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This post is part of our Fly Line Shootout, so if you haven't read our main post, you probably want to check it out.

About RIO Fly Lines

RIO is a relative newcomer to the fly line game. They made their first fly line in 1997. Since then, they've become a market leader due to great products and clever marketing. RIO divides its lines into 4 "series", which are differentiated by technology and price points: Mainstream, Avid, "Premier", & InTouch. Mainstream & Avid are Rio's entry-level lines and they have aggressive front tapers, while the Premier and InTouch series feature a wider array of lines to fit the needs of any angler. Read on to learn more.

The Reviews:

RIO Avid Trout WF

Price: $54.95

The Hype: The lines are designed for easy casting performance, with slightly heavier and shorter head lengths.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

RIO Avid Trout represents the ‘middle’ of Rio’s trout portfolio. In terms of taper, it’s almost identical to RIO Grand. So much so, that it would have been interesting to test the non-InTouch version of RIO Grand side-by-side with the Avid to see if there was anything that was accounting for the $20 price difference. Here's a taper comparison between Grand, Avid, & Mainstream:

You'll notice that the only difference is that Grand is a little larger in diameter (and therefore a little heavier). Overall, RIO Avid Trout is a solid performer across the board, but its shorter head made it a bit more difficult to roll cast or get extreme distance.

As this is the first RIO line we’re reviewing, it’s worth mentioning that many of Rio’s offerings seemed to be geared toward the intermediate angler. Which is to say they are front-loaded to make rods load quicker, and have shorter heads to facilitate shooting line. This also means that they excel at nymphing and streamers, but aren’t the best dry fly lines.

Pros:

• An above average line, at a below average price
• Like many RIO lines, the Avid felt like it was geared toward the intermediate angler

Cons:

• A full line size heavy
• Comes with all of the shortcomings of a shorter head.

Bottom line: Is this RIO Grand for (almost) half the price?

RIO Gold

Price: $74.95

The Hype: The RIO Gold has a revolutionary taper design that gives incredible loop stability at distance, a unique profile that allows a rod to load at close range and a front taper that delivers perfect presentation of flies between sizes #22 and #2.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

RIO Gold might be one of the best-selling fly lines of all time. It’s a modern classic - the standard against which all [trout] fly lines are measured. In this test, RIO Gold came in two varieties: standard and InTouch.

Before we talk about how it casts, I wanted to touch on its taper in more detail. RIO Gold has a continuously sloping belly which transitions into a long rear taper. It’s kind of like the opposite of Triangle Taper, and a lot like Airflo’s new Bruce Chard saltwater taper. It’s designed to load quick, carry a lot of line and turn flies over quickly. As we’ve discussed earlier in this shootout, a long rear taper also makes a fly line feel lighter than it actually is.

While the theory behind this line is sound, it performed much better on the Circa than on the NRX. In fact, it might be our favorite line overall on the Circa (which isn’t surprising, given Sage and RIO are part of the same entity). It just left us wanting more on the NRX and didn’t load the rod enough, or shoot line particularly well. On softer rods, RIO Gold does everything really well, save throw streamers, where its performance was just ok (but this may have as much to do with the rod as the line).

Pros:

• A great all around line for softer rods
• Shorter front taper makes a great nymphing line (on softer rods)

Cons:

• Feels too light for faster rods

Bottom line: A popular line that works great on softer rods.

RIO InTouch Gold

Price: $89.95

The Hype: The ultimate, all-round fly line, with ultra-low stretch performance.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

RIO InTouch Gold is pretty similar to 'regular' RIO Gold. There were two noticeable differences between the two lines: First, while InTouch Gold is 6 grains lighter, it actually feels a little heavier. I think this would be more pronounced if the two lines we tested were actually the same weight. For that reason, we preferred the standard RIO Gold on the Circa, but thought the InTouch was a little better on the NRX. Second, as we noted with all InTouch lines, this one had a little more memory in the running line. It greatly benefits from being stretched out before use. Want to know more? Scroll up and read our review of RIO Gold.

