RIO Amateur Fly Fishing Film Awards

Another great video entry  for the RIO Amateur Fly Fishing Film Awards.  Good work @happy_on_the_fly!

Theres still time to vote and to enter!  Hop on over to rioproducts.com and check out the great prizes that are up for grabs for the overall winner.  And don’t forget, whoever wins will have a special inclusion in the 2019 International Fly Fishing Film Festival which is screened at over 120 locations worldwide to thousands upon thousands of eager fly anglers!

RIO AMATEUR FLY FISHING FILM AWARDS

The RIO “Amateur Fly Fishing Film Awards” is an opportunity for amateur fly fishing film makers to showcase this wonderful sport by entering a short film into this online film competition. Your submission could be a short story, a documentary, a collection of awesome shots, or even a clip from your cellphone that you feel deserves to be seen. Let your creativity be your guide! The rules are quite simple – make a 3-minute or less fly fishing film, and enter your film to be judged by the RIO panel, and by like-minded fly fishing enthusiasts on a variety of social media outlets.
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“The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing” Now Streaming on Amazon Prime, YouTube

Fly anglers looking for easy access to instructional content can now stream “The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing” television show on two of the largest video platforms online: Amazon Prime and YouTube. The show, a 13-part documentary-style series hosted by well-known author and angler Tom Rosenbauer, focuses on instruction in a variety of settings and angling situations, covering everything from fly-fishing basics to targeting trout and bass with a fly rod.

“The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing” originally aired on the World Fishing Network (WFN) in 2012, and has been available on the Orvis website’s Learning Center since. Rosenbauer believes that the addition of the show to the Amazon lineup will provide the content with a second life.

“People can watch it on their television anytime they want now, if they have Amazon Prime,” he said. “I’ve had people come up to me and say ‘I love your show and watched it five times, but I can’t see it on WFN anymore. I like watching it on my tv.'”

According to Rosenbauer, having the content available to stream on home televisions via Amazon and on mobile devices through YouTube will broaden the series’ reach substantially. If you were to click here for the statistics and look at the stats regarding cable TV as well as streaming services being used in today’s world then you’ll be able to see he’s not actually wrong in being able to reach more by migrating the series onto the various online streaming platforms. Not just for Amazon Prime content, almost all streaming platform viewership has increased in recent years. Viewers even make use of vpn to watch Sky Go or Amazon Prime and catch their favorite shows.

“The Amazon audience, it’s a different audience, for most parts an older one,” he said. “The younger people will watch it on their phones.”

Colin McKeown and Mark Melnyk, producers and hosts of “The New Fly Fisher,” helped produce the Orvis show. Both believe that the partnership with Amazon and the presence on YouTube will be a boon to anglers everywhere.

“There are 40-odd million people using Amazon Prime in the U.S.,” McKeown said. “This is a big score for the show, for Tom, and for Orvis. It’s going to enable a lot of people who are learning how to fly fish.”

Melnyk echoed McKeown’s thoughts.

“I believe that this is going to open up a window to a whole bunch of brand-new fly anglers,” he said. “They are going to find this while browsing and it’s going to pique their interest.”

That’s not the only big news involving “The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing,” however. Over the course of 2019, Rosenbauer, McKeown, and Melnyk will be producing the long-awaited second season of the show.

“It will be more advanced, more in-depth,” Rosenbauer said. “It will be a natural extension of Season 1, but very focused. There will be strictly a bonefish show, strictly a redfishing show, a show all about Euro nymphing.”

“The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing” is available on Amazon Prime Video USA, and as the OTT platform geo-locks its content due to certain licensing restrictions, you could always stream it in your own country. For example, if you’re a fishing enthusiast in India and would want to watch it! You could turn to certain blogs about learning how to change country Amazon Prime and watch specific geographically locked content!

Season 2 will debut in January of 2020. Click here to stream the series.

Focus Released to Fly Fusion Streaming

The IF4 Original Film, “Focus”, is now available to view on Fly Fusion Streaming! An inspirational fly-fishing film about an adventerous couple pursuing their passion, which leads them on a memorable adventure under a smoke soaked skyline in search of the perfect image of oversized dry-fly sipping rainbows. For those who’ve never had a trout rise to a dry, a fish might just be a cold-blooded creature with fins and spots, but to you and I they’re the objects of our memories, of our pictures, of our attention. They’re why, as we leave the river, we’re already dreaming about the next trip. Click here to watch!

