Cheeky All-Day Freshwater Fly Line
Kirk Deeter
October 17, 2024
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The importance of a good fly line cannot be overstated. A fancy high-end fly rod will suffer greatly when matched with a poorly performing line. Conversely, a great line will usually bring new life to an average fly rod.
But do you have to spend over a hundred bucks to get a decent line? The answer is no.
The Cheeky All-Day Freshwater Fly Line is perfectly adequate for most anglers and costs about half of what you’d pay for a top-end line ($59).
The taper is an average, all-around (weight-forward) design that won’t excel in any specialized situations (throwing streamers, delicate dry flies on spring creeks, etc.), but it will work with dries, dry-droppers, nymph rigs and light streamer work in most water types and conditions.
Through years of painstaking evolution, today’s industry-leading fly lines have been custom built, and often over-engineered, for highly specific fly-fishing applications. This has been a performance boon for fly anglers, but also a drawback, as fly line price points are quickly approaching $200. And because line durability (you still get about a single season out of one) hasn’t drastically improved in the same time frame, fly lines are quickly becoming a cost center for serious anglers.
After providing a passing grade for casting performance, the next most important test for the All-Day Freshwater Fly Line was a metric on its long-term endurance and day-to-day durability. And after fishing the line for more than a full season, it held up as well as any of my more expensive lines, minus a few nicks, abrasions and so forth.
Castability, durability and price. Well done Cheeky.
Pros
Modest, budget price point.
Reliable welded loops (both ends).
Line core with low stretch, decreased memory.
Cons
Coating isn’t as slick as some high-end lines.
Taper translates to better casts inside of 30 feet (not a distance line).
Hard to find Cheeky fly line inventory in most fly shops.
I think you get what you pay for. If it lasts for 60 fishing sessions, you’re basically paying a buck a day for your fly line. I was able to put more than 60 days on this $59 fly line, so I consider that a fair value.
- Price: $59
- Size/Type: Weight-forward fly line, 3-weight - 8-weight
- Color: Mint/Stone
- Taper design: Aggressive, weight-forward taper (for varying conditions, fishing techniques, easy loading)
- Head length: 40 feet
- Running line: 50 feet
- Total length: 90 feet
- Line core: Super strong nylon core with no memory
- Line coating: Slick, low stretch for lasting durability
- Connections: Welded loops (both ends)
- Warranty information: Cheeky warranty
Cheeky All-Day Freshwater Fly Line marketing reel:
No fly line warranty info available. If the line is obviously flawed out of the box, return it with a receipt and Cheeky should make it right. Once you start fishing the line, the day-to-day damage is on you.
You want a backup fly line for your 5-weight, because you’re going on a trip, and need a spare? But you don’t want to break the bank? This is your line.
You want a line for your 3-weight that you fish only two times a year, and you don’t want to shell out a hundred bucks. This also works.
You’re new to fly fishing, are blown away by how expensive everything has become, and just want a line that gets you in the game. No problem.
The All-Day Freshwater Fly Line translates in all these scenarios (and others). Nothing flashy. No breakthrough technology. Just a line that casts smoothly and performs without the high-end price point.
And nobody notices the line you fish other than yourself. Of all the fly-fishing products, the fly line plays to an audience of one, more than anything else. If you’re feeling it as you cast, that’s all that matters.
Fly fishing needs more stuff like this.
Find the Cheeky All-Day Freshwater Fly Line direct:
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