Pros:

• A great all around line for softer rods
• Shorter front taper makes a great nymphing line (on softer rods)
• Low-stretch core benefits

Cons:

• Feels too light for faster rods
• A little more memory than we'd like

Bottom line: A popular line that works great on softer rods - with a low stretch core.

RIO InTouch Grand

Price: $89.95

The Hype: The InTouch RIO Grand is a full line size heavier than the industry standard, and features more weight distributed towards the front of the line to easily load faster action fly rods.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

RIO InTouch Grand is the same taper as RIO Avid and Mainstream. It’s a strong weight forward line designed to help load faster rods. The actual grain weight on the RIO Grand line we tested was a full 6 grains heavier than Avid. Combine that with Rio’s new InTouch core, and this line feels way heavier than Avid or Mainstream. It’s more of a 6.5-weight line, than a 5-weight.

It should come as no surprise that this line didn’t perform well on the Circa – it’s just too heavy! On the NRX, however, RIO Grand works much better, but it’s obviously a line geared toward the intermediate and beginning angler throwing easy medium sized loops well at short to medium distances. It’s also a great choice for nymphing and streamers.

Pros:

• Lives up to its promise of an easy to load line
• Great for nymphing and streamers

Cons:

• Is this really a 5-weight?
• Running line has too much memory

Bottom line: A great choice for beginners and intermediates with faster rods.

RIO InTouch Outbound Short

Price: $89.95

The Hype: Exceptionally powerful, easy casting, line built for maximum distance, with ultra-low stretch performance.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

It’s important to note that this is probably the first time RIO InTouch Outbound Short has ever been tested as a trout line. It’s really not designed for it. It’s designed for pike, or stripers, or roosterfish. But, they make it in a 5-weight and RIO was gracious enough to send us one to test.

First, let’s look at the taper. It’s a front loaded compound taper, that’s basically a shorter (and therefore more weight forward) version of Rio’s popular Avid/Mainstream/Grand taper. OB Short is also a VERY heavy line. According to AFFTA, it’s about a 7.5-weight, unquestionably 2 line sizes heavier than a standard 5-weight. This isn’t a mistake, it’s exactly what RIO intended.

OB Short loaded deep and produced wide loops. Those characteristics are great for streamer fishing, nymphing, and to some extent, beginners. They are however, not what we look for in a dry fly line. It shoots well, but distance suffered because it was just too heavy for the NRX, and way too heavy for the Circa. So, we cast it on the Sage Method, and it really started to shine. It's the perfect line for really, really, fast rods, particularly if you're throwing nymphs and streamers.

Pros:

• Shoots well on really fast rods
• Possibly a good choice for some 6-weights

Cons:

• Needs to be stretched before use.
• Really needs a fast-to-very fast rod to perform well.

Bottom line: Not a trout line per se, but a line that will work well when combined with the right (really fast) rod.

RIO InTouch Perception

Price: $89.95

The Hype: Our revolutionary RIO InTouch Perception floating trout line helps anglers connect with more fish than ever before.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

RIO doesn’t tell you a lot about this line. Part of that is likely due to the fact that RIO InTouch Perception was Rio’s first low-stretch core line, and they are totally stoked about that. The other reason they aren’t talking too much about it is that it’s got an incredibly unique and complex taper. By the numbers, it’s relatively average, with a 7’ front taper, 21’ belly and 6’ rear taper, but the front taper is actually extended an extra two feet before the main section of the belly begins. The rear taper is also a bit different as it feeds into a thick handling section that extends for roughly 10’. Weight-wise, it’s nearly identical to SA GPX.

I’m not going to even attempt to figure out what each of these design features is supposed to do, but I can tell you that it’s one of Rio’s best all-around trout lines. While many of Rio’s offerings are geared towards making it easier for beginners, Perception is a much higher performing line that offers truly blended performance.

Pros:

• An above average line in virtually every category.
• Roll casts well

Cons:

• Needs to be stretched before use due to the added memory of the InTouch core

Bottom line: Perception is a bit of a sleeper in Rio’s lineup. For most rods and applications, Perception is Rio’s best all-around line for better casters on fast rods.

