Fly lines are arguably the most important bit of our fishing tackle and are certainly what sets fly fishing apart from other forms of fishing. We use weighted lines, they don’t. Even our floating lines are really elongated weights.

The Barrio Outcast is a weight-forward line; the head length totals 88ft so I guess I would have to call this a long-belly WF line. But then the belly on this line is just 25ft, 13ft front taper and tip, with a whopping 50ft rear taper. The whole line is a rather ambitious 140ft. So, we have a long belly WF line with a short belly and a head of double taper proportions.

First, some casting. Supple, near free of any reel memory, at short and middle distance the Outcast handles well. The tip seems to turn over with slight pop – very positive. Although this has a fairly long front taper I’m guessing the tip is stout, at least stout enough so I can fit a long tapering leader, and as the loop turns the tip of this line retains the mass and punch to turn that long leader over. It false casts well, smooth through the rings when I allow it to shoot.

So, try for a little distance. Now, this is a floating line, and to cast a long way with a floater really needs the ability to false cast a long line. So, let out a little more … and more … and a bit more …still more …. oh, just a foot or two more … until I lose confidence in my ability to have any more line in the air and stop. At that point I had roughly 10ft more line moving in loops front and back than I can cope with using my conventional WF lines. I can just about match that carry by changing to a DT line (a really long belly line) and dropping down one or maybe two line weights – a DT of the ‘correct’ weight is simply too heavy.

So, before my arm falls off, I look for a clean back cast and let the forward cast shoot. My goodness, it goes a long way! Not every time, mind you. I can, and did, mess it up several times. But once I adjusted to the timing, had the confidence and patience to wait, then the Barrio Outcast allowed me some of the longest casts I have produced with a single-handed rod and floating line. (Little wonder this was a favourite and winning line at the BFCC meet in March.)

While casting a long way is pleasing, I don’t often fish where I have nearly 90ft clear behind me. So, back to more realistic fishing casting. Every cast seems to turn ‘pop’ as it turns over, cleanly and predictably. Change to Switch and Spey casts, and because the transition from level belly to rear taper is so gradual, I can roll this with the belly in the tip ring and with yards of rear taper outside the tip.

An exceptional floating line for long range casting, the Outcast is also an exceptionally cooperative and practical fishing line.