I seldom do equipment reviews and never on items I haven’t purchased myself. But when I find something that works and makes life on the flats easier, I want you to know about it. RIO Products introduced the Bonefish Quickshooter fly line this year and won “2013 Best New Saltwater Fly Line” at the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show in Reno. I purchased both an eight and nine weight line to take with me on my recent trip to Acklins, Moore’s Island and Abaco. Without a doubt this was the best performing line I have ever cast for the type of fishing I like to do: walk and wade, close in, ambush style fishing. Before I talk about the Quickshooter fly lines technical innovations lets review the problem RIO was trying to solve and why a new line was needed. Most saltwater flats lines have long heads (say 50 feet) that work great off the bow of a boat for longer casts. In a typical scenario, a bonefish is spotted seventy feet away providing enough time for a couple of false casts, allowing today’s medium to fast action rods the opportunity to load. But the type of fishing I like is more intimate and generally done at closer quarters. I’m normally creeping along a flat, shoreline or creek system in stealth mode trying to ambush bonefish. In almost all cases this means casts of less than fifty feet and often times half that distance. You get one false cast if you’re lucky and the rod needs to load. Standard lines just aren’t built for twenty-five foot casts. The RIO Bonefish Quickshooter fly line was designed specifically to overcome the issue of loading the rod for short casts. Based on my last trip, I can assure you that RIO has “hit it out of the park.” It casts beautifully at short distances, rolls out well and presents the fly softly. It’s superior to over lining because the shape of the front taper allows the leader to unfurl properly and land the fly delicately when required. After returning home, I had the opportunity to talk with Simon Gawesworth, RIO Products Marketing Manager about why they developed the line and the technical innovations made. He said “The thought process started almost five years ago. A group of them were fishing from skiffs in Andros and visibility was really poor. They weren’t seeing the fish until they were twenty feet away, requiring a short quick cast.” They needed a line that would load quickly at short distances while maintaining the integrity of the presentation. Working with their product design team they tested a variety of line configurations before coming up with the RIO Bonefish Quickshooter. It’s innovation is focused on shortening the head to 35.6 feet and moving the weight forward to help load the rod while preserving presentation qualities with a unique front taper. For an eight weight line the first thirty feet weighs in at 290 grains versus a typical bonefish line at 225 grains. So who is the line good for? Anglers who have difficulty casting in a typical tropical situation (20 m.ph. winds). Those fishing from the bow of a skiff when visibility is poor. Wading fishermen requiring quick presentations at distances shorter than fifty feet. After our discussion, Simon generously offered to donate a couple of RIO Bonefish Quickshooter fly lines to two lucky subscribers of Do It Yourself Bonefishing. So this week I will draw two names from the list of subscribers and each will receive a line directly from RIO. Thanks Simon and well done.
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