RIO InTouch Single Hand Spey

Price: $84.95

The Hype: The rear weight distribution loads a rod deeply in the tightest of quarters, allowing anglers to make long, effortless casts with obstacles close behind. Though primarily designed for roll casting, this line also performs exceptionally easy overhead casts with incredibly smooth loop control.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

RIO Single hand Spey has a very long front taper, a short, fat, belly, and a short back taper. I’d actually describe it as a really, really, aggressive Triangle Taper. The first 10’ are quite light, giving the line quite a bit of presentation, but after that it’s quite a heavy and thick to allow the line to water load well. Overall, it’s actually a full 7-weight line.

Like SA’s SBT, Rio’s new InTouch Single Hand Spey Line is a new breed of line that is aimed at the light Spey, roll-casting, and single-hand Spey market (duh). Like SBT, Single Hand Spey unsurprisingly is excellent at both roll casting and single hand Spey casting. They are definitely NOT the same line, however. SBT reminds me of a Skagit line – a blunt instrument that works really well for chucking a lot of weight. SHS on the other hand, is more of a Scandi line – much more subtle and versatile.

Unfortunately for Rio, the marketing doesn’t really showcase how great of an overhead casting line this. It casts really well. It shoots really well. It even has fairly decent presentation. But it will take some getting used to. It’s definitely non-traditional and it’s very evident while casting.

Pros:

• A fabulous roll-casting and single hand spey line
• Great performance across the board
• More versatile than SBT

Cons:

• Non-traditional feel

Bottom line: If you spend time in tight quarters and want a line that you can fish the rest of the day as well, this is it.

RIO InTouch Trout LT

Price: $84.95

The Hype: The ultimate line for delicate presentation, with ultra-low stretch performance.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

RIO Trout LT has been around for a while. In its latest incarnation, RIO has added its low-stretch InTouch core to this popular line, which makes it feel a bit heavier. It’s a lot like Wulff’s Triangle taper in its basic shape, but features a longer head and about twice the front taper. It’s also a very light-weight line and it won’t work very well on faster rods. As the marketing states, though, RIO InTouch Trout LT is the ultimate line for delicate presentations. Unfortunately, you do sacrifice a lot in terms of usability (vs Triangle Taper) to get marginally better presentation. It’s up to you to decide if that’s worth it.

Pros:

• The ultimate presentation dry fly line

Cons:

• Needs to be stretched before use.
• Too light for faster modern rods

Bottom line: If casting size 22 midges to super spooky trout is your game, there’s no better choice than this.

RIO Lightline

Price: $74.95

The Hype: Designed for slower action rods; especially bamboo, glass and “classic” action graphite rods

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

RIO Lightline is new for the 2016 season. Looking at the taper, it’s pretty similar to one of our favorites, the Wulff Triangle Taper, and is nearly identical in weight.

This line impressed us right off that bat. While it might be designed for bamboo and glass rods, it did a really nice job on both the NRX and the Circa. It loaded well on both rods, and had excellent presentation. Amongst RIO lines, it’s similar to Trout LT, but just seems to cast a little better overall.

Pros:

• Great presentation
• Excellent loop stability.

Cons:

• Not a great line for beginners.

Bottom line: One of the top choices, particularly if you’re fishing a lot of dries.

RIO Mainstream Trout

Price: $39.95

The Hype: RIO's Mainstream series of fly lines have been developed to meet the overall needs of the average and novice fly fisher, and are designed to optimize rod performance with slightly heavier and shorter head lengths.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes:

With a taper that’s nearly identical to RIO Avid Trout, I would have expected virtually identical performance. Unfortunately, RIO Mainstream Trout felt quite different. I don’t know if it’s AgentX or XS Technology the simply the slightly smaller diameter or a different core, but the Mainstream trout didn’t cast very well on either rod. Part of this was due to the fact that it had a significant amount of memory and it definitely needs to be stretched before use. After stretching it, performance increased substantially, but it still didn’t cast as well as Avid. Another curiosity was that this line floated noticeably poorer than all of the other lines in the test.

