WINNER UPDATE - Congrats to Mike Fielder for being the randomly chosen winner of the RIO Products SlickCast fly line giveaway. Thanks to RIO Products for the support and also to everyone who played along with this giveaway over the weekend.
There are only a couple of players in the manufacturing of "Made in USA" fly lines and it should certainly celebrated (especially during these uncertain times) that RIO Products recently blew the candles out on their anniversary cake with thirty-years in the business.
I have my hands on a lot of different fly lines and it's always interesting how various tapers will cast so differently on the same fly rod making the same casts. I often tell anglers who email about not liking a certain glass fly rod that they should try it again with a few different fly lines. Often times they'll email back that saying a change in the fly line (taper or line weight) made all the difference.
Recently, I've had a chance to mess around with several of the latest offerings from RIO Products, namely the Elite Technical Trout and Elite RIO Gold, which use their newest fly line tech, SlickCast. So far I've been very impressed and highlighted one of these lines in a T.F.M. post last week.
Scroll down this post for a few photographs behind the curtain at RIO Products, their media release on their anniversary, and a fun (and easy to play) giveaway to get involved in for a free fly line.
THE NEWS
From the RIO Products presser...
"Fly line, leader and tippet company, RIO Products, proudly announces its 30th anniversary. RIO was “born” on July 27th, 1990 and started its fly fishing business in Blackfoot, ID. Founders Jim & Kitty Vincent named the company “RIO” after the Rio Colorado in Costa Rica where they ran a tarpon camp.
RIO’s beginning was innovative, evolving to a simple product selection of hand-tied leaders, waterproof labels, and a fly line spooling/storage system. With the company started, Jim & Kitty decided to concentrate on fly fishing terminal tackle and expanded into knotless tapered leaders and spools of tippet. In 1992, Jim designed the WindCutter and Accelerator specialty Spey lines. In 1997, RIO moved to Idaho Falls and started to manufacture its own fly lines, with the first purpose-designed Spey line, the WindCutter, becoming a popular cult hit around the world.
Under the entrepreneurial guidance of lifelong “fly fishing bum” Jim, with Kitty’s marketing expertise, RIO continued to advance its product offerings and increase its market share with niche, specialty-focused fly line tapers that anglers found performed better than the generic fly line tapers of the day. RIO grew from an “upstart” challenger brand to become the leading fly line, leader, and tippet company in the world.
In November 2005, Jim & Kitty sold RIO to the owners of renowned fly fishing brands Sage and Redington, and with this acquisition, Far Bank Enterprises was created. From that day, RIO has continued to grow and expand its product selection with award-winning fly lines, leaders and tippet materials, and in 2019 RIO continued its “Make The Connection” theme, by adding a wide range of high-quality flies – both popular patterns, and unique, custom flies designed by the internal RIO team.
RIO’s 30th birthday year saw the introduction of the R&D team’s finest creation with SlickCast - the slickest, most durable coating on the market, producing the least amount of friction ever measured on a fly line. With developments like this, RIO is sure to be going strong for another 30+ years."
I guess scientists in protective glasses and white lab coats nerd out on fly lines. Who knew?
THE GIVEAWAY
When the 30th anniversary announcement arrived in my inbox the other day, I touched base with Simon Gawesworth of RIO Products and asked if he’d be willing to give up one of the new SlickCast (Elite or Premier) fly lines to a lucky winner through the TFM Instagram page. He quickly answered back that they were in for a fun giveaway and it begins now. I’ll take entries through Sunday, August 9, 2020.
1. Jump over to the RIO Products website and check out the new SlickCast technology fly lines. Give all nine fly lines a look and then pick your personal favorite.
There are only a couple of players in the manufacturing of "Made in USA" fly lines and it should certainly celebrated (especially during these uncertain times) that RIO Products recently blew the candles out on their anniversary cake with thirty-years in the business.
I have my hands on a lot of different fly lines and it's always interesting how various tapers will cast so differently on the same fly rod making the same casts. I often tell anglers who email about not liking a certain glass fly rod that they should try it again with a few different fly lines. Often times they'll email back that saying a change in the fly line (taper or line weight) made all the difference.
