New Flies From RIO Products

RIO Products has always been known as a manufacturer of some of the best and most innovative fly lines on the market, utilizing equal parts science, technology, AND artistic creativity in their product development.  This trifecta of ingredients has always made their lines, leader, and tippet the standard by which we here at Duranglers measure everything else.

About 5 years ago, RIO dove headfirst into the fly lab and emerged with some of the most innovative patterns to hit the market in a long time.  Not an easy feat considering just how many patterns RIO had to showcase at the announcement of their fly division.  Most of these flies come from the creative minds of tiers Brita Fordice and Patrick Kilby, both full-time fly developers for RIO.  Between Patrick and Brita (both with decades of guide and fly design experience), the catalog of flies is from RIO is vast, wildly different than what most fish have seen, and usually hilariously named.  If there is a fish out there that eats flies, RIO has probably developed a fly for that fish.  Flies for every kind of fish in the sea (and river): trout, bass, pike, permit, tarpon, bonefish, stripers, golden dorado, GTs…the list goes on.

Anyway, we brought in a few of these flies last year like RIO’s Rain Drop, and have had immense success with them, so we brought in a few more!  Check out these new flies from RIO Products in the shop for 2022 and pick up a few for your next trip.

At the writing of this post, the RIO’s Big Boned Caddis (pictured above) is not yet on our web store, but it is in our fly bins in the shop.  Basically a micro Chubby, this fly wrecks trout all summer.  Stop by to check them out.

RIO’s Tung Tied meets our need for a small Euro fly that mimics actual nymphs found in our waters.  Tied in 18 and 20, this is a good low water pattern, or a dropped of a dry fly when smaller bugs are in order.

If you are not Euro streamer fishing, you better start right now.  You don’t even need any special gear, just this fly and a long leader.  Great small bugger alternative for lakes as well.

RIO’s Cray Cray is the crayfish pattern you have been missing.  Simply tied, this smaller fly was designed as a trout/bass crossover fly.  Wait, you haven’t thrown a crayfish fly for trout?  Why?  Bust this out at Lake Nighthorse or anywhere that trout and crayfish co-mingle (anyone say Animas Ute water?).

RIO’s multi-faceted, multi-species baitfish pattern.  Anything that eats baitfish will crush this fly from snook and tarpon, pike, bass, and golden dorado.  Don’t go on a predator trip without at lease one of these in your box.

One of the most universal baitfish patterns out there, the Firetiger Flashdance contains a well-concealed tungsten cone to sink quicker than the average baitfish, but not too quick.  Keep this one in mind for bass of all flavors and even pike.

The Flashdance in rainbow color is for anywhere that big predators eat baby rainbow trout like the San Juan River Quality Waters.  Not Joking.  Or anywhere you can find big browns, bass, and pike coexisting in violence.

Spawning Shrimp are, at this point, a necessity on the flats for permit or bonefish.  This one is tied with a heavy dumbell for deeper water and bigger fish that can be found in Hawaii and the Bahamas or Mexico and Belize on the ocean side flats where big perm roam.

A quintessential bonefish pattern with a twist: a rubber-legged gotcha tied with a rabbit strip wing.  This fly works almost too well in the bonefish waters of the tropics.

Ever thought of combining the best parts of the best patterns to make the best-er patterns?  How about a strong arm and a flexo crab for maximum winning on permit and even stripers.

If you are headed to a hidden backcountry mangrove secret spot, bring this fly.  For laid up tarpon and snook, to any predatory backwater fish; this is one to have for anywhere these fish are found in the world.