New Rio Outbound Shorts........

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

These lines are very popular now that they shortened them from a 37' head to a 30' head for throwing larger flies.

They come in cold-water and tropical versions.

They come in full weight forward floaters, full weight forward intermediates, and intermediate head with floating running lines.

They are really a shooting head with an integrated running line.

Captian Kevin Doran and Charlie Bisharat are using the cold water floaters for top water Stripers in the Delta.

Mike Costello is using the cold water full intermediate in the cold water of the Delta lately too.

They are already two sizes over-lined so you mostly buy them for your rods line size.

We use them in the open deeper water for larger Tarpon in the Yucatan in the Tropical intermediate with floating running line.

**They still make the origianal longer belly 37' series too for throwing smaller flies long distances.

[David Lee]

I haven't used one yet .... but I've heard nothing but GREAT things about the Short Outbound .

I have a big issue with the price , though .......

Rio seems , from where I stand .... to be a curious company - they make what are in my opinion great lines , with cutting edge tapers . They also seem to drop what I think are fantastic lines after a few years . The first Riomax shooting heads are some of the best I've used , mainly because they are overweight two+ times . For a surf fisher , or big-game fisher , it's very useful to have a wide range of heads over 450 grains (I would think the Spey/2-handed folks could use them , also ) . The current Riomax2 heads only go up to 400 or so grains - totally useless for rods over 10 or 11 weight .

I guess I shouldn't whine about it - we are lucky to have the wide range of great flylines available now that we do . 30 years ago the choices were limited !

David

[Grampa Spey]

I recently bought the Rio Coldwater OB Short 8 weight with the 15' intermediate tip for $75.

Compared to the 2009 prices of other full fly lines Rio/whatever brand, that is reasonable.

Bill and I discussed that many of us will be going more to shooting lines and heads to attach or take off as the economic meltdown continues flow downhill.

The company that comes out with basically operator proof shooting lines for cold and warm water in a fair price will sell a lot of those shooting lines if it becomes the Alpha shooting line for a lot of us.

Re Rio dropping lines. That is entirely market driven. Now that they are part of Sage, we will probably see more of that and more new lines like we have the last year or so from Rio.

Last fall, Jeff Putnam and I discussed how great it is to have all of these two handed line choices. Just a few years ago, we had very few choices and had to adjust our rods and us to the lines unless one was a great slicer/dicer. Now if a line doesn't work, we sell it on line and buy another until we get the right combo.


I haven't used one yet .... but I've heard nothing but GREAT things about the Short Outbound .

I have a big issue with the price , though .......

Rio seems , from where I stand .... to be a curious company - they make what are in my opinion great lines , with cutting edge tapers . They also seem to drop what I think are fantastic lines after a few years . The first Riomax shooting heads are some of the best I've used , mainly because they are overweight two+ times . For a surf fisher , or big-game fisher , it's very useful to have a wide range of heads over 450 grains (I would think the Spey/2-handed folks could use them , also ) . The current Riomax2 heads only go up to 400 or so grains - totally useless for rods over 10 or 11 weight .

I guess I shouldn't whine about it - we are lucky to have the wide range of great flylines available now that we do . 30 years ago the choices were limited !

David

[OceanSunfish]

I was a bit grumpy about how lines I purchased just a year or two ago would quickly be obsoleted because how I intended to use them was improved 100% by a newly introduced line.....

I thought, how dare Rio coax me to buy this other line then pull the rug out from under me, etc...

Well, I do appreciate Rio inviting input directly from the field especially from personnel fishing water from which I fish and methods I employ. I can either be a grump and go on using my current cache of lines and get 50% effeciency, or drop the $75 and get a 'tool' where I get 100%+ effeciency. When I put it this way, the decision was easy..... Needless to say, I completely understand the other sentiments.

"Brown bagging" a quite a few lunches the past month was my price to pay....

BTW, I've had great success in selling lightly used fly lines on the Kiene BB. Steeply discounted, but at least I got something and they are not being wasted. My other lines, although replaced by the OBS, well get some use if I can every find my way back Alaska, etc.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think the new Tropical Outbound Shorts will be wonderful in Baja.

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

Last fall when we went out with Kevin Doran after top-water stripes, I was introduced to the Rio Outbound (original). I really struggled casting this with the big bubbleheads.... I eventually got a rhythm and figured it out, but it was exhausting.

I got lucky when a certain someone ruined my line (catching a 27# striper on MY rod, I might add:eek:). I would say that this is Rio's biggest problem - the core stretches more than the coating a day or two after a huge fight or a big pull. The coating splits and separates. Hopefully, Rio has this fixed in the new design (hopefully, I'LL be the one to test it!:nod:). Fortunately, I was able to exhange the ruined line for the new Rio Outbound Short full-floating line.

I've been using this the last couple times out, and what a difference! I don't have to wait for it roll out as long, and the wind doesn't affect it as much. It throws more like a true shooting head than the old line. The running line is much more supple too. It doesn't coil up nearly as bad as the original. You know what they say... the longer your fly is in the water, the more likely you are to catch those fish!

I am still opted for the 10 wt short on my 8 wt rod. and it seems to be working out just fine.

See you out on the water!

[wjorg]

David....I was told if you could get 17 guys to commit to buying a line...RIO would make it for you. But the proof will be in the pudding...