Recently, I've had a chance to mess around with several of the latest offerings from RIO Products, namely the Elite Technical Trout and Elite RIO Gold, which use their newest fly line tech, SlickCast. So far I've been very impressed and highlighted one of these lines in a T.F.M. post last week.
Scroll down this post for a few photographs behind the curtain at RIO Products, their media release on their anniversary, and a fun (and easy to play) giveaway to get involved in for a free fly line.
THE NEWS
From the RIO Products presser...
"Fly line, leader and tippet company, RIO Products, proudly announces its 30th anniversary. RIO was “born” on July 27th, 1990 and started its fly fishing business in Blackfoot, ID. Founders Jim & Kitty Vincent named the company “RIO” after the Rio Colorado in Costa Rica where they ran a tarpon camp.
RIO’s beginning was innovative, evolving to a simple product selection of hand-tied leaders, waterproof labels, and a fly line spooling/storage system. With the company started, Jim & Kitty decided to concentrate on fly fishing terminal tackle and expanded into knotless tapered leaders and spools of tippet. In 1992, Jim designed the WindCutter and Accelerator specialty Spey lines. In 1997, RIO moved to Idaho Falls and started to manufacture its own fly lines, with the first purpose-designed Spey line, the WindCutter, becoming a popular cult hit around the world.
Under the entrepreneurial guidance of lifelong “fly fishing bum” Jim, with Kitty’s marketing expertise, RIO continued to advance its product offerings and increase its market share with niche, specialty-focused fly line tapers that anglers found performed better than the generic fly line tapers of the day. RIO grew from an “upstart” challenger brand to become the leading fly line, leader, and tippet company in the world.
In November 2005, Jim & Kitty sold RIO to the owners of renowned fly fishing brands Sage and Redington, and with this acquisition, Far Bank Enterprises was created. From that day, RIO has continued to grow and expand its product selection with award-winning fly lines, leaders and tippet materials, and in 2019 RIO continued its “Make The Connection” theme, by adding a wide range of high-quality flies – both popular patterns, and unique, custom flies designed by the internal RIO team.
RIO’s 30th birthday year saw the introduction of the R&D team’s finest creation with SlickCast - the slickest, most durable coating on the market, producing the least amount of friction ever measured on a fly line. With developments like this, RIO is sure to be going strong for another 30+ years."
I guess scientists in protective glasses and white lab coats nerd out on fly lines. Who knew?
THE GIVEAWAY
When the 30th anniversary announcement arrived in my inbox the other day, I touched base with Simon Gawesworth of RIO Products and asked if he’d be willing to give up one of the new SlickCast (Elite or Premier) fly lines to a lucky winner through the TFM Instagram page. He quickly answered back that they were in for a fun giveaway and it begins now. I’ll take entries through Sunday, August 9, 2020.
Let’s keep this giveaway easy to play and you’ll just need to do these three things to enter...
1. Jump over to the RIO Products website and check out the new SlickCast technology fly lines. Give all nine fly lines a look and then pick your personal favorite.
2. Now, visit The Fiberglass Manifesto Instagram page and leave a comment on the giveaway post with which SlickCast fly line you picked and the first place you’d fish it at.
3. While you're at it, be sure to like the RIO Products Instagram page if you haven’t already.
The
winner will be announced on Instagram on Monday, August 10, 2020 within the contest post. I’ll
DM the winner for name, address, and the fly line interested in for the prize.
If you have any questions, please send me an email at thefiberglassmanifesto@gmail.
1 comment:
I'm a relatively new, immediately addicted, fly fisherman. It took me a few years get my hands around all the do's and songs of this complicated sport. Thankfully, one thing I got sorted quickly was the leader, tipper and tipper ring piece. Almost unanimously, all the folks I've met just said "but Rio", which is exactly what I did. Unfortunately I strayed to generic on a few occasions and immediately felt the pain...meaning I won't be doing that again. I am now in the process of putting together my first real outfit....I've just purchased the rod and reel and am now looking for some line. After reading this article/post Rio Gold WF5 would suit me perfectly.
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