Fly Fusion Streaming

Did you know, you can now stream previous seasons of IF4™, along with tons of other fishy content right in one place?  Catch all the official selections and so much more by visiting flyfusionstreaming.com today!

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Backpacks & Roadmaps

Couple of good friends of Fly Fusion, John Van Vleet and Tiffany Barber, are hitting the open road and will be journalling their adventures through a new travel website called Backpacks & Road Maps. We plan to live vicariously through their adventures and encourage you to join us in following this epic husband and wife team. Just a couple of outdoor lovers from Montana, they can’t get enough of life on the road. Follow along on all of their adventures, with travel reports, tips, and photography highlights from destinations all around the world. #backpacksandroadmaps

Fly Fusion Series: Season Three Begins!

Join Fly Fusion Magazine Editors Derek Bird and Jim McLennan for season three of the wildly popular Fly Fusion Series as they explore the prairies and East slope of the Rocky Mountains. Confronted by back-country closures and wildfires the hosts embrace mounting challenges and find themselves lost, but in the right direction, while exploring new and familiar water for willing trout.

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RIO Adds New Freshwater Lines for 2019

RIO–The RIO Creek line is designed for small creeks and streams with a taper design that loads at close range but has enough body and head length when a longer cast is needed. It is ideal for nymphs, dries and small streamers, and its supple, coldwater core provides tangle-free performance. RIO’s MaxFloat Tip ensures the line does not sink. Available in WF0-WF4F options in green/yellow coloration for $79.99.

The InTouch Big Nasty Sink Tip line is a multiple density sink tip line designed to cast large and heavy flies thanks to its front-loaded weight distribution and ultra-low stretch ConnectCore. The seamless blend of three or four densities ensures a smooth transition of energy when casting and the best depth control while fishing. It is available in float/hover/intermediate (F/H/I), float/hover/intermediate/sink 3 F/H/I/S3), and a float/intermediate/sink 3/sink 5 design (F/I/S3/S5). The different densities are designed to give anglers the option of fishing at different depths, with the F/H/I an ideal choice for fishing in the top two feet of the water column, the F/H/I/S3 a great line for fishing 2-4 feet in depth, and the F/I/S3/S5 being perfect for fishing between 4-8 feet in depth. Available in August for $99.99

For anglers heading deep into the jungle in pursuit of peacock bass, dorado, or pacu, the DirectCore Jungle Series from RIO is the line of choice. Its powerful front taper delivers large flies with ease, while the easy annealing, low-memory core lays perfectly straight. The hard, tropical coating ensures it will not wilt in the extreme heat. There is a full floating line option and a F/I that has a floating running line with a 30-foot intermediate head with 10-feet of that being clear. The F/S3 is a floating line with the front 20-feet being type 3 sinking (3-4ips). The F/S6 is a floating line with the front 20-feet being a type 6 sinking line (6-7ips). Available at RIO dealers in August for $119.99.

Trout anglers can make an easy choice for leader selection with RIO’s Powerflex Trout Selection. This selection pack contains three different 9-foot trout leaders each being one of the most popular sizes. Consumers can choose between two selections: a 9ft – 3X, 4X, and 5X leader, and the other with a 9ft – 4X, 5X, and 6X leader in. MSRP $12.99.

RIO also adds a new length in its popular Fluoroflex Trout Leaders with 7.5-foot lengths from 5X to 0X for $14.99.

Sole Mates–Orvis and Michelin Team Up

Michelin Soles has entered into a new partnership with Orvis, the world leader in fly fishing, to equip the company’s Orvis Pro Wading boot with soles featuring Michelin technologies and know-how, which will offer anglers high grip levels in and out of the water, and excellent durability. The boot has been presented during Icast trade show in Florida, Orlando.

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Patagonia Announces Innovative Wading Boots For 2019

Our friends at Patagonia have just announced two of their most innovative fly fishing products to date — the new Foot Tractor Wading Boots and River Salt Wading Boots. These boots are the culmination of years of hard work and research and development in collaboration with Danner, the iconic boot maker and Vibram, maker of high performance outsoles. Patagonia’s and Danner’s quest to build the most durable and highest performing wading boots possible has led to what Patagonia contends are the best boots they have ever made and possibly the last ones anglers will ever need to buy.

