Living Grass--Fall River Fly Rod Review

The glory that is the origins of our sport

Split cane started and continues to be the backbone of fly fishing.  With the majority of fly rods on the marketed as technological wonders that make you cast farther and your male parts stronger longer (ha, kidding) it was a joy to cast a contemporary bamboo fly rod that made me stop, slow down and smell the fly fishing roses.

Way back in February, I was selected to be a part of the Outdoor Blogger Network Fall River Fly Rods blogger tour.  15 lucky buggers would get the opportunity to wiggle, cast and fish a beautiful 8 ft 5 wt, that is paired with a Montana Fly Co's Madison II fly reel and a Rio 5wt LT trout series line

In short, this set up is amazing.

The order of who got the rod was completely random.

And random bit me in the butt.  I am last in the tour and by the leather bound journal that accompanied this beauty across the country several times, other's have tasted on water success with the Fall River Fly Rod in their hands. 

None the less, I can imagine what it would be like to be on the St Joe or the North Fork of the Clearwater tossing small PMD's or bushy Stimulators with this piece of living grass.  It's built not like your grandfather's bamboo...all wobbly and such.  No no, it's fairly fast and responsive, but responds to the forward casting stroke that behaves better when you slow it down a bit and let the craftsmanship of rod bend and flex, expressing the energy you as the caster put into the bamboo.

The wraps are beautiful.  The guides are beautiful.  The finish is beautiful

I sound like a 12 year old school girl.

But alas, I was reduced to casting on another form of grass.  My trout rivers were blown, the Spokane River trout thumb their noses to dry flies 97% of the time and any free time I get this time of year, I chase steelhead.

I still cant get it out of my head out fun this stick would be to use as cutthroat rise continually on a warm summer day.

That combo would be lights out.

There is hope.  The powers that be at the Outdoor Blogger Network are giving this set up away to one of the lucky 15. 

So do me a favor, send me some good juju, and somehow I will pay you all back.

Until then!

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.