The fly line is one of the most critical pieces of equipment when it comes to properly transferring the power of a cast to the leader, tippet, and eventually the fly. There are a lot of options for fly lines; tapers, floating/sinking, and size to name a few. After a solid year of using Rio Mainstream fly line on my favorite small stream rod,  I’d like to offer up a review of some of my feelings about Rio’s low-to-mid price range fly line.

Casting Rio Mainstream Fly Line

First Impressions:

It was about a year ago now that I relined my 6’6″ 3wt. small stream fly rod with accompanying 2/3wt. reel. I waded through a lot of different brands of fly line, but I settled on Rio and eventually the Rio Mainstream WF3F fly line. Upon receiving the line and loading the reel, I noticed that the line was very supple, and didn’t retain much memory from the shipping spool. Rio claims the Mainstream line features “Supple self-lubricating coating, memory-free in cold water” and “Easy casting taper designs.”

Pros/Cons:

Rio Mainstream on Reel

P: Price – The price of the Mainstream fly line is one of its best selling points. At just under $40 at most retailers, it is one of the least expensive yet quality lines available. Before buying I researched higher priced lines by Rio as well as other companies, but decided to go with the ‘budget priced’ Mainstream line.

P: Easy Casting – The Mainstream line is one of the most supple lines I’ve used in quite some time. It has virtually zero memory, meaning it casts smooth and easy, and lays out flat on the water instead of coiling up like some lines tend to do after being on the reel for a while. Rio claims that the line is easy casting and a great line for beginners. I agree, and would recommend it to any beginner fisherman looking for their first line, but I would also recommend it to an experienced fisherman looking to load a spare spool.

P/C: No Loops – Some people much prefer loops on their fly lines to allow easy leader changes with all loop-to-loop connections. For those people, the lack of a loop at the end of the fly line is a con. However, I prefer to have no loop at the end of my fly line because I make my own loop with Sunset Amnesia red monofilament. I learned this technique from Zach Matthews of The Itinerate Angler, whose video is embedded at the end of this review. I prefer this over welded loops in my fly line because the bright red monofilament line acts as an indicator when fishing nymphs and streamers.

P: Made in Idaho USA – Enough said!

P: Durability – I typically expect my fly lines to last about a year. Currently, I’ve been using this line for a year now, and I’m going to try to push it another 6 months to a year if I can. So far, I’ve had no reason to question the durability of this line.

Summary:

Rio Mainstream & Rainbow Trout

The Rio Mainstream fly line is a great entry level product by a made in USA company. I prefer to buy American made, and it makes it even better when it’s a great product. The price of the Mainstream line is on par with most budget or entry level fly lines, making it a good purchase for beginners as well as spare spools for the experienced fisherman. When it’s time for new line, I plan on purchasing another Rio line, if not the Rio Mainstream.

The Verdict:

Buy it… If you are a beginner fly fisherman looking for your first fly line or looking to improve your casting skills, this is the perfect fly line for you. It is reasonably priced and very forgiving to cast. Accurate roll casts are required in the small Western North Carolina wild trout streams, and this line performs very admirably with all size flies from dries to streamers.

Disclaimer:

All reviews here at Foul Hook are my honest opinion. I purchased the product in this review myself and have not been compensated financially or otherwise for writing this review. At the time of publication of this article, I have no affiliation with the Rio Products.

It has been a while since a post here at Foul Hook, and there’s really no excuses for that. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to go fishing and write about it, but it just hasn’t happened. However, I have received a lot of new gear throughout the year so be on the lookout for some gear reviews in the future. Here’s the first of the reviews featuring the flies tied and sold by ben at Arizona Wanderings.

It was about a year ago now when I was looking for some flies to stock my fly boxes for the coming late spring and summertime hatches that occur here in the southeast. I found Ben’s Mini Hopper post at Arizona Wanderings, and have never looked back.

You won't get red in your set, but they'll look just like this. Photo courtesy AZ Wanderings.

First Impressions:

Brookie & Mini Hopper

After ordering my Mini Hopper set, they arrived quickly considering they shipped from Arizona to North Carolina.  Well packaged and cramped from their travel, I unpacked the little foam hoppers and began analyzing them.  Well tied and full of color, I couldn’t wait to try the out.  I found that they weren’t very effective early in the season.  I tried them throughout the early spring and had only a few takers.  Then, as the days got longer and the nights got warmer, I began using the Mini Hopper more and more, until it was  the only dry fly I used for about 6 weeks, July through August.  It was easily the most effective summer fly I’ve used.

Pros/Cons:

P: Quality – Each fly was tied with excellent quality and attention to detail.  I sometimes get picky about the quality of the flies I use, even though the fish seem to care less than I do. I often times tie my own flies so that I can control the quality of the flies, but I had no problem filling my box with these.

P: Selection – Ordering a set of a dozen Mini Hoppers gets you 4 colors, 3 flies of each color; brown, green, orange, and tan.  This is one of my favorite parts of the Mini Hopper set of flies.  It wasn’t so much that the fish cared about the color, but I felt the color helped to visually see the fly in all lighting conditions.  My favorite colors to use were orange and green, and they are easily visible in low light.  The brown and tan work well in good lighting or where the sun is located in front of you, it’s easy to spot the dark fly on the bright, light reflecting water.

P: Tying Instructions – If you prefer tying your own Mini Hoppers, Ben has posted a step-by-step tutorial on his website.  I think this is a great addition, even though it possibly takes away from the sales.  You won’t find tutorials for tying flies at typical online shops that sell flies.  I could have tied my own set of Mini Hoppers, but I felt it was well worth it to buy a set and support the Arizona Wanderings site.

C: Size Options – At the time of ordering I was only able to order size 12 flies.  I usually fish smaller flies and would have liked these in size 14, but after fishing them, I feel that is a negligible size difference and the fish didn’t care too much.

Set of Mini Hoppers. Photo courtesy AZ Wanderings.

Summary:

The AZ Wanderings Mini Hopper set is an excellent dry fly option for fishing in the Southeast.  It has become my go-to fly during the hot summer months and is the best dry fly for a dry-dropper rig.  The foam keeps the dry floating high all day with minimal floatant required. I will be buying another set to begin my 2012 summer fishing campaign.

The Verdict:

Buy it! You won’t regret it. These are excellent flies, good quality, and highly effective.  This should be your go-to summer fly as well as dry fly for dry-dropper or hopper-dropper set ups.

Brookie and Hopper. Photo courtesy AZ Wanderings.

Disclaimer:

All reviews here at Foul Hook are my honest opinion. I purchased or tied the flies featured in this review myself and have not been compensated financially or otherwise for writing this review. At the time of publication of this article, I have no affiliation with the AZ Wanderings shop.