Pete Tyjas takes a look at and casts the new Barrio Smallstream fly line. Does he like? Read on:
When advising either newcomers to fly fishing or more experienced anglers I always try to make them think just as hard about the fly line choice as the decision of the rod they are going to buy. With it being pretty hard to buy a bad rod these days I’d much prefer to spend a little less cash on a rod and more on a fly line and have a set up that is right for the sort of fishing I am going to be doing.
Fly line design has come a long way in recent times and we are lucky enough to have lines to suit our every fishing need. Is it marketing hype? I don’t think so. Being fortunate to get my hands on a lot of fly lines I can see the applications for the varying sorts of fishing I will be doing and can easily select a line that is fit for purpose.
Down here in Devon I fish the real small streams with a 7 1/2ft 2 or 3wt line where I make short casts trying my best to stay out of the heavy streamside canopy I will encounter.
This is where Mike Barrio's latest addition to his fly line range is of interest to me: The Smallstream.
What would I like from a small stream line? Personally, I am after something that will load the rod quickly at short ranges of 10 to 20ft and also negate the need for excessive false casting.
A few years back we’d be talking about upping the line weight to get this effect but Mike has ensured that he has designed a line that is true to line weight. So the 3wt line is suited to a 3wt rod.
The light tan colour is neutral enough for my fishing needs and as is the case with all Barrio lines it is completely memory free.
I wanted to try the line on a few rods to see how they compared and so in the line-up was:
Loop Cross S1 8 1/2ft 3wt
Vision Cult 7 1/2ft 3wt
Vision Mag 9ft 3/4wt
Bannister 7ft 3wt Garrison (Bamboo)
Doing these tests is a matter of strict control for me as it is easy to pull off a lot of line and try and find the backing knot but I imagined I was fishing the upper section of the river Taw where this line would be at home.
The line worked well on all 4 rods but I have to say the Vision Cult was a revelation. I loved it. The short casts I wanted it for were easy. I didn’t bother with false casting I could make a back cast and shoot plenty of line into the forward cast.
I also have to mention the Bannister, this was about as a perfect combination as I have found for this rod. Everything just slotted into place. This will be my summer bamboo set up. I also got the chance to cast the line with Luke Bannister and he was similarly impressed.
You’d think a line designed to load a rod at short range would be heavy and aggressive, especially at the tip, resulting in a violent turnover but it was anything but this and a really pleasant surprise. I thought this is where it might all come apart. It didn’t.
Next, I made a number of false casts with all of the rods to see how the line felt when I carried it. I had a fear it would just be too heavy, but it wasn’t.
This isn’t a fluke as it is the hard work that goes into meticulously working on a fly line that is tested on a large number of rods to make sure it is right. I suspect Mike puts a large number of lines in the bin before deciding “this is the one”.
Roll casting, even on grass, was easy and I could shoot line into a static roll cast with ease.
When I am guiding or teaching fly casting I always make sure I carry a selection of lines for guests to try so that they can compare the characteristics of one to the other and to see if a change of line can make a noticeable difference. It often does and I know I will be carrying the Smallstream line in my reel case from now on for work and my fishing too.
At this stage I have to say that I have no connection with Mike Barrio or Barrio fly lines. It is simply I applaud what he is doing, spending time and effort making sure he produces a product that is well thought out, researched and tested thoroughly before being released.
The Smallstream line is a great addition to the Barrio stable and at £27 isn’t going to break the bank and will only help us small stream fly anglers enjoy our fishing even more.
To buy a Barrio Smallstream or any other Barrio products please visit the Barrio Website
Thanks to my daughter Charlie for the photos
