Rio Fly Lines

T

TYoung

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May 7, 2009
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Here is a cool video that shows how Rio lines are manufactured, and how they test their lines for quality control.

Rio Fly Lines
 
i love their lines. best on the market imho. all my lines are Rio except the Airflo Coldwater Saltwater clear intermediate that I use for stripers.

i started using them because they have welded loops each end and i trust em. not had onbe break yet, nor had a line crack.
 
I was with you Mark but my nephew got a SA Mastery GPX and it casts wonderfully. I want to see how well it holds up before I get one for experimenting. Cool vid though.
 
yeah, SA Mastery are pretty sweet lines - i have fished their Cold Saltwater I9. pretty nice.

I used to fish their Wet Cel and Dry Cel lines a few years back, and they were fine but Rio has leaped ahead of them technologically imho.

still better than Cortland though lol.
 
>>still better than Cortland though lol.>>

I think it very much depends upon what sort of fishing you primarily do, how much attention you pay to line care and what types of rods you usually use.

In all the years I spent running around PA fishing mostly smaller water, Cortland lines were head and shoulders above the rest when it came to durability and ability to make do with only indifferent maintenance. I could walk all over my peach DT 444's and clean them only once a year and they'd still last 2 seasons. SA lines never performed anywhere near as well for me, seldom making a full season. I had one of the first generation of Wulff TT's and it was the nicest casting line I've ever owned. But if you even showed it a picture of a rock, it began to crack and check. My one TT lasted from March to the 1st week in June and it was shot.

Admittedly, this was a while ago (like 15 years..) and maybe Cortland's quality went down the tubes in the interim while I was out in the Midwest where I mostly fished WF's from whatever came my way free or very cheaply. This was mostly mid-range SA's (Supra, etc.) and those $25 Aquanova lines from Canada. But I also had two Rio Golds. One disintegrated (and for no good reason..) in a half season and the other one was a pretty good line that lasted almost a season and a half.

Now, I'm back in PA and I've turned all my old 444's around and respooled them and so far, they are as good as I remember. They need pushed a little harder than the newer, slicker lines to make the (very rare) 50-60 foot cast, but at least I can drag them across a couple logs and between the occasional boulders and be fairly confident I haven't mortally wounded them.

So long as Cortland is in business, I'll always at least give them first shot at filling my line needs, for trout anyway..
 
RLeep, cortland just haven't moved forward. imho compared to 'modern' lines they cast like spaghetti.

I will give you that they're cheap and durable, and they may be fine for close up work but for saltwater, distance, lake or bass fishing - especially on lighter rods, their tapers suck large.

i also had a 7wt cortland line crack and split at the loop that i put in it with a needle.

but each to their own.
 
I fished only 444SL lines for a 24-25 yrs. I'd have to replace the line every 10-12 months. That was all I knew and considered that to be the standard. While fishing in NY, the cover peeled off a bunch of the first 20' of line. The only thing they sold was Rio so I had to get it. I couldn't believe how well / easily it cast. The difference in performance made me a believer. That line lasted over 2 years. All but one of the Rio lines I've bought have been durable. I will say that the cover seems to be more sticky than SA which will hurt at distance. Sharkskin lasted me 3 seasons and feeds out the guides far better than Rio does. It's brutal on your hands though.
 
... are junk.

I gave my last Rio line away after a month.
 
I still have Cortland and rio's that are over 10 years old and still going strong. but I use the right cleaners on them. I am rough on stuff fishing close to 250 days a year.
 
Junk. At least the Gold was for me. I clean my line almost every time I use it. Cracked after no time at all.
 
I can't voice an opinion about Rio lines, but my Cortland lines last for decades. I do take care of them. It is unusual for me to cast beyond 50' anymore, and I am very satisfied with the performance of my Cortland lines. I have at least 6 of them, both 444 and 444SL (my favorite).
 
I will give you that they're cheap and durable, and they may be fine for close up work but for saltwater, distance, lake or bass fishing - especially on lighter rods, their tapers suck large.
Click to expand...

So basically, you're saying for the average trout outfit, they're better?

Note, I do occasionally fish saltwater, lakes and bass, and even larger rivers. That said, I have separate outfits for small stream, medium sized trout streams (up to, say, Penns Creek sized), and large waters. I am quite capable of carrying different lines on each.
 
I have beat up the best of lines. Probably the worst wear any line sees in its lifetime is your guides. Amen.

To the specific name brand topic, I once cast with a RIO product that I think was called something like "selective trout." It was so supple, I thought of silk, though I've never cast silk. I have not seen this product name for RIO in years. Must not have been durable.
 
I remember the "selective trout" line. I believe it's been replaced with the "Light Touch" line, often just abbreviated as LT.

FWIW, I have some Rio Gold on my main trout rig and like it. That said, I really haven't found any lines I dislike.....
 
I buy whatever name brand line is on closeout. The retail price of a fly line these days is ridiculous.

I do like Rio lines when I can find them.
 
I have never tried Rio's flyline. I do like their tippet material. I prefer Cortland and SA flyline myself. I have a couple of Cortland lines that are nearly ten years old and still going strong.
 
I have been using RIO Gold flylines the past few years without issues and will continue to use them if they don't discontinue.
 
Bought the Rio Gold and it cracked after a few weeks. Sent it back and they gave me a new one. Cracked again in no time. I really liked the softness of the line but mine did not hold up well.
I clean my lines fairly often with the Loon line cleaner. Have had no issues with Sci. Angler, Orvis or Cortland lines. Even my Bass Pro line has been good for 1 1/2 seasons.
 
That's pretty strange, foxtrapper, I've never heard of that happening with any line, let alone Rio...in fact I have a Rio Pocket Water that is 5 years old and still going strong.

The only line I've ever had an issue with as far as short longevity was an Orvis Wonderline. Tip gave out within the first month of use.
 
My first 5wt Rio Gold line coating cracked severely after few weeks of heavy fishing.
The replacement line held up for a season and a half.
I do find that the soft coating on this particular line cuts easily.
 
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