"After trying many types of lines I have gone back to the old, hard-to-get silk double taper. This is not because of contrariness or nostalgia, but because this line performs better in every way... They are denser than the synthetics so they cheat the wind better and they have tips that are 20 to 25 percent finer. This finer point not only disturbs the surface less, but also means you can use shorter, more manageable leaders. When greased properly silks actively repel water and can be picked off the surface for the backcast with less disturbance than a line that floats only because it is a bit lighter than water. Then too, the tip floats and I have yet to find a floating line on which the last few feet of line doesn't sink."
Leonard Wright, Jr. "More Sensible Tackle" from "Fishing the Dry Fly as a Living Insect" 1972

"Silk lines had a lithe and supple poetry about them, partially because of their inherent properties, and partially because they are heavier than nylon lines of the same diameter."
Schweibert "Trout Tackle – One"