Rio DirectCore Tarpon

“This line review first appeared in the 2020 Gear Guide, now on sale at bookstores and fly shop nationwide, and also at osgnewsstand.com” 

A couple of years ago RIO introduced its DirectCore Flats Pro saltwater line, a catch-all flats line for snook, permit, tarpon, and bonefish and the first of RIO’s saltwater lines to use its new lowstretch fly line core. Since then, line designer Simon Gawesworth and his team have been carefully testing, evaluating, and adding the core to specialty saltwater tapers—first a bonefish taper and now the DirectCore Tarpon. Our tester said DirectCore saltwater fly lines are all easy to stretch out so they lie straight on the water, and they give you a more sensitive feel so that if you visually lose track of the fly or the fish, you can still feel what’s happening. The biggest difference, though, is that DirectCore has less elasticity than RIO’s previous tarpon lines, allowing you to set the hook with more precise control and with more power if you need it. $120 | rioproducts.com