Pros:

• Price

Cons:

• Doesn’t float well

Bottom line: Spend the extra $20 on Avid. It’s worth it.

RIO Saltwater Fly Line Reviews

RIO DirectCore Permit

Price: $119.99

The Hype: A line designed for crab patterns, RIO Permit features an easy front taper and long back taper for ultimate delicacy without sacrificing short-range accuracy.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes: The RIO Permit is a really nice line for casting longer distances. The line’s taper is designed to help anglers carry a lot of line in the air and land flies accurately and delicately at distance and the line does that really well. It’s presentation capabilities at short and mid-range, however, left a little to be desired. The line didn’t really load either fly rod well at short range and suffered in the loop stability and presentation categories. 

That being said, Permit are most often targeted at longer distances anyway. And this line succeeded in another mission the company designed it for: casting larger crab flies. It’s a great line for novice anglers looking to land a big crab fly accurately but there are other lines that are better for advanced anglers looking to make delicate presentations to Permit at all distances. 

Pros:

• Great performance at distance
• A solid option for beginners and big crab flies

Cons:

• Below average loop stability
• Not the best line for delicate presentations

Bottom Line: If you’re new to the Permit game and looking to cast large crab flies, this is one of the best lines for you. If you’re an experienced Permit angler and you’re looking for more delicacy, check out some of the other Bonefish lines.

RIO Tropical Outbound Short

Price: $99.99

The Hype: This line is known for its short, aggressive front taper, shooting capabilities, and its ability to easily load a fast action rod at short distances.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes: This is one of our favorite lines in the shootout for shooting lots of line quickly and throwing large flies in windy conditions. The line’s aggressive front taper loads fast action rods really well and helps anglers pick up line off of the water and cast at distance with minimal false casting. 

It’s worth talking about the weight of this line. It has the heaviest 10’ weight between 20-30 feet (108.6 grains) and a pretty heavy overall head weight. This line’s weight makes it comparable to heavy 10wt/ light 11wt lines. 

This is one of the best line options for anglers blind casting or throwing heavy flies in tough conditions. This isn’t a line that helps present flies delicately, especially at longer distances, with laser-tight loops and high levels of finesse. That said, it does what it was designed to do really well. This is also a fine line choice for beginners who need to turn over large flies or cut through the wind.

Pros:

• One of the best for large flies and shooting line quickly
• Loads fast action rods really well

Cons:

• Not a line for delicate presentations 
• Minimal accuracy at long distances

Bottom Line: If you need a line that’ll pick up big flies and shoot them quickly with minimal false casting, especially in windy conditions, this is one of the best on the market.

RIO DirectCore Bonefish

Price: $119.99

The Hype: RIO has been touting its low-stretch, low-memory tech for a while now and claims the DirectCore Bonefish is “the very best Bonefish line on the market”.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes: This line does everything a high-performance Bonefish fly line should do. The line’s gradual taper created beautifully tight loops at longer distances, the line loaded both rods well at mid/long-range, and its accuracy was also solid across the board. The line’s mid-length front taper creates beautiful fly line turnover and presents smaller Bonefish flies really well. 

RIO Bonefish also has some drawbacks. It isn’t a line that shoots particularly well or a line that is designed for throwing large flies. It also doesn’t really load well at short distances. This means that it also isn’t the best fly line for beginners. RIO designed this line for specialized Bonefish scenarios and packed performance into the taper that rewards the more experienced angler. That being said, this really is one of the best (if not the best) Bonefish line on the market because of its intelligently designed taper and its low-stretch accuracy across the board.

Pros:

• Stellar loop stability

Cons:

• Not a line for larger flies 
• Not as versatile as other lines in the shootout

Bottom Line: This is one of the best fly lines for targeting technical Bonefish.

