A Tale of Two Lines...Rio Grand and Gold

We've all been there.  The newest, latest and greatest line comes out and the gots to have it fever hits us.

Sometimes the newness delivers.  Sometimes, it doesn't and it makes you value what has always brought home the bacon.

Enter my two favorite trout lines.  The Rio Gold and Rio Grand.   The standard go-to lines in my arsenal.

I've tried a bunch of lines for trout and steelhead on the single handed sticks.   The rivers I fish for  trout and steelhead fishing dictates that I nymph a ton.  The Spokane for instance is about 95% sub surface.  At the same time that line that can turn over a double nymph rig should be able to subtly drop a small dry fly on target at distance.

These lines do it.

I was given the opportunity to test out the new editions of the Rio Gold (5wt) and the Rio Grand (8wt) and have already previously put the Gold on my 4 wt.

Well beyond the rod, the line is the dance partner that makes fly fishing come together.  The faster rods in production now by most of the major manufacturers dictate a line that is slightly overweighted and rockets out the guides

These two are just that.

Want to see the difference a line makes in your fishing?  Go find the cheapest fly line you can find and go fish it for 10 minutes.  The difference you feel will be shocking and you'll run back to the standard bearers of quality

Hint hint....they're the lines we're talking about here.

I throw the gold on my 4 and 5 wt and throw everything from big buggers to size 18 emergers and it passes the test time in and time out.

The 8wt Grand is a bomb dropper with big buggers and if your nymphing for steelhead or big whateverthatswims, here's your line. 

The technology in any of the Rio lines is impressive but I tend to notice the little things like the dual tone of the line.  The head of the line that carries the most weight and rod loading capacity is a different color.  Small item, but really really impactful.

Learn more about Rio and their lineup by clicking HERE.  Going line shopping, get your lines locally at the Silver Bow Fly Shop and give the Rio Grand or Gold a try depending on what your fish quest may be.