RIO Gold WF6F Lumalux Fly Line Review
Updated: Oct 30, 2021
Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship
There's a lot of reasons to try fly fishing at night, some of which we went over in a past article right here. Despite these positives, the big negative with night fishing is simply visibility. Even on a full moon night, I always feel like I'm fishing at about half of my potential skill level due to not being able to see my line and everything around me like I can during daylight. Also, here in Florida we have snakes, alligators, and lots of bugs which can make night fishing that much more, well, exciting!
RIO Gold fly lines are nothing new, but the "Lumalux" color is new to me. What's so special about it? It glows in the dark! What could be a better asset for night fishing than that? Luckily, this line arrived just before the cooler weather of fall which is when the bass start getting more active and the bugs are often less active—great for fishing in the dark. Unfortunately, the gators are still around, though!
Line Configuration: WF6F
Color: Lumalux
Overall Length: 90 feet
Head Length: 47 feet
Grain Weight: 168 grains @ 30 feet
Core: Braided Multifilament
Welded Loops: Yes (2)
Price: $79.99
Like all RIO Gold lines, our WF6F Lumalux-colored tester has a long head design and a special taper and profile for added stability and improved close presentations. There's a front and back loop along with added technologies like a high-floating MaxFloat tip along with MaxCast and Agent X coatings for improved line handling. For more in-depth intel on these technologies, hit the link here.
These lines are geared more towards all-around trout anglers, so the head/taper and weighting isn't as aggressive as some other lines I often use. For those that don't need that additional oomph for big flies or ultra-fast rods, this can be a very good thing as the line will be more well-rounded. To put the tested line in perspective, its 30-foot head weight is 168 grains which is at the very upper limit of the "acceptable weight range" for 6-weight lines as stated by AFFTA.
Our tested line was defect-free right out of the box.
Fishing/Testing
During the day, the Lumalux color is a subtle very light green color that's easy for me to see on the water's surface while not being too attention-grabbing. Of course, at night that all changes. When "charged" with some light beforehand, it glows! This helps tremendously with visibility while both fishing and casting and looks totally awesome on a reel!
RIO says you have to "charge" the line with a bright light source, but it'll still glow subtly if going from a bright indoor area to a dark place. I often notice it glowing in the dark after turning off the lights for bed, so just normal room lighting will definitely affect it. However, the brighter and more direct the source, the louder the line will glow. Any small light will work (including the one on your cell phone), but my personal favorite is the little (but powerful) Loon Outdoors UV Infinity light which makes the line absolutely explode with brightness (see pic below!).
While my nighttime on-the-water tests were somewhat brief, I more thoroughly tested the line one night by hitting it with the Loon light then putting the reel/line in an adjacent dark room. I peeked in there after about an hour and the glow was still pretty strong, but after around 2 hours it wasn't very bright anymore. Be certain to bring your light with you to recharge the line every so often, especially during extended night fishing trips.
For my typical bass fishing, the line worked well but a more aggressive line is always preferred for the flies I throw. RIO doesn't hide this fact, stating that the Gold is ideal for flies from size 2–22. I fished weighed size 2's and 4's on it as well as some bulkier poppers after dark. To compensate for the more modest line design, simply up-lining one line size would likely be helpful for casting the larger flies. With all this said, casting does indeed feel stable and intuitive. This is a very nice line to fish.
The line handles fine and is really smooth and easy to shoot. The MaxCast technology I mentioned earlier is special because RIO says that "MaxCast’s coating formulation contains a sophisticated blend of permanent slickening agents, and slickening agents that continuously migrate to the line’s exterior for enhanced shooting and durability."
Conclusion
RIO Gold lines come in 3–9 weight sizes in Melon/Gray Dun, Moss/Gold, and Orange colors depending on chosen line weight in that range. The Lumalux color option is only currently available in the WF5F and WF6F sizes. There's also an InTouch Gold line available with the special low-stretch ConnectCore, but the Lumalux color is not available with this core. To take your night fishing to the next level (and make it a heck of a lot easier), give the Lumalux color a shot!
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