# Rio Saltwater vs Tarpon Taper



## GWally (May 16, 2009)

Just wondering if anyone can relate to this and provide any observations.
I'm in the line selection process. I have tossed a Rio Saltwater and liked the way it behaved. I put on a Tarpon and notice that it doesn't seem to open up as nicely when the line is laying out as the SW. Anyone have any experience with these 2?

Another question. Rio is "pushing" 2 lines for the same purpose, their Key Lime, for cooler temps, like spring and the tan for summer. I will be fishing in warm weather (that's why I live here) and was happy casting the Key Lime line when we had temps in the 80's. I mean, the rod will probably be in the shade when not fishing. When fishing, the line is going to be in water in the low to mid 80's I guess. Seems to me, like hype, 6 lines to replace one? Tarpon, Bonefish, Redfish in tan and key lime.
I am totaly new to this but, seems, "fishy" to me.
I have the intermediate Orvis for my other reel and though it doesn't cast as nicely as my lime Saltwater, I feels better to me than the Tan Tarpon.
I'd appreciate any advice for line selection.
Offshore casting and from what I read about what is most likely to be targets, I'd say Dolpin and Tuna.
Thanks.


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

I use the Rio Outbound Short Integrated Taper and absolutely love it. The very short shooting head is mighty fast for a second cast and it allows you to fish the fly closer to you without a false cast before the next cast. Very smooth.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Tarpon tapers from most manufacturers are a bit stiffer and made for very accurate, long casts. If the choice was between the two, I believe I'd go with the SW. I think it will be a better all around line

Rio outbound as mentioned above is an excellent line for quick recasts without false casting. Airflo ridge tropical is another good one for this.


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## GWally (May 16, 2009)

Chris V said:


> Tarpon tapers from most manufacturers are a bit stiffer and made for very accurate, long casts. If the choice was between the two, I believe I'd go with the SW. I think it will be a better all around line
> 
> Rio outbound as mentioned above is an excellent line for quick recasts without false casting. Airflo ridge tropical is another good one for this.


 

I played with what I have and am happy now with a floating line and my intermediate Orvis. I did some reading and a recommendation I saw was, floating, intermediate and heavy/fast sinking.
If this is a good way to go, I would put the sinking line on the large capacity reel I have yet to spool. Does this make sense? I had a sinking shooting head and amnesia years ago and really liked casting it but, I'd prefer something to eliminate the 3rd line (the Amnesia linked to the shooting head and again to the braid).
When/if I go rod shopping one more time, is there any reason to go heavier than 12wt?


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## River Hooligans (Dec 26, 2012)

Rio has so many options because each of those lines has a very different taper. The bonefish line is pretty much the same taper that they use on there trout LT lines. It is a long taper designed for accurate and long presentations with minimal disturbance on the water. They are great warm salt lines for experienced casters who fish shallow water over finicky fish. The redfish line is a shorter front heavy taper. It is great for bigger flies, wind and quick cast. With this taper your rod will load with less line out allowing you to pick up and cast without false casting. The saltwater line is a general all around taper. It kind of falls in between these two. The head is a little heavy to help load fast rods and help novice casters achieve distance easier. It is very similar to the RIO Grande line for trout fishing. The Tarpon line has a taper designed to make lone accurate cast with a wide range of fly size. The core is stiffer to allow more energy transfer for some of the larger tarpon flies. I would recommend the redfish or the saltwater line. I like the redfish because you can cast a huge array of fly sizes with it and will load the rod quickly when shooting at cruising fish, and is very easy to handle in the wind. As far as color goes a lot of that is personal preference, some people like to make the line color to water bottom they are fishing so that it will blend in well. Personally I like to fish relatively long leaders so I dont find line color to make much of a difference. Just my two cents I am a bit of a fly line dork. A lot of people over look their line but it is the most important part of the puzzle as far as casting goes. They are expensive but they can make all the difference.


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## River Hooligans (Dec 26, 2012)

Yea having a sinking line on hand is always good in my opinion. It will really help you get down in the deep channels where fish are holding. I personally like the teeny sinking tip lines. They have a level lead shooting head with a relatively thin running line. I like the teeny 350 on my 10wt, easy casting and gets down quick. As far as rods go I don't see any use for anything bigger than a 12wt unless your are planning on going out in blue water. Anything over 12wt isn't really castable, they are more meant for teasing fish up and making short cast off the boat. With a 12wt you should be fine. Depending on what your are looking to spend there are a few 12 weights out there that can handle just about anything, like the Hardy Proaxis, which uses a new 3m technology they are damn new unbreakable. I fish this in a 10wt and have yet to feel like it wasnt enough rod.


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## GWally (May 16, 2009)

Thanks, I'm happy with the Predator and after trying different lines, I see how important the choice is.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

I use heavier than 12wt on tuna and AJs. You can use smaller if you'd like, but I want the fish to the boat quicker.

The best lines IMO for deep, offshore fishing is Airflo Big Game Depthfinder. I've used Rio leviathan and SA Bluwater Express and they were great lines but there's no doubt that BG Depthfinder threw the best and sank the fastest. Just like the other two lines, it has a very strong core, testing 50lbs


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## GWally (May 16, 2009)

Chris V said:


> I use heavier than 12wt on tuna and AJs. You can use smaller if you'd like, but I want the fish to the boat quicker.
> 
> The best lines IMO for deep, offshore fishing is Airflo Big Game Depthfinder. I've used Rio leviathan and SA Bluwater Express and they were great lines but there's no doubt that BG Depthfinder threw the best and sank the fastest. Just like the other two lines, it has a very strong core, testing 50lbs


Thanks

I'm "line shopping" for the bigger reel and it looks like putting on a fast sinking setup would cover most of the bases and I can keep my eyes open for a heavier rod. Would you recommend then that with the setup I have, the heavier tackle be linked with the fast/deep sinking line for fishing offshore here?


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

If it were me, I would put a 500gr sinking line on. Most integrated lines of that density will sink around 8.5-9IPS and are perfect for fishing down to 30ft or so. A longer wait before the retrieve can get you even deeper. I would strongly look into getting an extra spool so that you can carry a couple different lines on your heavy setup. I'd have a fast sink and an intermediate and/or floating with int. tip.


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