Airflo Sixth Sense 2 Intermediate Fly Line Fast Inter WF

Build & Coating

The Power core is the heart of the Sixth Sense 2. It's a low-stretch core, so there's very little give between you and the flies, and it's made to remain supple in the cold.

For UK stillwater anglers, that last point counts for a lot, as the chilly early and late weeks of the season are when a stiff line coils, kinks and fights you all day.

The finish is translucent green and mid-green, and at 105ft long, there's plenty of line to cast and some to spare on the reel.

A tapered profile runs into a 46ft head, and every size from WF5/6 to WF8/9 shares that same head length, so it should feel familiar whichever rod you put it on.

Is there anything to knock? Not much, to be fair. It's built for a specific job, fishing just under the surface on stillwaters, and the core and finish are clearly designed around that. For me, the 8.9 is well earned for a line put together this thoughtfully.

Casting & Turnover

The long front taper is what makes this line such a strong stillwater tool. Stillwater anglers often fish two or three flies on one leader, and a long front taper should turn that team over smoothly rather than dumping it in a heap.

It's built to balance that delicacy with distance too, so it should reach fish at range from the bank as well as from a boat.

The 46ft head carries plenty of line in the air, which helps with long casts, and total head weights run from 265gr to 390gr across the sizes. The first 30ft weighs from 177gr to 270gr, which gives you a useful guide when you're matching it to a rod.

On a decent reservoir rod, the low-stretch core and tapered profile are made for accuracy, and it should put the flies where you aim them. I think the 8.9 is fair for a line that's this well suited to teams of flies.

Presentation & Handling

At 1.5 inches per second, it's a fast intermediate, so it gets below the surface quickly and should cut through the wind ripple that drags a floating line around.

That's what you want for buzzers, nymphs and small lures fished just under the surface, and the long front taper is there to keep the presentation delicate too.

Its translucent green and mid-green colouring is designed to stay low-key under the surface, which should help with wary fish in clear water.

The low-stretch core helps with presentation as well, as takes on an intermediate are often just a pluck or a tightening, and direct contact should let you feel them sooner.

In the hand, a core that stays supple in the cold should keep it from coiling at your feet on a raw spring morning.

Do you need something slower for fish right in the surface film? The Airflo Superflo Mini Tip's Slow Tips sink at 0.5ips for that job. For fishing just under the ripple, though, I think the 8.9 is fully deserved.

Is it good value for money?

It's one of the dearer intermediate lines, and that's the only reason value sits a touch lower at 8.7.

The Scientific Anglers Wet Cel Intermediate Clear and the Greys Platinum X Intermediate both cost a lot less, and they'll do the basic job of fishing a fly just under the surface.

What you get for the extra is the low-stretch Power core, the long front taper for teams of flies and a core that stays supple in the cold.

For an angler who fishes an intermediate most weeks of the season, I think that's money well spent, because the line you use most is pretty much always the one most worth paying for.

Overall, I'd recommend the Sixth Sense 2 Fast Intermediate to stillwater anglers who fish teams of buzzers, nymphs and lures from the bank or a boat, on reservoirs and small stillwaters alike, and who want a line that should stay supple from the first cold weeks to the end of the season.