Clear fly lines have been a subject of debate for about as long as they’ve been around. Some anglers swear by their stealthiness, claiming they provide a serious advantage when pursuing wary flats species like bonefish, permit, and tarpon. Others claim they are overkill or otherwise unnecessary. One thing that most anglers have long agreed on when it comes to clear fly lines is that they come with some significant tradeoffs. With their newest offering, however — its series of Magnitude Clear fly lines — Scientific Anglers is aiming to make those tradeoffs a thing of the past.

Traditionally, clear fly lines — while potentially offering a covert advantage over their opaque counterparts — have come with some considerable drawbacks. Most notably, many clear fly lines tend to have a tacky texture, one that often worsens with time and exposure to the elements. Tacky lines not only shoot poorly through rod guides, they are also often difficult to handle. Clear lines are also notorious for coiling and exhibiting excessive memory. It’s for these reasons that many anglers shy away from adding clear lines to their flats quiver.

Scientific Anglers hopes its new Magnitude lines will make converts of a lot of those anglers. According to the Midland, Michigan-based linemaker, its new clear fly lines are the product of 3 years of development, 16 different materials iterations, and over 2500 hours of on-the-water testing. The result is a series of lines whose construction directly addresses those aforementioned drawbacks of clear fly lines.

Specifically, SA has introduced several new technologies in the Magnitude series of lines. The first, is an entirely new, proprietary line coating, dubbed DuraCoat. Using two unique polymers, the new clear line coating is designed to improve line stiffness and slickness, reducing memory and tangles. The second, which bears the moniker EST Plus, is a brand-new slickness additive that aims to make tacky clear lines a long forgotten memory for flats fishers. Rounding out the package is SA’s Clear Floating Technology, which is said to use naturally buoyant polymers to increase floating performance and overall stealth.

Image credit: Scientific Anglers.

Whether the new Magnitude lines perform as advertised will be up to anglers to decide, but spend a few moments talking with the folks in Midland, and it becomes abundantly clear how much confidence the folks that developed and tested the lines have in the Magnitude lineup.

Available in both smooth and textured varieties as well as clear tip and fully clear versions, in line weights ranging from 6 to 12, and in 4 different tapers, the new Magnitude lineup is expansive. The new clear lines are available in bonefish and tarpon tapers as well as Scientific Anglers’ popular Grand Slam and Infinity tapers.

MSRP ranges from $149.95 (full clear) to $179.95 (clear tip). Head to Scientific Anglers to learn more.

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