Since my last blog post on the RIO Coastal Quickshooter I have received many comments regarding a floating line option for Puget Sound sea run cutthroat fishing. No, there is not a floating version of the Quickshooter in the works at RIO that I know of. The floating line choice for many anglers who use neutrally buoyant or top water flies in Puget Sound has been a shooting head line such as an OutBound for its ease of casting and a forceful punch though the wind. However, as with all shooting heads, the lack of back taper decreases line control.
So for 2017 my new favorite floating line for Puget Sound is the RIO InTouch Big Nasty. Strange name for a fly line but describes it to a T.
Combining a compact front taper with an overall head length of 40 feet, the RIO Big Nasty will please at distances of 35 feet to 75 feet and beyond. The RIO InTouch Big Nasty is marketed towards anglers wanting to cast huge flies to salmon, bass and perhaps musky. True, however, the 15 foot handling section is what caught my attention as I cast it the first time. This handling line has a larger diameter then the running line and acts as a back taper. So, you can carry more line in the air even with big flies.
Since I pole my boat in Puget Sound, I really like to concentrate on grass beds. Often times in depths of 1 foot or less, an intermediate line is not needed. A longer distance cast may be required to hit a precise side of a grass bed so some control is needed as well. The Big Nasty has much more control over an OutBound.
Not that we cutthroat anglers throw large flies all the time, what we do throw is often times very wind resistant. Poppers and Gurglers do not want to travel through the air easily. The Big Nasty delivers top water offerings. Think easy casting with the benefits of major line turnover at the end.
RIO’s InTouch Big Nasty will:
• Cast anything you tie on.
• Allow you to carry more line in the air than shooting heads for accuracy.
• Punch through stiff winds.
• Make skinny water or top water fishing possible in all conditions.
• Load fast to ultra fast rods.
The RIO InTouch Big Nasty is offered 6-10 weights in Moss/Orange color and is built on RIO’s ConnectCore for minimal line stretch and a straight connection to hooked fish.
From the beach or boat, your skinny water or top water game just got nastier.