Rio Outbound Short Review in 2024 – Fly Lines

rio outbound short review

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In this review, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about the Rio Outbound Short fly line, discussing its pros and cons, and when it’s best to fish with it.

The Rio Outbound Short fly line was designed with one purpose in mind – shooting big heavy flies long distances with minimal effort.

Rio Outbound Short Review

Overall Score

72%
Casting Performance
80%
Durability
60%
Line Memory
70%
Weather Versatility
70%
Ease of Handling
80%
Floatation
70%
Visibility
70%
Price-to-Performance Ratio
70%

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Who Are Rio Lines?

Rio Lines was founded in 1990 and is based in the mountains of Idaho. They have a strong ethos that fly fishing gear should be made by anglers, for anglers and each of their lines are tested for thousands of hours before leaving the factory floor and into the hands of fly anglers.

They are one of the top fly line manufacturers on the planet and rose to fame with their Mainstream, Rio Gold, Avid, Premier, and InTouch lines, of which the Outbound short is a part of. Rio makes fly lines you can trust and having used them for years personally, I can say they are world-class.

Design features rio outbound

Rio Outbound Short Review

The Head & Taper

The Rio’s Outbound Short fly line is made with a heavy front shooting head that is aggressive, to say the least. The head is short at 30 ft and is designed to load and throw large flies miles with a single backcast, and it doesn’t disappoint. The line loads fast action rods with ease and you can shoot up to a distance of 50ft and beyond without any worries.

The front taper is also short and aggressive that rolls into the body beautifully to help the outbound line turn over the heavy flies it’s made for.

The Coating

These fly lines are integrated with Rio’s XS Technology in the coating for super slick performance on the water. This aids your casting distance no end, as the line will run through the guides on your rods fast with zero resistance holding it back.

The Core

The core of the line is made with Rio’s ultra-low stretch Connect Core which makes the line more responsive to fish with all-around. You can feel it on your casts for better timing and shooting performance, manage it more effectively on the mend, plus bite detection goes through the roof as do strip sets on species like bass.

The Color

Another great feature I like about the line is that it’s marked where the rear taper meets the running line. This means you always know where the 30 ft head starts and therefore where to start your cast from to load your rod properly.

color rio outbound short

The Densities

The Outbound line comes in every density you might want from floating, intermediate, sink head, intermediate tip, to a sinking head with intermediate running line. This means you can have a line for every occasion and can fish whichever density is right for the water and species you’re targeting.

The Weights

The Outbound fly line comes in weights 5 – 10 and can be used in coldwater or tropical water, and it transitions between fresh and saltwater too. With this kind of weight range and the ability to perform in different water temperatures, this is a line Rio has made for pretty much every environment you would want.

Pros

  • The perfect all-around line for when big flies and a long casting distance are key
  • Available in every density from a sinking head to floating and intermediate sink tip
  • Loads all rod types quickly and easily for maximum shooting distance
  • Transitions from coldwater to tropical water well
  • Low stretch core for better bite detection, more feel on the cast, and good hook sets
  • Slick coating for a close to zero friction cast
  • Works for both fresh and saltwater species

Cons

  • Not the most durable line as the coating can wear out quite fast
  • If the water is too cold the line will become coiled at the core making it hard to use

species rio outbound short

What species is the fly line good for?

Considering that the line can be used in both tropical and cold water, plus salt or freshwater, and it comes in all the densities from floating to intermediate with every tip in between, the species list is a large one.

Trout

If you’re a trout angler, then this fly fishing line is ideal in early spring and late fall when the trout are going wild on streamers. The heavy head will help you push a full line with ease while casting a big streamer. It will also be particularly useful when using float tubes for fishing or drift boat as the head will make shooting distance a breeze with a single backcast.

You can also play around with the intermediate tip or sinking head lines when fishing in lakes.

Bass

This line has all the features and a full density range to make it one of your primary bass fly fishing lines. The head is made for throwing the poppers and streamers you use for bass and the low stretch core is exactly what you need to jam your hook into a bass’s mouth on the strip set.

If you bought the full range of densities from floating to intermediate and the sinking head, you would have every line option you’d need to target bass all year through the cold months and into the warm.

Saltwater

Since these fly lines run-up to a 10wt and work in saltwater, you can use these lines for fishing for multiple saltwater species such as stripers. The head and densities match striper fishing to a T.

You’ll be able to make quick and long casts with heavy striper flies, switch to an intermediate or sink head when they go down, and have the low stretch core of the lines for a solid strip set.

The tropical version will also be perfect for snook, roosters, and smaller tarpon but won’t have the delicacy need for bonefish or permit.

the verdict

What’s The Verdict?

As an experienced fresh and saltwater angler, I have to say the Outbound lines would be in my tackle bag (they already are) and have become a go-to line for any time I want to send a heavy fly long distances and with accuracy. It’s effortless. I love the stiff low stretch core too. You can put so much pressure on in the fight and set that hook as solidly as possible.

This line isn’t one for the archives and all the other reviews say so too, so go shop for it.

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