Rio Outbound fly line review by Jay Nicholas

Rio Outbound Fly Lines

Chris knows that I fish these lines and has asked me, on a couple of occasions, what I thought about them. Dude, I fish them, what more do I need to say? I don’t fish junk, well, not more than a few casts anyway. If a line doesn’t perform, it doesn’t last – period. Anyway, he asked me to jot down some of my thoughts about these lines for the Blog – so here goes.

But first, a short story. Last fall, I met a nice guy out on the water, a very effective bait fisher who was intrigued with the possibility of catching salmon on a fly. We chatted over several days. I gave him some flies. He asked lots of questions about my tackle, lines, leaders and so on. It turns out that he was listening.

One day I was walking around downtown in Corvallis and my cell phone rang. This fellow was at a fly shop, trying to buy the two lines I recommended he try. They were trying to talk him out of it. Imagine that! The “experts” in the fly shop were contradicting my advice. How rude. What part of “the customer is always right” did they not understand?

Anyway, they were telling him that no one was fishing for salmon with Integrated Head fly lines. The Rio Outbound is an Integrated Head fly line. That means it has a relatively heavy “shooting head” smoothly transitioned (integrated) into a thin running line. Other manufacturers produce Integrated Head lines too.

Well, I guess the sales staff hadn’t consulted with me before they made a blanket dismissal, had they? They were trying to convince him to purchase several standard shooting heads, (about 30’) and a separate running line. The lines they wanted to provide my friend fish quite well (I use them myself sometimes), and they are the traditional tools for fly fishing salmon. So they were giving reasonable advice. But what’s up with arguing against an Integrated Head line?

I just don’t get it. When I meet someone who asks for advice regarding fly lines for salmon fly fishing I go straight to the Integrated Head fly line. The Rio Outbound is a perfect match up for any beginner or advanced fly angler who is getting into the crazy world of salmon fishing.

Here’s why. Outbound lines have about a 37’ shooting head and will be easier to cast than a standard shooting-head. Rio Outbound fly lines, notably, are heavier than the standard rod-weight ratings would dictate. As a consequence, these fly lines will really load your rod. Seriously. Throw on a Rio Outbound 10 weight line (425 gr) and that rod will launch your fly across the lagoon with one back-cast.

Hey, folks, don’t think that these lines are only for salmon fishers, no-siree. Think Sea-Run Cutthroat with a 5 weight F/I Outbound line. Think Klamath Lake with a WF 6 I/3 line. Think Surf Perch. Think Ling Cod with an Outbound Custom-Cut T-14 head. Dude, that line will put you down with the lunkers.

Imagine fly fishing for sea-runs in tidewater or in the slow flowing pools a few miles above tidewater. It’s August, you’re fishing Outbound WF5 F/I line, and you’re cruising the shoreline, casting to structure, looking for a school of cutts. Cast to the shore, strip, strip, strip – no take. Roll cast the line into the air in front of you, make one back-cast, and shoot the line. See there? You’re fishing already. None of the usual make-a-dozen false-casts to get your line out of the guides and your fly back in the water. The Outbound Line, simply, will keep your fly in the water more, and increase your effective fishing time in the process.

I hope you paid attention to those casting instructions. Go watch Jim Teeny demonstrate how to cast his lines. He will retrieve the line to the point where the Head is just about at the rod tip, roll the line out of the water, make one back-cast, and zoom! Out of the guides it flies! That’s how you should be casting all the Integrated Head lines. Now, if fishing conditions require you to retrieve your fly close to the rod-tip, you’re gonna need to make a few more false casts while unleashing some line to load the rod. But believe me, you’ll make far fewer false-casts with an Outbound than you would have made with a standard shooting head.

And there is one more little perk to these Integrated Head lines: No loop-to-loop connection to jam in the guides. Oh-my, that can get me frazzled. The smooth transition from head to running line in the Outbound takes all the worry out of your cast.

If you have to choose two lines for fly fishing salmon in Oregon I would suggest the F/I and the I/3 Integrated Head lines. For Alaska it would be the I/3 and I/6 lines. Why the difference? We tend to fish slower water here at home compared to the Alaska rivers where a faster sinking line is needed to put you in the zone. I/3 refers to an Integrated Head line with a floating running line and an slow sinking head. An I/3 has an intermediate running line with a 3” per second sinking head.

Fishing Klamath for big Rainbow or Crescent for Lakers? The I/3 will probably perform best if the fish are shallow, but deep water might call for the I/6 or even the I/8 lines.

Give these lines a chance. They are a joy to cast and they will put you in any depth zone you choose.

JN

Buy Rio Outbound at the shop.