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What is going on with Rio Fly Lines?

3K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  Eric Reesor 
#1 ·
Was shopping around for a new line to replace an old Cortland Peach line. Noticed that Rio has a new line of fly lines out. I saw a "InTouch Rio Gold" and an "In touch Rio Grand". The site also listed the standard Gold and Grand. From what I could cipher
from the hype, the new line has a new, less stretch core. Also the price is about $10.00 higher than the older offerings. Don't know if anything else has changed or not. Perhaps the box it is shipped in. Anybody have any first hand knowledge about them?
 
#2 ·
Rio is now owned by the same company that owns Sage and Reddington. Just last week, I bought a Rio indicator floating line and tried it this weekend. It is made for those who use indicators... plus, the front end of the line is orange in color. The info on the box did indicate that the line is made with some new high-zoot material that limits stretch. If that is so, I don't know. I only used the line for part of a day. I caught some trout with it so it does work for that purpose.

Oh, and it does work quite well for casting large indicators. The weight forward section is heavier than a normal weight forward dry line so it makes for easier casting of the indicator. Basically, it is like bass taper dry line with an orange forward section.

I think some changes have been made to the lines. Most likely, the new company that now owns Rio wanted something a little different than what is on the market today... and of course, charge more.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, West Bank is the holding company. I expect that we will see some changes in all three of the companies. Sage is already dropping rods from their line. I do not know if that is because of technology, or marketing issues. From what I can tell about the Rio issue, is that they now have two separate offerings in each line designation. The newer one has a new core and the older one is, well, the old design and price. I suspect that we will see the old products go away and the new and improved models take the forefront. That is until somebody comes up with a better mousetrap.

I bought a line from Airflo last fall, for my 2 wt and up lined it to a 3 wt. line.
I have not had occasion to use it as I plan on using it in the smaller streams
this summer. Rivers open June 1. :D
 
#4 ·
Far Bank is the parent company. As far as I can tell, just marketing hype. I've always had a love/hate relationship with Rio. Love their tapers...they work & work damn well. Hate, hate, HATE their coatings. Cast fine, but don't last for shit. In the process of switching over to airflo as lines wear out. (Shouldn't take too long)
 
#5 ·
Far Bank Enterprises isn't new, it's been around since 2005. Sage, like all other companies, has always discontinued lines when better lines became the standard. RP, RPL, LL, FLi, etc. Far Bank was probably set up by Sage as a holding company when they started buying other companies. Far Bank's president is Bruce Kirschner, who also partnered with Don Green when Sage was started in 1980. They're in the same building on Bainbridge Island.
 
#11 ·
Yup. I have yet to find a dry fly line that casts significantly better than a 444.

Too bad Cortland must be going through some tough times or something off kilter ... I haven't heard much in regards to Cortland fly lines in years and they were once always in the limelight.
 
#7 ·
With all of the technology available to the line and rod builders, I suspect that the marketing (read$$$$) pretty much dictate what is going to be out there.
I have several Cortland lines and I also have several SA lines. These are all
good lines in their day. But time wears on all physical things and some that are not so physical. Within the past year, I have purchased both a Rio line and a Airflo like to replace old and worn out lines. I have not had occasion to fish them as yet, but they are on the reels and ready to go.

My original question was because I had not seen the new Rio offering before
then. Perhaps I had not looked.
 
#8 ·
Most often, companies that don't stay at the forefront don not remain profitable. Rio/Sage/Redington are no different than any other company. Their philosophy is to stay ahead, obviously and they continue to lead the way in most cases. It's not that other companies don't keep up or surpass them sometimes. They are merely a very good, mass marketing company.
 
#10 ·
What you say is very true. Cortland and SA are all part of a larger marketing program also. Cortland is a cordage company by birth and SA had the giant,
3M company for a mother. I can recall when SA came out with their sink tip
line back in the middle 60's I believe. At least that is the first I ever saw of it.
They seemed to me to be the leader in the fly line industry. Since then we have seen a myriad of change in the fly line manufacturing sector.

I find it interesting that Airflo is marketing all of their lines on the coating and longitudinal grooves along with the core. I guess that is pretty much the story of a fly line. When looking at the array of tapers and types of lines, the inventory of fly lines must be a nightmare for the marketing and retailers.
 
#9 ·
I had so bad Rio Tapered leaders, so ever since then I have shunned Rio tapered leaders along with Rio tippets. When one brand doesn't work for me, I tend to not buy anything that brand has to offer. I don't use anything made by Rio. What works for one doesn't make others happy. I'm glad there are other brands out there for all of us to use.
 
#14 ·
I love these threads about how new products suck and/or cost too much and/or are marketing hype! And yet, the stuff gets bought year after year after year. I for one like most of my newer gear. Most of it beats the crap I started with in the 1970's. That's not to say that every year's new products are as amazingly transformative as the marketing claims, but over the long haul, most gear gets better.
 
#15 ·
Sorry if I offended you Lugan. My original post was a question about the
quality and changes in the lines. I do not recall saying anything about how the products suck or cost too much. Quite the contrary, I think I mentioned the overhead of producing said lines. And yes, you are correct about the improvement in the quality of the newer lines. I will admit that marketing hype is there, but the companies are out to make a buck and apparently hype is part of the deal.
 
#17 ·
I agree with what has been said, but as for fly lines being good or bad. I bought a line from Allen Fly Fishing a few years ago. It is a 4wt floating line. I paid $12.00 bucks for it. It is one of the best lines I have ever bought. It sits on my 4wt reel year in and year out. I never take it off. It has no memory what so ever. When I put my light rods together and started to casting it this year it came off the reel like it was new. no coils at all.

Now I wish I could get another like it for 12 bucks.
 
#18 ·
But those are more expensive too, Jim. I guess everybody is getting hurt
with the price thingy. Manufactures, retailers, and consumers all face
shrinking dollar value and rising prices. I guess that is just the way of
things. Given that situation, one has to acknowledge that we are living
a much more convenient lifestyle.
 
#19 ·
Cortland had to produce a line for the low end of the market just to stay in business. Essentially they took the Walmart route, but they still are managing to produce high end lines. You can't beat their good old 444 dt lines and I used one for many years. Dress the thing and keep it clean and it last for many many years.

I never did like SA lines for indicator fishing. Instead I found that taking a long belly DT 6 or 7 Cortland and making it a little shorter to the leader by chopping off about 3 feet of the taper made it throw a wide loop with big indicators on a stiff 6-7 weight. It also allowed me to roll up 25 feet of leader before the long stroke when indicator long leader rigs of leaches or chironomids.

The same Cortland line caught me hundreds of fish over the years, just last year I gave away the rig to someone who wants to learn indicator fishing because my brother in law gifted me a new rod.

So the changes made to the profile by RIO do make good sense, my brother has been using a RIO indicator line for as long as they have been around and they seem to hold up better than the older fly lines from RIO and definitely suite long leader still water fishing. Trouble is now I have to carry two rods rigged up instead of just switching out to a dry tippet when the caddis and mayfly happen.
 
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