Umpqua Power Taper leaders are quickly becoming my favorite leader to fish. Whether you are fishing skinny water in Puget Sound or hopper fishing a big River, a little extra help goes along way. We as anglers tend to think of fly line tapers for assistance when casting large or heavy flies. This is true, there are tapers for every fishing situation out there, but the leader is often overlooked.
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.
RIO's new Coastal Quickshooter fly line has been an instant hit with Puget Sound cutthroat anglers. Read about the ideas and process of developing the line from Pacific Fly Fishers' Capt. Ben Zander, who created the idea and helped RIO to make the line to his specifications. The RIO Coastal Quickshooter is an intermediate sinking line with a clear head and chartreuse running line. It shoots like a laser beam into stiff beach winds and keeps the fly in the fish's zone.
Pacific Fly Fishers hosts trips all over the world. Our most recent one just concluded, by Ben Zander, was on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The trip was a success and is recommended to any angler wanting to pursue baby tarpon on a fly rod.
The trip started with a flight to Cancun, easy enough, followed by a 5 hour van ride to Tarpon Cay Lodge in San Felipe. We were greeted by our lodge host Bato with a tray of Margaritas that I think must taste exactly like holy water. Tarpon Cay Lodge is a three story building, the tallest in San Felipe, that boasts fantastic Mexican decor and air conditioned rooms that sleeps weary anglers well.