RIO Bonefish QuickShooter

Price: $99.99

The Hype: RIO Bonefish QuickShooter is a quick-loading line with an aggressive front taper designed for anglers wading the flats. RIO calls it “the perfect line for the wading angler”.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes: The taper diagram of this line looks a little like the taper on the Outbound Short and it’s a line designed to do roughly the same thing. While the Outbound Short is heavier and designed to throw larger flies, the QuickShooter features a lighter front taper (although similarly aggressive) for quick, short shots. The QuickShooter is also pretty similar to the Cortland Tropic Compact. This line has better overall loop stability than other shooting-style lines in the shootout  and is a great line at longer distances due to its shooting characteristics. 

Like most lines with an aggressive front taper, the QuickShooter is really designed to shoot a lot of line quickly. We thought it was one of the best lines in the shootout for making quick shots while wading. It’s an ideal line for those new to the flats or for anyone who doesn’t want to false cast a ton. The weight of the taper sets this line apart from other shooting-style lines, however. Where most of the lines with a heavy, aggressive front taper struggled in the loop stability category, the lighter taper of the Bonefish QuickShooter promoted stable loops. 

That means that it’s more versatile than lines with a similar taper. This line was remarkably smooth when carried in the air at longer distances and doubles as a line that has short and long-range accuracy - perfect for Bonefish. While this line has ‘Bonefish’ in the name, it would also make a really nice Redfish line for anglers who aren’t throwing ridiculously large flies.

While we found that this line loaded fast action rods best, the lighter taper accommodates a wider range of rod actions than, say, the SA Titan. Anglers who prefer rods with more feedback, feel, and a moderate action shouldn’t shy away from this line. In fact, we thought its performance on the Helios 3F was pretty smooth overall. On the flip side, if you’re trying to load an extra-fast action rod at short range like the Sage Igniter, an Outbound Short or a Titan Taper would probably be a better line for the job.

Pros:

• Great for quick shots with minimal false casts
• Really good distance capabilities

Cons:

• Not the best for light presentations

Bottom Line: If you’re looking to get a fly in front of a cruising Bonefish or Redfish quickly while wading or even from the bow of a skiff, this is a great line.

RIO DirectCore Flats Pro

Price: $119.99

The Hype: RIO’s Flagship Saltwater Fly Line Series, the DirectCore Flats Pro is designed for a wide range of applications from Bonefish to Permit to Tarpon and more.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes: Despite being nearly identical to RIO Permit, Flats Pro feels heavier for some reason. The total head weight of this line was in the top 10 of the lines we tested. This is a line that loads fast action rods well and encourages accuracy at short distances. It’s also a line that received a high score in the ‘shooting’ category because of the weight of the head. While it’s great for shooting a lot of line quickly, it doesn’t have great loop stability and is a line that sacrifices performance for versatility. 

This was one of our least favorite RIO lines in the shootout due to its poor loop stability. If you’re looking for a specific fly line for specific scenarios, this isn’t the line for you. If you’re a beginner, however, this line is extremely versatile and loads fast action rods well.

Pros:

• Versatile and beginner-friendly

Cons:

• Loop stability suffered when making longer casts

Bottom Line: This is a great line for the novice angler looking for a do-it-all saltwater fly line.

RIO Summer Redfish

Price: $99.99

The Hype: RIO designed this line for anglers targeting Redfish and Speckled Trout in warmer climates with typical Redfish patterns.

Taper Diagram:

Casting Notes: RIO designed this line to be accurate and delicate at short distances and the line does that really well. Summer Redfish encourages nice, stable loops and presents smaller flies well at shorter distances. RSR just didn’t shoot well enough for it to be a long-distance contender. This isn’t a line made for large flies or windy conditions so if you’re targeting Bull Reds in Louisiana, you probably don’t want this. That said, on a relatively windless day in FL when short shots with small flies are typical, this line would be a great choice.

Pros:

• Great accuracy and presentation at short-range
• Nice loop stability and loads a fast action rod well

Cons:

• Not a distance rod
• Doesn’t shoot particularly well

Bottom Line: This is a great line choice for anglers chasing small-medium Reds and Sea Trout in relatively windless environments when delicacy and accuracy at short distances are paramount. If you’re throwing big flies, check out other RIO lines like the Outbound Short.