RIO's New Fly Clips and Twist Clips

Rio is at it again with their new Fly Clips and Twist Clips .  This time, launching a "catchy" little product that helps you ch...

Rio is at it again with their new Fly Clips and Twist Clips.  This time, launching a "catchy" little product that helps you change flies quickly without having to cut back your tippet.

So what are they?

They are these little metal twisties that attache to your tippet.  You then thread the other end through the eye of your fly and then twist it to secure.  When you are ready to change flies, simply untwist it, remove the fly and repeat the process.

Advantages?

There is a two fold advantage.  The first part is quick fly changes, and then the second part is that your tippet section doesn't shrink as quickly from retying knots.  You generally lose a couple of inches every time you have to retie that clinch knot.  That is gone now with fly twists or fly clips.  You should be able to save money on tippet with these. 

Disadvantages?

The disadvantages I see are that you are adding more metal to the front of the fly.  It is just a little bit more stuff that is not the profile of the fly that you want the fish to see.  There is the reliability argument as well.  When you twist and untwist that metal, it will slowly weaken.  I know how well my knots will hold, and if they fail, it is my fault.  If the fly clip fails, then I will want to blame Rio for missing that huge fish. I can also see flies getting caught up on the twisty part and riding at a funny angle.

Should I get them? 

Did you like tippet rings?  Spey Swivels?  Did you wait in line for an iPhone?  Then yes, you will probably like these handy little gadgets.  They seem like they are worth a shot.  It could save you hours of re-tying knots as well as saving money on tippet!

What size should I get?

Fly Clips are for trout flies from sizes #4 - #16.  There are three different sizes of the clips.   

Twist Clips are for bigger flies; streamers, steelhead. bass, etc...  The mechanism is slightly different, but the idea is the same.  Thee sizes for these as well.

RIO Fly Clip

Clip Size  1                  
Fly Size    12-16

Clip Size  2
Fly Size    8-12

Clip Size  3
Fly Size    4-8

RIO Twist Clip

Clip Size 1
Fly Size   6-10

Clip Size  2
Fly Size   4-8

Clip Size  3
Fly Size    1/0-4


Each package includes 10 clips, which should be enough to get you through an extended fishing trip.  Please feel free to call, email or live chat if you have any questions!

Andrew Perrault

-Fishing, usually not catching