Barrio SLX Fly Line – Review
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Barrio SLX Fly Line – Review

By February 13, 2014February 6th, 2024No Comments

Whilst practising for my SGAIC single hand assessment in 2012/2013 I decided to change my fly line. I opted for a Barrio SLX fly line after having a go of AAPGAI Master Instructor Ben Dixon’s at an SGAIC training day.

I went about slinging some loops about the place. I was immediately impressed by the ease of casting using both Spey and overhead casts!

Taken from Barrio website;

“Barrio Fly Lines are researched and developed in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, at the heart of the rivers Don, Dee, Spey and Deveron.

The Barrio Fly Line range is ideal for fishing on our lochs and rivers and is enjoying a growing reputation for innovation, quality and value for money. With their nice supple feel and very low memory, they are simply a pleasure to cast!

Barrio SLX Fly Line Taper

Profile Front taper & tip: 24.5ft  ·  belly: 4ft  ·  rear taper: 4.5ft  ·  running line 57ft *
Barrio-SLX-Fly-Line-Profile

Here are some key points of why I like this line so much;

  • It’s bright orange making it very camera friendly ( suits me! )
  • Extremely supple
  • Casts sweet, tight loops
  • Near zero memory
  • Short head for fast rod loading
  • Great shootability
  • Made in the UK
  • Great for Spey and roll casting
  • Quite thick tip turns over heavier flies/bungs and sink tips
  • Great single hand Salmon/Sea Trout fly line

This is what makes the Barrio SLX is my no.1 choice floating fly line! This fly line on my Loop Cross S1 9′ #5 is just, awesome!

I like this line so much I even put them on a few of our Trout fishing set ups!

One thing you may notice about the lines is they are a bit heavier than the AFTM rating for the fly line, don’t worry though, they are designed with intricate tapers allowing the lines feel light in the air.

I must stress that you buy the correct line rating for the rod and don’t go lighter.

One thing I have noticed, because the line is a bit thicker in the tip I’d recommend fishing with a tapered leader or floating polyleader if fishing dries or just to aid your presentation.

At the time of writing the Barrio SLX fly line is priced at £40 including postage, this is a fantastic price! With some fly lines now up wards of £70 it just makes sense to buy a Barrio at almost half the price and with better performance (in my opinion).

Trust me here folks, if you buy a Barrio SLX, you will not be disappointed with this fly line!

Callum Conner

Head Guide & Instructor