A year ago, I treated myself to a WF7F Rio Outbound Short fly line because I wanted to upgrade to a line that could punch out big flies in tight locations.
This review covers why I selected this fly line and delves into its key features and performance.
Why did I buy the Rio Outbound Short fly line?
I wanted to know if a specialist line with an aggressive short head would improve my casting of large flies in confined spaces, especially at night.
On searching the internet for floating fly lines with short heads, I identified a list of options to select from:
- Rio Outbound Short fly line,
- Scientific Anglers Amplitude MPX fly line,
- Airflo Super-DRI Xceed fly line,
- Orvis Hydros HD Power Taper fly line,
After reading the review of the technical specification of each option I settled on the Rio Outbound short fly line because it had the shortest head length. Also, a friend said it was a good option for the fishing I was planning to do.
So, I put my hand in my pocket and purchased the WF7F Outbound Short fly line.
Key features:
Line profile:
The outbound short fly line has an aggressive front taper (30ft / 9.1m) and a 70ft thing running line. The short head loads fast action rods with ease and generates power to rip the line into the distance, even with big flies attached.
Line colour:
The olive-coloured head and beige-coloured running line are great features because it’s easy to see when the head is airialised and the rod is fully loaded for the cast.
Surface Coating:
The line utilises Rio’s XS technology in the coating that produces a slick surface finish, and the line runs through the guides with little resistance.
Line Core:
The line is built using an ultra-low stretch core that makes the line responsive to fish. It aids in casting timing, shooting performance, and bite detection.
Rio Outbound Short fly line performance:
So, how did the line perform against my requirements?
Reservoir fishing for rainbow trout
Last summer, I initially tested the line fishing for rainbow trout on Lynn Trawsfynydd. The line was a dream to cast on my Greys GR (10ft 7wt) fly rod, the aggressive front taper loaded the rod quickly, and…
punched the flies into the distance.
It certainly helped me catch some beautiful rainbow trout from the bank near the dam wall where there was limited room for backcasting.
After getting the feel of the line fishing for rainbows on large reservoirs, it was time to test the line for sea trout fishing.
Sea trout fishing test on the Welsh Dee
Fly fishing at night is an acid test for a good marriage between a fly rod and a fly line. So, my final test for the Rio Outbound Short WF7F fly line was sea trout fishing on the Welsh Dee.
Fly fishing set-up:
- Rod: Greys GR80 10ft 7# fly rod
- Leader: 10ft length of 12 lbs Maxima Ultragreen
- Flies: #8 Daioni on the dropper and a 75mm black & purple singer on the point
I’d chosen a challenging sea trout pool that requires a long cast to reach the fish and has limited room for back casting. Fortunately, as darkness descended, I heard a couple of sea trout splash close to the far bank.
So, did the line live up to my expectations?
Well in a word – YES!
The earlier daytime reservoir casting practice paid off and at night I could deliver the flies close to the far bank with ease.
As the flies swung around, the low stretch core made it easy to feel the take and strip set the hook. Everything held and I was graced with…
my first sea trout on the Rio Outbound short fly line.
What’s my Final Verdict?
Overall, the Rio Outbound Short fly line is an excellent line that fully met my requirements for reservoir trout fishing and sea trout fishing at night.
The short head, slick coating and thin running line reduce false casting and enable me to effortlessly cast large flies to distant targets even from confined spaces at night. In addition, the line’s 2-colour design handling, responsiveness, and durability add to its overall appeal.
The Outbound line is not a cheap option but is competitively priced (ca. £100) against the other short-head premium fly lines. It’s a dream to fish with and has been worth the money.
Hi Andrew,, an interesting review and I am sure is helpful to any Sea Trout anglers out there.I doubt I could justify the expense of another expensive line for still water fishing. As always your articles are very well presented. Tight Lines, Iain.