RIO TIPPETS
Scott Mitchell puts Rio’s latest tippet materials to the test.
There’s no shortage of monofilament on the market today and often it can be confusing when trying to choose one for a particular job. Jim Vincent’s RIO brand has really addressed the need for specific properties for different fishing applications. I’ve been fishing RIO tippet/leader materials over the last few seasons, and the following overview may help you to make the right choices.
RIO POWERFLEX
This a high tech, high tenacity copolymer material specifically designed as a ‘tippet’ material. Being so thin for its breaking strain it is sometimes called ‘double strength’ nylon. Powerflex has a built-in elongation averaging 26%, which help it as a shock absorber when used as a tippet—the weakest link in the chain. This helps cushion last minute fish lunges and leaps without breaking off. Powerflex is also very supple and lays out straight with the lightest of stretches, being ideal for dry fly and nymph work where a drag free drift can be the difference between fooling that big brown or going home disappointed. It also has excellent knot strength and abrasion resistance.
IGFA HARD MONO
This is a hard/stiff nylon material, ideal for general-purpose saltwater fly fishing. It has a very clear, glass smooth finish, with excellent abrasion resistance and is much easier to knot than other hard mono’s I have used. I generally build my entire saltwater leaders with this material, mostly with three sections: 3 ft 44 lb butt, 3 ft 30 lb mid-section and 4 ft 22 lb tippet, using 3 turn double Uni-knots to connect each section. As it is IGFA rated it is also suitable for those wishing to chase records and needing a reliable breaking strain material.
RIO MAX
This is a medium stiff, ultra clear material which is more supple than the IGFA Hard, although still IGFA breaking strain reliable. It is one of the easiest materials to knot, whilst still offering good abrasion resistance. It would be ideal for Southern estuary species such as bream, estuary perch, bass etc. I have also used it for heavier trout applications such as lake fishing with streamers or heavy nymphing in rivers.
RIO FLUOROFLEX
Over the last few years a lot has been written about fluorocarbon and its properties/benefits. I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty of whether it really makes a difference other than to say I feel more confident when I’m using it nowadays and confidence is an important part of fishing. Anyone who has tried using fluorocarbon will tell you that brands vary greatly in quality. Not all are made from 100% fluorocarbon (PVDF)—some of the cheaper brands on the market are coated and not made entirely from this material. RIO Fluoroflex is made from 100% fluorocarbon giving excellent abrasion resistance and good turn-over, being a relatively stiff material. I have never had any problems knotting RIO Fluoroflex using 3 turn double Uni-knots and find it knots well against the RIO IGFA Hard as well when using it only as a tippet.
RIO FLUOROFLEX PLUS
Like IFGA Hard and Max materials, Jim Vincent has realised that you need different properties in fluorocarbon to get the most benefit from it. Standard Fluoroflex is quite a stiff/hard material ideally suited to heavy freshwater and saltwater fishing. Fluoroflex Plus is much thinner and suppler than the standard material, and knots beautifully. The refractive index of Fluoroflex Plus in water (1.33) compared to regular nylon (1.62) makes it harder to see. Flouroflex Plus also has a density of 1.72 (compared to regular nylon’s 1.15), allowing it to sink faster and break the surface tension—a big advantage when fishing small dry flies, emergers and nymphs.
The other great thing that separates RIO tippet materials from the bunch is that they all come with their own Tippet Master (TM) line restraint for easy use and feature an interlocking, rotating connection system which allows you to group your materials neatly and easily without the need for an additional dispenser. You really can see RIO products are made by anglers for anglers.