The 2013 show season is finally behind us, and now we can exclusively consentrate on fishing. One of the benefits of attending the shows both for industry people and attendees alike is the opportunity to see all the latest-and-greatest new gear. While there certainly have been a few things that have caught my attention, nothing has really had my full attention until this weekend. Our head Muskegon River Lodge spey school instructor, friend, and RIO Advisory team member–Pete Humphreys grabbed my attention with a revolutionary new scandinavian spey line system. This new RIO Scandi VersiTip (short, Intermediate, 8wt 510gr) system contains: one scandi intermediate belly, one 15′ type 3 sink tip (8wt 109gr) tip, one 15′ type 6 (8wt 109gr) tip, and one 15′ type 8 (8wt 109 gr) tip. I also had the S4 full sinking scandi belly (soon to be available in stores any day). Having fished Skagit type lines exclusively for their ease of casting for nearly 5 years I was a little skeptical that this new hybrid system would effortlessly cast since previously manufactured full sinking lines were a little difficult. To my suprise this new RIO line not only casts with ease, it casts like a rocket ship–period. Yes, scandi lines are more difficult to cast than their shorter beefier skagit counterparts, but this new Scandi short does not follow suit–you will be very impressed.
The fishability (I fished it today) of this line behaves just as you would expect from a scandi, very precise and sports-car like. The beauty however lies in the fact that as a full-sinking systems smaller diameter (smaller than the I-Skagits) knifes through the water and carves its way to depths normally hard to reach all while maintaining a light and delicate feel that really improves the conection between the angler and the fly.
There seems to be an endless line-up of new spey lines coming down the pipe, most will leave you unimpressed, and some like the new RIO Scandi short I VersiTip leave you smiling and swinging to a new beat–great job RIO!
*note~ This line was specifically developed with the RIO Advisory Team and our friends at Great Lakes Fly Fishing Co in Rockford, MI. The Entire system is exclusively available through their shop. To order please call Glen or Bob at 616.866.6060. You gonna love it!
Capt. Steven Kuieck
