Scientific Anglers Amplitude Bonefish Line: Review

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Photo by Louis Cahill

By John Byron

Looking for the perfect bonefish line? Good luck. Ain’t no such thing. But a really good line for bonefish, those are out there in growing numbers. 

With COVID kicking trips into next year and restricted access to the flats, the driven bonefish chaser then turns to gear. I did. In good shape on rods and reels, I set out to find the best flyline for my eight-weight. 

I’ve found one I really like, Scientific Anglers Amplitude Bonefish with AST-Plus. 

I have been fishing Rio lines and good they are. 

  • Early days I fished the Bonefish Quickshooter — one weight heavy out of the box and with a short, compact head, it’s ideal for the beginner to fight the wind and learn the short shots. Caught a lot of bonefish with the Quickshooter and it’s still my choice for big winds.
  • I then moved up (as I saw it) to a Rio DirectCore Flats Pro with the six-foot Stealth Tip. A bit overweight and front-end loaded like the Quickshooter but not as much. Caught a bunch of bonefish with that line too. But … both these excellent lines are a bit splashy when they hit the water, not the perfect presentation. 
  • So I then moved on to the Rio DirectCore Bonefish line and I really like it. Haven’t fished it on the flats yet, but did spend a ton of time practice casting as I describe below. Verdict? It is a splendid line. Lays out nicely and I’d be happy using it in all but heavy wind.

But then my new penpal Ákos Szmutni in Hungary (he’s building a Stickman T7 for me) suggested I try other lines, including one from Scientific Anglers. I looked at the SA profiles and though I didn’t order the specific one Ákos recommended, I did find one that looked even better. It’s the line that’s subject of this review and I think it’s super. Thank you Ákos.

My test runs were not those fancy shootouts with expert casters measuring all of a line’s esoteric dimensions under perfect conditions. No, I just went out on my dock and tried these lines over and over until I felt I knew what I had. 

Verdict? Of the lines noted above, I like SA’s Amplitude Bonefish best. By a lot.  

  • Venue: small dock on an east-west canal off the Banana River, open water for about seventy feet to my neighbor’s dock.
  • Rod: Scott Sector eight-weight.
  • Leader: twelve-foot with typical weighted bonefish fly.
  • Casting: right-hand caster, to the east into the wind.
  • Wind: sometimes flat calm, sometimes into the coastal sea breeze maybe 15/20 MPH wind (gets much higher, I’d use my nine-weight with faithful old Rio Quickshooter line).

Five things about the SA Amplitude Bonefish stand out against the others:

  • It lays down on the water softly.
  • It carries a longer cast well.
  • It shoots like an artillery piece (this is why: AST-Plus).
  • It loads well for short shots.
  • It throws the tightest loops I’ve ever cast. 

I’ve found looking at profiles is a good way to learn what to expect from a line. Here’s the one for the Amplitude Bonefish: 

A caution. Scientific Anglers previously put the Amplitude name on other lines. How to tell you’re looking at the one I’m touting? Price tag. It costs $129. That’s a bit of a bite, perhaps the costliest on the market (though Rio’s DirectCore lines are only $10 cheaper). 

Worth it? Your call. Me, I’ve ordered another one for my seven-weight. 

Scientific Anglers Amplitude Bonefish line with AST-Plus is the best bonefish line I’ve ever cast.

John Byron

John Byron lives in Cocoa Beach FL. He’s been fly fishing since he was ten. 

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3 thoughts on “Scientific Anglers Amplitude Bonefish Line: Review

  1. As a side note, I own 2 Axio’s 7wt rods. He sent me the blanks & I built using best (snake guides, & best quality reel Seats). These rods are light, cast very well and excel at fighting large, streamer hooked fish.

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