To achieve their goals of maximum durability and performance in a long-lasting U.S.A.-made boot, Patagonia paired their expertise in fly fishing and product innovation with Danner’s proud tradition of quality and craftsmanship. Made by hand in Portland, Oregon, both boots are engineered for the most demanding wading and fishing. And with treated full-grain leather and stitch-down construction, they’re designed not only for durability but also to be resoled and even completely recrafted as they wear to keep them on the water and out of the landfill.

The collaboration between Patagonia and Danner began with the idea of offering the best fly fishing boots made in the U.S. For both companies, this meant creating boots that are durable, lightweight, quick drying, and comfortable. “These Danner-built boots are the ultimate fusion of performance, durability, and quality,” notes Chris Gaggia, global marketing manager at Patagonia. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of our work with Danner, and we’re proud to have a product that will surely endure.”

The durability of both the Foot Tractor Wading Boots and River Salt Wading Boots are the result of stitch-down construction of waterproof full-grain leather and tough 1000-Denier nylon. The saline treated leather is waterproof, non-shrinking, and non-cracking. With technology that prevents swelling, these boots prevent water retention and maintain their appearance. Perforated drains clear water quickly, and nylon webbing saves weight while maintaining strength and support. Nylon-coated hardware also adds an additional element of durability. The stitch-down construction consists of interlocking thread that increases the durability of the boots while also allowing the boots to be resoled and recrafted by Danner. And both boots provide comfort and stability throughout from an insole board, an internal shank for arch support, a cushioned midsole for impact absorption, a wider platform for increased ankle support, and a lace-to-toe design that allows for a more customized fit over the top of the foot.

The River Salt Wading Boots feature low profile adjustable speed lacing evolved from Danner’s Marine Corps boots, and a bi-fit board combines shank, lasting board, and PU midsole into a single piece, thereby providing a lightweight platform. Additionally, a VIBRAM® Megagrip outsole with sticky rubber delivers impressive traction in an out of the water, as well as increased durability. The River Salt Wading Boots are designed specifically for the Middle Fork Packable Waders, wet wading, and the flats. They will be available in Feather Grey for $449.

The Foot Tractor Wading Boots have an adjustable lacing system and a 5mm rubber midsole. With a VIBRAM® Idrogrip outsole for durability and performance, anglers have the choice of sticky rubber ($499), felt ($499), and aluminum bar ($549) for their preference of best traction. The Foot Tractor Wading Boots will be available in Forge Grey.

And while Patagonia and Danner built these boots to endure, the companies’ shared values also brought them together to make boots that could very well be an angler’s ultimate boot purchase. Both boots have options for recrafting at Danner’s world-class facility in Portland, from replacing outsoles and hardware to repairing stitching and reconditioning the leather. Patagonia hopes that anglers will avoid the practice of sending boots to the landfill and will keep these boots in use for many years. This revolutionary approach cuts down on production, spending, and waste and provides the longest possible lifespan for these boots.

The Foot Tractor Wading Boots and River Salt Wading Bootswill be available February, 2019.

RIO Adds Flies to Their Line Up

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO (June 27, 2018) – RIO’s brand promise is to help anglers “Make the Connection” and with the launch of RIO Flies, that couldn’t be truer. From backing to line, leader, tippet, and now flies, RIO Products helps anglers make the connection to more fish across the globe.

“RIO has been known for its numerous products anglers can count on when it matters, so adding high-quality, competitively priced flies is a natural fit,” said Larry Barrett, president and CEO of Far Bank Enterprises, parent company of RIO Products. “We’re committed to utilizing our resources to ensure high inventory availability, and we’re excited to offer our specialty dealer partners a new product category that integrates into our current pricing and shipping programs.”

RIO’s entry into the fly category continues the brand philosophy of a core group of experts working intimately with RIO’s greater team of passionate anglers, territory representatives, and RIO ambassadors to identify, design, and select key patterns. RIO Flies are hand-tied by tiers with an eye for quality, and combined with world-class product imagery, the most thoughtful and competitive pricing structure in the category, and Far Bank’s easy-to-use electronic order system (EOS) to create a compelling new opportunity for RIO dealers and anglers everywhere.

RIO Flies for freshwater, saltwater, steelhead, and salmon will be available for purchase by fly fishing specialty shops immediately with a large selection of core patterns in multiple colors and sizes. In addition, specialty patterns for a wide variety of species developed by its in-house team of experienced anglers and fly tiers will be available. RIO Flies brings anglers the right fly for every fish.