[truchas]

A few things:

* Stretching the line worked like a charm. I went fishing today and did not have any problems with the line... some with mechanics though. Considering this was only my 5th day or so out, I think that I am ok. Most likely, because the taper was attached to the backing, this area was pretty coiled. The line is cheap and all but it works as it should.

* Wtex50 makes a great point, I am not sure if the line is 5wt but I think it is either a 5wt or a 6wt because this reel came originally with a 5/6 wt combo. Now, there have been so many issues with this reel/line (drag was set wrong, line was backwards) that I would not be surprised if the line was not either 5 or 6 wt ;-). Man, it took me a long time to figure some of these problems out.

* Not that it matters at this point (memory) but I checked the guides also and they seem to be fine as far as I can tell. Thanks for the tip Cliff.

* Now to a harder thing, "incompatibility"... Reading reviews for the Fairplay and other Cortland lines, I came across several postings indicating that these lines did not load some rods. Not knowing much about the sport, as you can see ;-), I asked around and was told that if I had a graphite rod, I may experience the same problems as others. This is why I posted... In any case, it was really good that I did because I ended up getting superb advice from all of you, thanks a million!!! And have learned a lot more than by just reading stuff on the web. This is why I think web forums are a valuable learning tool. By the way, I believe that if my line casts ok in my TFO, the Fairplay would probably be even better (you have not seen my line ;-).

*In any case, Following Wtex50 and Eric's suggestion, I bought a spool of Airflo Ridge Presentation for $25, which should be better than both the Fairplay or my hideous line. If what I read is correct, this line has some similarities with the SA Sharksking ("ridges"). The guy that I bought it from had lots of different Rio and Airflo lines on sale (even selective trout but not in 5 wt). I will practice some more with my orange line first. I will not use my new line in concrete, not even in my lawn as I always practice in water (1 min from the house). And BTW, if I went fishing more than I already do, I will be divorced and fired ;-), just new to fly fishing... I think that I am hooked now, what a fascinating sport!!! I hope that I can learn more about it to be proficient in it, but like everything else, it takes time...

Thanks,

Robalo.