The RIO Aqualux Midge Tip is one of the most important and versatile fly lines in the stillwater and reservoir angler's tackle bag. Don't leave home without one!
The beauty of the RIO Aqualux Midge Tip is that it has a 3ft clear AquaLux intermediate tip which sinks at a rate of 1.5 inches per second. On face value, you may question just how much difference this small alteration to a full floating line can make. Trust us - this little design feature will put your flies right in the juicy taking zone whenever trout are feeding in the top few feet of the water, rather than right near the surface.
Successful stillwater trout anglers know that, more often than not, you want your flies to be fishing between 2ft - 6ft down in the water. This intermediate tip allows perfect presentation of nymphs and buzzers in the top few feet when fishing 'straight-line' techniques. It's also a fantastic line for fishing the 'washing line' technique with a team of nymphs and a buoyant fly on the point. Your point fly will still fish right on the surface, but the 3ft tip will suck your nymphs down a few feet into the key taking zone rather than having them all fishing just a couple of inches down - the presentation you would achieve by fishing a full floater.
Don't think this line is all about nymph fishing though! It's also a cracking choice for fishing lures when you want your fly to get down under the surface and start fishing straight away. It'll give you excellent control when fishing damsels, fry patterns and snakes around weed beds too.
Finally, this should also be the line you reach for when you want to fish high in the water but there's a bit of a choppy wave on the surface of the lake - common conditions we encounter when fishing large, exposed lakes and reservoirs. A full floating line can get pulled around all over the place in these conditions, leading to unnatural fly movement and missed takes. By fishing a line with a short sinking tip, you achieve an anchoring effect which helps to hold your flies down a little and away from the surface disturbance.
You might be able to tell that we simply can't get enough of this line!