is commonly used as "grain weight" but the actual head is longer than this in most fly lines. The rest of the taper also has weight to it. Not all fly lines cast the same even if they appear to weigh the same. Grand Slam is around 40' whereas the new Balance taper clocks in at 43.5' so there is some difference, and again where the weight is most concentrated on the head also matters, with much of it fairly far forward on Grand Slam. See the taper images below - First is the new Balance taper in Clear and also Clear Tip (two flavors for this new one, not to mention Smooth vs Textured for each, so a total of four variants). Second is Magnitude Grand Slam, also available four different ways.
So, what do you think? A picture is worth a thousand words.
I will have to work hard to update every fly rod review I have done so far, adding this as a line comparison along with the other popular choices. I suspect I will like it with most rods but as I often say "I am not my customers" - I'm still going to put most customers on Grand Slam because I feel it best fits most situations they will likely find themselves in, especially wind where many will struggle. And I always look out for my customers.
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*Guys please keep in mind that this platform I write on does not allow me to reply directly to comments. Send me an email or call me, I don't always see blog comments.
That being said, I will reply to questions I do see below:
Q: "Interesting take on this line! Do you have any general casting notes comparing this Balance taper specifically to Bonefish+? Would be going on a Orvis Helios4d 8wt. I was interested in switching to grand slam to slow down and flex the rod a bit deeper when taking shorter shots but the heavy, front-loaded taper wasn’t super attractive. Would be wading flats in northern Belize chucking crabs and shrimp for permit and bones. Thanks!"
A: Not a big difference from Bonefish Plus for that application honestly. There are truly too many fly lines. But this is nice for those intermediate and advanced casters. For your purposes of chucking crabs to Permit, I think Grand Slam still works just fine but this would split the difference between that and either Bonefish Plus or Infinity Salt for example. P
1 comment
Interesting take on this line!
Do you have any general casting notes comparing this Balance taper specifically to Bonefish+? Would be going on a Orvis Helios4d 8wt. I was interested in switching to grand slam to slow down and flex the rod a bit deeper when taking shorter shots but the heavy, front-loaded taper wasn’t super attractive. Would be wading flats in northern belize chucking crabs and shrimp for permit and bones. Thanks!